TRAIN stations around France are to be equipped with touch-screen ticket machines that can be used simultaneously by both the ticket office worker and customer over the next five years.

The screen is part of the counter so the seller is no longer shut away behind a computer. An SNCF spokeswoman said tests in Paris “showed people liked the way they could see options being selected on the screen – and felt more involved.”

The screens can also detect objects placed on top, like a mobile phone or discount card and transfer information between them.