PASSENGERS travelling on Northern train services will soon be fined £20 or double the price of their ticket if they wait to buy it on the train.

The new charges will launch at the end of next month.

It means passengers will no longer be able to buy a regular ticket on the train if they are running late for a service.

Those who board the train without a ticket and try to pay by card will be fined £20 or double the single fare, whichever is higher.

The Manchester to Liverpool via Warrington Central train is one of the services that will see the penalty be introduced.

Exceptions will only be made for passengers who can demonstrate they tried to buy a ticket but couldn’t – such as a photo of a broken machine.

Northern Rail say if your station does not have a ticket machine and a ticket office - tickets can still be bought on the train.

Bosses said there is no excuse for not buying a ticket now that you can pre-purchase online or through the app.

Liam Sumpter, regional director for Northern, said: “We have invested in new state-of-the-art ticket machines across our network to help customers purchase tickets. These machines offer a full range of fares – including discounts.

“With online and mobile ticketing, as well as ticket offices at our staffed stations, there is really no reason for anyone to board a train without a valid ticket.

“For customers who want to pay by cash, our ticket machines will issue Promise to Pay notices which can be exchanged (along with a cash payment) for a ticket when on board the service or at the next available ticket office.”

The routes that will see the penalty introduced include:

All Manchester stations to Liverpool via Warrington Central.

Manchester stations to Wilmslow via Manchester Airport.

Manchester Victoria to York.

Leeds to Sheffield via Moorthorpe.