"Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the government had asked train operators to withdraw their proposals because they failed to meet high passenger standards."
Shameless.
Ticket office closures very much a DfT instruction for the TOCs they oversee. Wales and Scotland not planning to bin ticket offices, as far as I'm aware.
Comments
I think the video gives a good impression of what we can expect from the first leg of HS2 - unfinished but promising?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkcgW4RdjR0