RAIL union TSSA has slammed ScotRail plans to cut the opening hours of 54 ticket offices which will put “women and vulnerable passengers at risk.”

The union has warned that reduced staffing hours at offices often leads to entire train stations becoming unstaffed, leaving passengers who need assistance with mobility needs without vital support and and removing a “critical deterrent against anti-social behaviour.”

Announcing the move on Thursday, the Scottish government-owned company noted that ticket office sales had fallen by 50 per cent over the last decade to just 16 per cent of all sales, while a fifth are now made at vending machines and 43 per cent online.

Arguing the changes would boost safety by “increasing staff visibility,” customer operations director Phil Campbell claimed they “will provide a service that is better suited for today and the ticket-buying habits of our customers, as well as create an environment that improves safety and customer support.”

Unconconvinced, TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust vowed to “vehemently oppose” the service cuts.

She said: “ScotRail’s announcement today is disingenuous, amounting to little more than backdoor staff cuts and putting women and vulnerable passengers at risk.

“Without staffed ticket offices, there is a significant risk that stations will become less safe, particularly for women.

“The presence of staff is crucial not only for managing the station’s operation but for providing a sense of security and assistance to passengers who may otherwise feel vulnerable.

“ScotRail’s claim that staff will remain in stations rings hollow when experience shows that staff are often reassigned elsewhere, leaving passengers without vital on-site support.

“TSSA will vehemently oppose these plans, for the sake of our members’ jobs and, above all, for the safety of all passengers who rely on ScotRail services to travel securely.”

Rail union RMT, today vowed to launch a vigorous campaign to protect ticket offices in Scotland, after cuts to hours were confirmed in a meeting with Scotrail.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “This decision by ScotRail and the Scottish Government is a real setback for passengers who depend on staffed ticket offices for safe, accessible, and reliable rail services.

“The proposed cuts ignore the needs of the travelling public and put essential services at risk. We call on the Scottish Government to reverse this course and maintain the services that passengers deserve.

"RMT will not accept any closures of ticket offices by stealth and the vital service will be vigorously defended by the union in a mass campaign if necessary."