I sympathise with those who have to buy tickets at Brighton station.

The queues are often excessive and the automatic ticket machines are frequently out of change, not working or do not provide tickets to where I want to go.

The newer credit card machines, installed at Gatwick Airport, are a slight improvement but have the disadvantage of having a plethora of ticket choices, making it confusing to choose a ticket correctly.

They are also quite slow.

However, if I want to go to the cinema at the Marina, I phone up the cinema and choose and pay for my ticket over the phone.

On arrival at the cinema, I swipe my credit card through the machine and my tickets are dispensed. What could be easier?

Why can't the rail companies adopt this system?

-Nick Hearn, Osborne Road, Brighton