This is a good example of a mindset in this country where we, individually, decide we don't need or use something and so don't fight or complain when it goes. Good examples of this are corner shops, policemen on the beat, libraries, rural bus & train routes, playing fields, and so on.
However, they do have value and will be missed when they are gone. Older people who are not tech savvy, people who have sight issues and tourists that are unable to read English will all struggle to varying degrees. You then add the complex ticketing system we have to a machine that may not be user friendly, not to mention if they are broken, and it is clear you still need the human element.
This is all about the money, nothing else. Money that goes, ironically, in large part to a lot of nationalised EU rail companies
