Trains passengers across the country faced huge queues this morning due to ticket machine going down (Picture: Twitter/marklondon77)

Trains passengers across the country faced huge queues this morning after a rail ticket machine error meant they were unable to purchase tickets using their card. 

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Many were forced to miss trains and were late for work after the nationwide error meant there were problems authorising card payments.

Instead, customers were asked to make payments using cash or travel on the train and buy a ticket at the end of their journey.

But some passengers reported that they were still fined despite the machines not working.

https://twitter.com/marklondon77/status/877781865343614976

One person wrote on Twitter: ‘£20 fine because the ticket machines aren’t working. F**k you London midland.’

Mark Cox said: ‘@greateranglia not very helpful at all. All machines @RLG either not working or not accepting card payments. Unacceptable queue in ticket of.’

While another person said: ‘Good customer service from @SouthernRailUK at UCK this morning.  Machine not taking cards and station manager out the back on the phone.’

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Sarah Doran added: None of Clapham Junction’s ticket machines were accepting card this morning and there was only one person on the desk. Trainmageddon ensued.’

The problem appeared to be with ticket machine operators Scheidt & Bachmann, who were experiencing problems authorising card payments.

The German company is reportedly used by the majority of rail networks in the UK.

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(Picture: Twitter)

Staff at stations across the country urged people to use their mobile phone apps to buy e-tickets for their journeys.

The problems affected services including Southern, Greater Anglia, ScotRail, Gatwick Express and Manchester’s Metrolink.

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A spokeswoman for Great Anglia apologised to its customers, but said the majority of commuters use season or weekly passes and those using the cash machines and mobile apps were still able to purchase tickets.

A spokesperson for Thameslink Railway, which includes Great Northern, Southern and ThamesLink, said: ‘We apologise to customers who were unable to buy their tickets using their credit cards this morning due to a technical problem with some of our ticket machines.

‘The problem is now fixed and all our machines are able to accept credit cards. Anyone who was unable to buy a ticket as a result of the problem will not be penalised.’