Nearly every ticket office in the country could close in the next three years, it has been revealed.

After much speculatuon that hundreds of offices were at risk, the Rail Delivery Group has confirmed proposals to close almost all but the busiest facilities.

The move puts almost 1,000 ticket offices at risk up and down the country – including 105 in Kent.

Under the plans, which will now be subject to a consultation, ticket office staff would be moved to platforms to ‘modernise customer service’.

However the proposals have come under fire from unions and disability groups who fear both job cuts and a reduced level of service for those vulnerable passengers who already struggle to access the railways.

At present around 12% of all train tickets are purchased via ticket offices – albeit those opposed to the plans argue that staff based within the service also help offer advice, accessibility and other assistance to travellers.

Vivienne Francis, from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), said: “A mass closure of rail ticket offices would have a hugely detrimental impact on blind and partially sighted people’s ability to buy tickets, arrange assistance and, critically, travel independently.”

If the closures go ahead – passengers would be left needing to buy their tickets either online, at a machine or via a tap in and tap out service if available at the platform.

There are 1,007 stations in England run by train companies operating under contracts issued by the UK Government. Following the consultation, the government will make the final decision on which ticket offices could be axed and which may remain open.

When news of possible closures emerged last week, both the RMT and transport union TSSA promised to fight any closures.

RMT secretary Mick Lynch says he will use this month’s rail strikes to begin opposing the proposals.

He said: “This is catastrophic for elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers trying to access the rail network.

“It is crystal clear that the government and train companies want to tear up this agreement and pave the way for a massive de-staffing of the rail network.

"RMT is mounting a strong industrial, and political campaign to resist ticket office closures and station staff cuts. And we will continue our fight on July 20, 22 and 29 when 20,000 railway workers on the train operators go on strike."

In announcing the plans, Rail Delivery Group chief executive Jacqueline Starr said the way that passengers used the railways was changing.

She explained: “The ways our customers buy tickets has changed and it’s time for the railway to change with them.

“With just 12% of tickets being sold from ticket offices last year, and 99% of those transactions being available on TVMs (ticket vending machines) or online, our proposals would mean more staff on hand to give face-to-face help with a much wider range of support, from journey planning, to finding the right ticket and helping those with accessibility needs.

“Our commitment is that we will always treat our staff, who are hugely valued and integral to the experience our customers have on the railway, fairly, with support and extra training to move into new more engaging roles.

“We also understand that our customers have differing needs, which is why the industry widely sought the views of accessibility and passenger groups when creating these proposals, and will continue to through the consultation.”