RAIL union RMT is stepping up its campaign to save ticket offices by staging dozens of protests outside stations across the country on Thursday. 

General secretary Mick Lynch urged the public today to take part in a consultation on the widely opposed plans to close nearly every ticket office in England. 

RMT is to take strike action on July 20, 22 and 29 over pay, conditions and the planned closures announced by the Rail Delivery Group, which has said that staff will be moved onto station concourses as part of “modernising” measures.

A total of 25 demonstrations will take place on Thursday, including a mass rally outside London’s King’s Cross station at 6pm and others in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

Campaigners are set to hand out leaflets at the stations up and down the country over 12 hours from 7am.

Mr Lynch, who is set to give a speech at the King’s Cross protest, said today: “Our union is taking our campaign to save ticket offices out into every town, city and village in this country. 

“The recent announcements of ticket office closures are a fig leaf for the wholescale destaffing of stations, including safety-critical train dispatch staff, passenger assistance and other non-ticket-office customer service workers. 

“Ticket office closures under schedule 17 means there will be no regulations on staffing levels at stations whatsoever.”

Research published today by white-collar rail union TSSA shows that ticket office staff sell up to 360 million tickets a year. 

The government has claimed that only 13 per cent of all tickets are sold in this way, but figures uncovered by the union reveal that this equates to 150 million rail journeys in the past year. 

TSSA, which represents hundreds of ticket office workers, added that a further 210 million journeys stem from sales at dedicated offices, where many passengers buy their season tickets.

Interim general secretary Peter Pendle said: “Huge numbers of tickets are being bought in this way – something ministers have basically tried to conceal from the public with blatant half-truths and deception.

“The government’s foolish plans would hit everyone who uses the railways, but most acutely, groups such as those with disabilities, limited mobility or young children.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “This is not about cutting jobs. No station which is currently staffed will be unstaffed as a result of these proposed reforms.”