Protest at Manchester Piccadilly against closure of train station ticket offices - when it’s happening & why

A protest against a plan to close ticket offices at train stations will take place at a major Manchester railway hub.

Demonstrations against the Government proposal will take place across England, including at Manchester Piccadilly.

The campaign is being co-ordinated by the RMT trade union, which says the move will make the railway less safe and less accessible.

Here’s what you need to know about the protest and why it is being held.

What is the protest planned at Manchester Piccadilly station?

There is a national day of demonstrations against the closure of ticket offices taking place on Tuesday 23 August.

The Greater Manchester campaign will take place at Manchester Piccadilly, with campaigners out and about at the station between 8am and 10am.

The RMT says its members, reps and activists will be talking to passengers about the possibility of ticket offices being closed and asking them to join the campaign to keep them open and show ministers how valued they are.

The RMT has a petition to keep ticket offices open here and the campaign is also being supported by We Own It, which calls for services to be brought back into public ownership.

What has been said about closing ticket stations?

Earlier this year it was reported that the Government had drawn up plans to potentially close every ticket office on the railway network in England and force customers to book tickets online for financial reasons.

The news sparked considerable concern from trade unions and disability groups.

The RMT said the move would make the railways less safe, less accessible and less secure. The union also suggested the move was about protecting profits of the train companies by reducing further the number of people working in the rail industry.

Back in June when the Government plan was mooted outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson told the media that reform of the railways was needed and passengers could not expect “the same old system of ticket offices that are barely used”.