A student faced a £600 fine after being hauled to court by Northern Rail in a row over a ticket costing 60p.

Adam Fairhurst was one of more than 130 people whose 'fare dodging' cases were heard at Bolton Magistrates Court this week.

Northern Rail, which had fewer than 50 per cent of its services arriving on time last month, tried to fine some people around 100 times their original ticket price.

Adam, 19, a student from Wigan, ended up being hauled before the court after his penalty notices were sent to the wrong address.

Northern tried to fine him £600 for catching the train a station earlier than his ticket allowed, a difference of 60p.

He says he offered to pay the 60p on the train.

Sarah Henderson, for the prosecution, told the court: “There was an input error at the time [his address] was logged into the system.

“Northern Rail accepts what [the defendant] is saying.”

The case against Adam was dropped and he was not fined.

But outside the court, he said the service from Northern Rail had been 'just terrible'.

He said: “It has been an utter joke. I don’t get why they were like this.

“I told them I would pay the 60p difference and they said no and took me to court.”

Adam's mother Amanda said it was a “relief” to have it sorted.

“It’s been so stressful,” she said. “It’s awful really. I’m glad it’s over.”

Other ticketless rail passengers who didn’t come to court were not so lucky.

Amadou Jallow, 38, who is a support worker earning £800 a month, was fined £379 after taking a £6.40 journey from Levenshulme to Manchester Piccadilly without a ticket.

“I was rushing to work when this happened,” he told the court in a statement.

“I had tried to pay with my card but it wasn’t working.

“I have got a family who are dependant on me.”

(Image: PA)

Northern had made contact with Mr Jallow several times and asked him to pay the original ticket price, but he stopped responding.

Sarah Henderson, for the prosecution, said Northern deals with around 4,000 cases of people travelling without a ticket every month, of which only a hundred reach court.

“This is a last resort option,” she said. “We try to settle out of court where possible. We are contractually obliged to do this.”

She said that when Northern can’t make contact with the defendant or find their address 'the fine is withdrawn'.

Among other passengers who got large fines was Gareth Freeman, 26, from Rochdale.

He was fined £405 for taking a £5.10 journey from Rochdale to Manchester Victoria without a ticket.

Sam Harrison, from Manchester, was fined £403 for a £2.80 journey between Levenshulme and Manchester Victoria.

Susan Grumbridge, 52, was fined £404 for a £4.30 journey to Manchester Victoria.

Northern Rail cancelled 2,293 train journeys last month and continues to face strong criticism from passengers for its unreliable service.

Got a story or an issue you want us to investigate? Want to tell us about something going on where you live? Let us know - in complete confidence - by emailing newsdesk@men-news.co.uk, calling us on 0161 211 2323, tweeting us @MENnewsdesk or messaging us on our Facebook page. You can also send us a story tip using the form here. Join the Manchester Evening News breaking news Facebook group for a place to read and talk about breaking news in Greater Manchester.