A new ticket machine will be installed at Whittlesey rail station allowing passengers to buy tickets and get 24/7 customer support.

It comes as 26 rural stations across the Greater Anglia network are set to benefit from being better connected, with 24-hour live help and the ability to buy the cheapest ticket available.

If people have a query while using the new machines, or are not sure what to do, they can press a button which will put them straight through to a real person who can help them buy tickets and find the best fares.

Greater Anglia’s director of customer service, Andrew Goodrum, said: “It will be like giving these small stations a 24-hour ticket office which will be such a huge benefit to the communities they serve, making it much easier for people to get the right ticket quickly and conveniently.

“We know that customers sometimes feel apprehensive about buying tickets from a machine as they are unsure of how it works or which is the best ticket for their journey.”

Greater Anglia is the first train operator in England to roll out the “virtual ticket agent” machines this summer.