Back in February 2023, this newspaper reported "work to transform a Tameside station ticket office to improve facilities for Northern passengers is now complete".

The station currently serves around 70,000 passengers a year on the direct line from Manchester Piccadilly to Glossop. The project was heralded as a successful example of regeneration in the north of England.

Fast forward barely six months, and the lights could be going out any day now. The consultation on proposals to close most ticket offices closes this week, and I hope that common sense prevails in the end. Hattersley is one of a staggering 974 stations across England affected by the announcement. We're told that staff will still be around on the platforms to assist those who rely on face-to-face communication, but I'm unclear whether this will take the form of a crackly intercom to some far-flung office, or an actual human..

I'm increasingly swerving self service checkouts at the supermarket these days. I'm not sure if I'm just unlucky with them, but I can never get through an entire basket of shopping without an annoying error message springing up, forcing an overworked staff member to have to intervene. When it comes to ticket offices, what about the blind and partially sighted commuters who rely on them? What happens when ticket machines inevitably break down, and passengers are forced to board without a ticket?

We lose ticket offices at our peril, and I really think there are more effective ways of saving money that won't leave vulnerable folk disenfranchised. According to figures released earlier this week, more than 460,000 people have responded to the current consultationm which unions say will put 2,300 station jobs at risk. Mick Whelan, General Secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers' union, said: "It is clear that Government-driven lies about redeployment have been shown to be false and it will be the travelling public and the future growth of the railways that will be damaged by these cuts. Disabled people will be forced off the system ; tourism will be damaged, and the safety of every passenger, and every member of staff, will be compromised. Stop the cuts now."

If you do wish to add your voice to the debate, you can do so by searching for "Transport Focus Ticket Consultation" online, or by calling 0300 123 2350. Perhaps you think it's just progress, and you support the plans. But I'm struggling to think of a world in which unmanned stations would make for an improvement on our rail network. Hattersley's paint is barely dry! We need to make public transport as easy to use as possible, and proposals like this will certainly not help things.

Each of the rail companies proposing to close ticket offices have been compelled to produce an Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment, setting out how older and disabled passsengers might potentially be affected by the move. TransPennine Express acknowledged that vulnerable customers currently "use the ticket offices and waiting rooms as a point of safety and refuge", and warned that some might feel anxious without them. They even added :"Disabled customers may potentially be victims of financial extortion if they need to give their bank card to others to assist them with purchasing tickets. Older people may be socially isolated, and the Ticket Office offers them the opportunity to have a conversation with other members of the community".

Are we willing to stand by and let this happen? I do hope not. A ticket office is a public service, and whilst you can produce all the figures you like to prove the need for modernisation, the fact remains vulnerable members of our society will be left feeling less able to travel as a result of these changes. I hope the views given during the consulation process are properly listened to and assessed. Perhaps we need a bigger conversation about whether the railways should be in private hands at all. I've tried to use the train more in recent months, but am not exaggerating when I say around 75% of my tickets have been refunded via the Delay Repay scheme when services have been cancelled with little or no explanation. Hardly a good incentive to leave the car at home.

Whilst we're talking about human contact, I'd also like to appeal for an end to automated systems when calling companies. If I'm required to say in a few words what I need help with, I'd like to tell a real person rather than a robot. I'm no luddite, but sometimes it's just nice to speak to a real human being.