A Nottingham Forest fan was unable to board his train ahead of the team's play-off match with Huddersfield Town. Shaun Jones, of Nottingham, and his wife had pre-booked their tickets to the capital more than a month in advance for Sunday, May 29.
Despite getting to the station over an hour early, they were unable to board the train due to the huge queues that reached as far as Hooters. Shaun said: "We had pre-booked our tickets first class on the 10 past 11 train and obviously we realised it would be busy."
He continued: "A friend of mine texted me about half past 8 saying he was queuing all the way round to Hooters. We got to the station to be informed that we couldn’t board our pre-booked train and because the queue was still at Hooters it was unlikely we would make it in time for the game.
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Hundreds of Forest fans were in a similar situation, all eager to see the Reds team take on Huddersfield, which Forest won 1-0 to secure a return to the Premier League after23 years. "There was no control over tickets, it was first come first served" Shaun added. The pair decided to take a taxi to Luton and then caught the Thamseslink which cost them a further £162.
When asked if the queues had ruined his day, Shaun said: "No not at all, we made it and Forest won so that's even better. We got there in plenty of time, it was just the initial stress and disruption."
Nottingham Forest's victory was celebrated throughout the county, including a large celebration in Market Square, where the city was turned red with a sea of Nottingham Forest clothing and accessories.
Following the events at the train station, Shaun contacted Trainline in what he hoped would be a simple refund process, but was told its not their responsibility. After Nottinghamshire Live got involved, he has now been issued a full refund by Trainline and received an apology from East Midlands Trains.
Shaun is frustrated at the situation and feels East Midlands Railway should have put on extra trains for the special event and had staff checking tickets. He said: "I don't quite understand why they didn't have better control or a queueing system for pre-booked tickets."
"The thing I find unacceptable is the customer service with respect to the refund which I’m still waiting for. I use Trainline all the time but I’m not sure I will be using them again in the future,” Shaun added.
A spokesperson from East Midlands Railway said: "We understand services to and from London were exceptionally busy on Sunday 29 May as thousands of supporters travelled to Wembley for the Championship Play Off Final. In advance of the day we advised customers to leave extra time for their journey and consider alternative routes to London if at all possible."
"In addition, we ran our full timetable, provided longer trains wherever possible, had extra staff on hand and introduced a queuing system outside the station to keep customers safe and stop uncontrolled numbers of customers on platforms. However, we know customers still faced longer journeys than usual and very busy trains and we are grateful for their patience and understanding."
