Railway firms including East Japan Railway Co. and West Japan Railway Co. experienced a technical glitch with their ticketing system Monday that prevented credit card purchases, their ticketing system management company said.

Cash purchases and Central Japan Railway Co.'s "Smart EX" online shinkansen reservation service are unaffected, according to Railway Information Systems Co.

The glitch occurred around 4 a.m. when ticketing machines and counters opened, the company said. The cause of the trouble is not yet known.

==Kyodo

© Kyodo News International, Inc., source Newswire