Commuters lobbied over rail cuts

SWT said it would not close any ticket offices completely

Commuters have been urged to support a campaign against plans to cut the opening hours of more than 100 train ticket offices.

Unions officials lobbied commuters at Waterloo station over the proposals by South West Trains (SWT).

SWT said it was investing £12m in new ticket vending machines as more people were buying tickets online.

But union leaders said the measures would undermine the safety of staff and passengers at the affected stations.

'More expensive'

Manuel Cortes from the Transport Salaried Staffs Association said: "These cuts will directly hit passengers, making stations unsafe and tickets more expensive.

"Unmanned stations will be less safe for travellers, particularly at the weekends and in the evenings.

Tickets will be more expensive because you cannot ask a machine for the cheapest available journey."

The action was also supported by the Rail Maritime Transport (RMT) union.

SWT said its proposals ranged from "very minor" changes to opening hours to more significant reductions at very quiet stations.

The proposals will be the subject of public consultation over the next few weeks.