Rail bosses must halt plans to close ticket offices that would leave passengers with nothing but a “faceless machine” to help them out, a leading councillor has said.

Councillor Paul Fishwick was speaking as he signed off on Wokingham Borough Council’s formal opposition to the plans, as part of a public consultation.

He said: “Hopefully they will actually listen to us and not go ahead with this. My message really is that we urge the rail operators to reconsider the proposals.”

South Western Railway and Great Western Railway plan to close ticket offices at stations they manage across Wokingham borough over the next three years, with station staff helping passengers to use ticket machines. They say the changes are justified by falling ticket office use.

But staffing hours will also be reduced – and disabled, vulnerable, young and elderly passengers could struggle to buy a ticket, Wokingham Borough Council has said.

Councillor Fishwick – responsible for travel and transport in Wokingham – said residents had told him they’d struggle to buy a ticket if the closures go ahead.

He said: “I’ve only today been contacted by several residents concerned about the proposed closures and how that will impact on them.

“They don’t have mobile phones, and they buy particular tickets that they can only actually get from the ticket office rather than from the machine.

“People are going to be left with a faceless machine – there’s no video links on most of them to help people out.”

READ MORE: Stations unstaffed for entire days if ticket office closures go ahead

The council’s senior transport planner Sofia Charalampidou said the move could discriminate against people who struggle to use smart technology to buy and pay for things.

She said: “The knowledge and assistance of ticket office staff are crucial for understanding fare options and ticket types. The ticket office provides a better quality of service and human interaction.

“The over-reliance on smart media may exclude individuals who don’t have access to such technologies or prefer more traditional methods of payments.”

Ms Charalampidou also said the proposals may mean station staff lose their jobs.

She said: “The proposed staffing hours from SWR and GWR are much shorter that the current ticket office hours, predominantly at stations like Earley, Winnersh, Winnersh Triangle and Reading.

“These reductions may lead to job losses and pay cuts and we are concerned about the welfare of these employees.”

Councillor Fishwick said the council supports modernisation in the rail industry – but that the office closures are “completely the wrong approach.”

He said: “Our residents should be able to get around sustainably and affordably, whereas this proposal simply results in poorer service, greater confusion, longer queues and more difficulty getting value for money.

“We understand and support the desire to modernise in principle, but this is completely the wrong approach.”