When hundreds of passengers were left stranded on dark, cold trains for several hours near Paddington in west London earlier this month, one of those was the boss of the body responsible for Great Britain’s rail infrastructure.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail’s chief executive, said the halting of services to and from one of the UK’s busiest stations because of damaged overhead electric cables was a “painful experience” that showed how the railways had “gone backwards on customer service”.
At the weekend the manager responsible for the line resigned. A source told the BBC that Michelle Handforth made the decision to step down as Network Rail’s managing director for the Wales and western region before the 7 December incident. However, her decision was made after the Office of Rail and Road regulator launched an investigation last month into low punctuality and reliability in her region.
Although painful, this month’s disruption to Elizabeth line, Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express trains appears to be far from unique, judging by the stories shared with the Guardian by readers. Many have faced similar situations in recent months, for reasons ranging from flooding to faulty infrastructure and a lack of train drivers.
Karen Cherpin, from Whitstable, was looking forward to travelling to Amsterdam on the Eurostar last month to attend her daughter’s university graduation ceremony. Though the journey started well, she said the train came to a standstill about 30 minutes into the journey, as it approached the Channel tunnel.
“We were initially told that they were waiting for permission to enter the tunnel. As time went by, it became apparent that there was a bigger problem,” she said.
“The electricity eventually went out on the train, leaving us with no heat, no food and little water. The toilet flushing systems ceased to work, and toilets started overflowing as passengers were forced to continue to use them. As the hours ticked by, this became a huge issue. Passengers resorted to using bins as toilets.”
Cherpin and about 700 fellow passengers were stranded onboard the train for more than seven hours, with little to no communication from staff, she said. Eurostar said the disruption was caused by an overhead cable falling on the train. The train eventually returned to its starting point in London.
“I don’t think it was handled very well at all. By the time we were sent back to St Pancras station, I had missed my daughter’s graduation, which was devastating. I will never be able to get that back.”
Cherpin is still waiting for a refund from Eurostar. She also asked them to reimburse the hotel accommodation she had booked for Amsterdam that evening, as well as a new train ticket to return to Canterbury, but was refused, and told to recover the costs via her travel insurer instead.
“The whole experience was truly horrendous. I’m certainly not going to attempt travelling on the Eurostar again for a while.”
As Britons are gearing up for the Christmas holidays, such stories and memories of last year’s strike-disrupted travel will increase worries over any rail trips planned for one of the busiest times of the year.
Richard, a 71-year-old from Norwich, said he would think twice before booking another train journey in Great Britain, after a recent return trip from London with his wife on the Greater Anglia line was beset by problems.
“There was heavy rain in Norfolk that day. Once our journey started at 7.30pm, we were held at every station because of congestion on the line ahead. By the time we reached Ipswich, at 10pm, we were one hour late, before an announcement came that the line was flooded in south Norfolk,” he said.
After about an hour, all passengers were asked to go and sit on another train, unless they wanted to return to London. “At about midnight this second train also returned to London and we decamped to a third train,” Richard said. “We had been promised compensation if we found a hotel or a taxi to complete our journey. I tried to find either of these, to no avail.
“Refreshments were no longer available on the train or in the station. The train’s toilets were locked. Many passengers received water but this offer did not reach us. We spent a very uncomfortable night on the train – cold, hungry and unable to sleep.”
At about 8.30am the next day, the couple managed to board a coach, and finally arrived in Norwich at 9.30am – 12 hours later than scheduled. “I did complain and received £150 compensation from the rail company, but this ordeal has put me off,” Richard said. “I am likely to avoid taking trains in future.”
Lottie McAlister, 25, a water consultant, experienced a train journey from hell in August, on the TransPennine Express from her home city of Manchester to Edinburgh to visit her boyfriend.
She knew the route was prone to delays, with TPE taken into public ownership in May after racking up the worst record for cancellations, but nothing prepared her for what happened north of Lockerbie.
“Suddenly, there were bright flashes and some very loud bangs, and the train came to a stop,” she recalled. “There was panic across the train, which was really quite unnerving.”
After about an hour without any announcements, staff informed passengers the train was no longer connected to the overhead line and had no power. “This meant no flushing toilets, no functioning doors and eventually no lights whatsoever, when all the batteries ran out,” McAlister said. “After three hours of being sat stationary, one of which was spent in total darkness, we were informed a rescue train would arrive to take us to Edinburgh.”
Initial relief was short-lived when passengers learned the only train available was going to take them to Glasgow, where they were eventually loaded on to coaches and driven to Edinburgh, arriving at 3.30am. “The whole thing was distressing and exhausting.”
About a month later, McAlister received a cheque for £100 to compensate her for the experience, as well as a lengthy letter of explanation.
“I really hope the members of staff working on that shift were also compensated for their time and professionalism,” she said. “This route is notoriously bad but this trip won’t be forgotten in a hurry.”
Responding to Richard’s story, a Greater Anglia spokesperson said: “We are very sorry for the disruption on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 October 2023 due to the heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding caused by Storm Babet … Colleagues did all they could under exceptional circumstances at Ipswich station on Friday evening – we were able to arrange alternative transport or hotel accommodation for many customers, however, supply was extremely limited.”
Chris Jackson, the managing director at TransPennine Express, said: “In August, a train bound for Edinburgh was delayed at Beattock due to unit and infrastructure faults, resulting in a several-hour wait for both customers and TransPennine Express colleagues on board.
“Whenever something like this occurs, we strive to promptly resume operations, whilst prioritising the safety of all passengers. We sincerely apologise to those affected by the extended delay and thank them for their patience whilst we got them back on the move.”
A spokesperson for Eurostar said: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers is our top priority, and we are very sorry for the challenging conditions that our customers experienced when an overhead cable fell on a Eurostar train at the entrance of the Channel Tunnel on 30 November. Eurostar and its staff prides itself on running a reliable service and we have launched a review with our infrastructure partner into how the processes and communication were handled on that day.
“In recognition of the very difficult conditions on board Eurostar offered passengers an enhanced compensation package and we can confirm that a full refund of the customer’s journey has been processed – this should reach their account within the next 7 working days. In addition, the customer has received an e-voucher worth 200% the affected journey.
“Hotels, taxi and subsistence costs were refunded to passengers who stayed overnight in London and for additional hotel reimbursements, passengers are recommended to contact their travel insurance provider.”
