Plans to close hundreds of rail ticket offices in England have been scrapped.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the government had asked train operators to withdraw their proposals because they failed to meet high passenger standards.
The plans were put forward by train operators as a way to save money. They had come under pressure from the government to cut costs after being supported heavily during the Covid pandemic.
Train companies said that only 12% of tickets were now bought at station kiosks.
But passenger watchdogs Transport Focus and London Travelwatch objected to the proposals, saying they had received 750,000 responses from individuals and organisations in a public consultation.
These included "powerful and passionate concerns" about the potential changes, they said.
The watchdogs said they had secured significant changes, including getting companies to revert to existing times for when staff would be available at many stations.
But serious concerns remained, including ticket machine capability, accessibility and how passenger assistance and information would be delivered in the future.
Announcing the decision to reverse the closures, Mr Harper said the government had made it "clear to the rail industry throughout the process that any resulting proposals must meet a high threshold of serving passengers".
"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."
Steve Brine MP said; “I canvassed local opinion widely on this and the message, which was felt back diligently to Ministers, was clear so I know many will be pleased with this decision.
“The basic facts remain of course; ticket offices mean a great deal to those who use them but that is a relatively small number of people and it’s actually a falling number. What we need to watch now is where else the train companies seek to make savings which I doubt will prove any more popular.”
