Rail ticket office closures will leave some stations in Wokingham completely unstaffed for entire days, Wokingham Borough Council will warn.

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.

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.

In a letter it plans to send to government transport regulators, the council said: “Many individuals, including those with disabilities, the elderly, the young and those from lower-income backgrounds, heavily rely on the assistance and advice provided by station staff.

READ MORE: Wokingham Council says closing train ticket offices would be 'hard hit'

“Ticket machines and mobile apps do not cater to all passengers' needs and may be inaccessible or confusing for some individuals, particularly for those with special educational needs or impaired eyesight.”

The council also warns that stations could become more unsafe when staff aren’t around. “There may be a higher risk of incidents, anti-social behaviour, and a lack of immediate assistance during emergencies,” it says.

“Unstaffed train stations increase vulnerability for individuals, particularly for women and is a crucial step backwards against violence against women and girls.”

Under South Western Railway’s plans, Earley and Winnersh stations would be completely unstaffed on Sundays and Mondays. Currently, Earley is staffed seven days a week, while Winnersh is only unstaffed on Sundays.

Meanwhile, Winnersh Triangle would be unstaffed on Fridays and Saturdays – as opposed to just Sundays, when it is currently unstaffed.

On days that they are staffed, this will only be between 6am and 10am on weekdays, and 9am to 1pm on weekends. This means that each station will only be staffed for 20 hours a week.

Wokingham Borough Council warns that for some types of tickets unavailable through machines – or for more complex journeys – passengers will first have to travel to busier stations such as Reading where they can buy them in person.

READ MORE: Rail users urged to have their say on possible ticket office closures

Councillor Paul Fishwick – responsible for travel and transport – is set to formally approve the council’s response to the plans on Thursday, August 31. The response will go to the consultation on ticket office closures being run by government-funded regulator, Transport Focus.

South Western Rail and Great Western Rail say the changes are justified by falling ticket office use.

South Western Rail says staff “will be trained to support customers with their retail choices, and by bringing them out of the ticket offices and into the stations, they will provide more visible and personal help to our customers.

“We will continue to meet all our commitments on providing accessibility for passengers, including passengers with reduced mobility and people requiring in‑person assistance.”