On 5 July, Avanti West Coast launched a public consultation over proposed changes to the way it sells tickets and provides customer service at stations on its network.
Passenger bodies Transport Focus and London TravelWatch led the public consultation which ended on 1 September.
The passenger bodies have now announced their views on our proposals which can be found here on the Transport Focus and London TravelWatch websites.
Following this announcement, the Secretary of State has instructed that all operators withdraw their proposals.
The proposals were part of industry plans to modernise the railway and bring it more in line with current consumer expectations. It reflects significantly reduced usage of ticket offices over the past decade as customers move to alternative, more convenient ways of buying tickets.
It was proposed that all ticket office windows at stations will close, with staff transitioning to multi-skilled Customer Ambassador roles where they would be available to give advice about the best and cheapest fares as well as supporting customers with accessibility needs.
The changes would mean a visible and accessible staff presence in stations during staffed hours, on ticket concourses and on platforms.
The proposals included stations Avanti West Coast manage on our network and our facilities at Network Rail managed stations on the West Coast Main Line where we are the lead retailer.
Under the plans, customers were still be able to access the same products and services as they do today either on our website, the Avanti West Coast app or at our stations where staff will be on hand to provide support for all ticket types.
