PASSENGERS have hit out at ticket chaos after they were blocked from entering a city train station during rush hour.

Scotrail staff forced passengers to queue in an underpass at Hyndland station on Monday morning with only one staff member selling tickets from a hand-held machine.

Travellers were unable to get up onto the platform as normal, where more ticket machines were available.

Some commuters are understood to have missed vital connections to work, while others were infuriated by the new regime which was scheduled to last all week.

Peter Henderson, a daily commuter from the station, said: "When I arrived at the station there was a large queue in the underpass leading to the platform.

"Railway staff were stopping passengers getting up onto the platform, saying the needed to buy tickets here.

"The queue was getting bigger and bigger but yet there was only one ticket seller there.

"People were getting very upset, some were missing trains for Edinburgh or connections.

"One chap was starting a new job and couldn’t be late so we let him go to the front of the line."

Scotrail staff are understood to have told passengers they had been instructed not to let anyone onto the platform unless they had a ticket already.

Mr Henderson said: "Why on earth did they decide to do this without giving people notice last week?

"There’s never a problem with buying tickets at Hyndland and the vast majority of passengers get off at stations with ticket barriers anyway.

"It just seems the new company that runs the trains, Abellio, have decided they’re going after a handful of people who board without tickets no matter the huge inconvenience to the vast number of their paying customers.

"They’ve done this with no notice and then not provided enough staff to sell tickets."

A spokeswoman for ScotRail said: "We have additional staff out across the network this week, including at Hyndland station.

"These staff members are informing passengers of the upcoming Glasgow Queen Street tunnel works and how they will impact local services, as well as letting customers know about alternative ticketing options, and ensuring customers have tickets for their journey – as part of our Buy Before You Board policy.

"We have taken this feedback on board and are looking at how we can rearrange the barrier system at Hyndland station."

After the Evening Times contacted Scotrail, they changed their policy to allow passengers up onto the platform for the rest of the week.