Transport Focus has objected to all proposals to close railway station ticket offices in England, the watchdog said.

The Government has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals for a widespread closure of station ticket offices in England, Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, said.

In a statement, Mr Harper said the proposals to close ticket offices “did not meet the high thresholds” of serving rail passengers.

He said: “The consultation on ticket offices has now ended, with the Government making clear to the rail industry throughout the process that any resulting proposals must meet a high threshold of serving passengers.

“We have engaged with accessibility groups throughout this process and listened carefully to passengers as well as my colleagues in Parliament. The proposals that have resulted from this process do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers, and so the Government has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals.

“We will continue our work to reform our railways with the expansion of contactless Pay As You Go ticketing, making stations more accessible through our Access for All programme and £350 million funding through our Network North plan to improve accessibility at up to 100 stations.”

This is a breaking story and will be updated.