Passengers at one of Kent's newest railway stations can now use digital tickets.

It comes as many commuters said they were regularly missing trains and faced long queues due to insufficient facilities.

The rail users had slammed the lack of ticket machines, and paperless options at Rochester, which were leading to chaos at the station.

But Southeastern has now announced commuters can use barcode tickets, which can be downloaded and presented on a mobile device or printed.

They can be purchased online through the rail provider's website or any other train company.

Currently there are only two machines available at the mainline Medway station – one inside and one out – which is said to often result in long queues and massive delays.

The station is one of the first in Kent to have gates with barcode scanners. Stations including Ashford International, Canterbury East and West, Ebbsfleet International, Folkestone Central, and Greenhithe will also receive further upgrades.

Cllr Alex Paterson (Lab) had described the situation at Rochester as "utterly shambolic".

Addressing Southeastern on social media last month, he said: "Any chance of some more ticket machines at Rochester?

"Utterly shambolic when passengers with pre-purchased tickets for collection are kept waiting in queues so long they miss their train.

"One outside and one inside concourse seems inadequate for population here."

However, as much of a step forward it may be, Cllr Paterson said he is worried about ticket offices potentially closing down, which would be a challenge to passengers who may not be as tech-savvy.

He said: "While on the surface this appears to be a positive change for those of us who are tech-savvy and already buy our tickets online, it is actually less about serving customers and more about cutting jobs.

"Plans to close every manned ticket office including those in Medway have been backed by the Prime Minister, but are a disaster for mainly older passengers who rely on the expertise of hard-working station staff to get the right fare.

"If you think ticket machine queues are long now, just wait until everyone who hasn’t booked in advance is forced to use the automated machines."

A Southeastern spokesman said no decision to close ticket offices have been taken, but added: "The pandemic has been an unprecedented financial shock to the railway. While no decisions have been taken over ticket offices, with the acceleration of changing travel patterns and more passengers migrating to digital technology, many jobs will need to change to become more passenger-centric.

"Train companies including Southeastern are working with unions on how to address those changes, while making sure the rail industry takes no more than its fair share from the taxpayer."