Ticket machines operated by the government-run Northern Trains have been put out of action by a suspected cyber attack intended to extort money.

The servers that operate the ticket machines were the only system affected, the company said in a statement.

“This is the subject of an ongoing investigation with our supplier, but indications are that the ticket machine service has been subject to a ransomware cyber attack,” it said.

Northern Trains said no customer or payment data had been compromised, and that customers could still buy tickets online.

The franchise, which runs trains between towns and cities across northern England including Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield, was nationalised in 2020 after years of delays, cancellations and strikes.

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