The consultation on proposed changes to ticket offices has now closed with watchdogs London TravelWatch and Transport Focus having received 680,000 responses combined.

The consultation on train operator proposals to close the majority of ticket offices in England ended on Friday 1 September.

In the consultation responses from the public and stakeholders, concerns were raised around accessibility, safety and security, issues with ticket machines and how stations will be staffed in future.

Over the coming weeks, the watchdogs will continue to analyse the train operator proposals and public consultation responses before responding to train operators by 31 October.

Michael Roberts, chief executive of the independent transport watchdog, London TravelWatch, said:

We’ve had an incredible response from the public with more than half a million responses so it’s important we take this time to consider our response.

We are particularly interested in how individual stations will be staffed, how accessible they will be, options for buying tickets and whether passengers will be able to access facilities such as lifts, waiting rooms and toilets.

London TravelWatch and Transport Focus will publish the response to each train company’s proposal online with an overview of the number of responses received, and the main issues raised in the consultation.

If the watchdogs object, the train company can refer its proposal to the Secretary of State for a final decision. The Department for Transport has published guidance which sets out the approach the Secretary of State will take if this happens.