Passengers rounded on rail chiefs on Tuesday as they continued to face “nightmare” commutes to work, four days after the RMT union called off its strike.
There were calls from MPs for ministers to “get a grip” of the industry amid disbelief that it could take so long to get services running again – on a day when walkouts were never planned.
Furious travellers, faced with rammed carriages on Tuesday morning, described the situation as a “total joke” and said it was “shoddy that it takes four days to get the trains back in place”.
Most train firms said services should be back to normal by Tuesday evening – but Avanti West Coast services on the flagship West Coast Main Line route would continue to be “significantly reduced” on Wednesday, accoring to the National Rail Enquiries website.
However Avanti said it was doing its best to minimise disruption and was trying to lay on extra trains.
Further misery is expected on Thursday when a RMT Tube strike is due to bring the London Underground to a standstill and cause problems on the Overground.
Liberal Democrat leader and Surbiton MP Sir Ed Davey said: "It is hugely frustrating that even without strikes people are still having to endure so much disruption. They can't get to work, they can't visit family, all because the Government left it until the very last minute to get the strikes called off.
"Ministers should be working with rail bosses round the clock until this is fixed. Commuters are paying the price for their failure."
Wimbledon Tory MP Stephen Hammond said: “There is no strike and therefore there should be a full service.
“The unions should cooperate with the management to provide this. My constituents deserve better.”
It was 3.30pm last Friday when the RMT called off plans for three days of strikes at Network Rail and 14 train companies.
Walkouts were due to have taken place last weekend as well as Monday and Wednesday this week.
On Tuesday, most services did not start until around 7.30am and Great Western Railway was not alone in advising passengers to “only travel if absolutely necessary”.
South Western Railway, which runs commuter trains in and out of Waterloo, urged passengers not to travel before 8am and warned that services would be “very busy”.
GoVia Thameslink Railway, which runs Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express services, did not run its first Brighton to London train until almost 730am and its first East Croydon to London Bridge service until almost 8am.
London North Eastern Railway, which runs services on the East Coast Main Line, said its trains were “likely to be extremely busy” and the last trains departing earlier than normal.
Only Greater Anglia and Lumo, which runs trains between King’s Cross and Edinburgh, promised a full service.
At Euston, Avanti said its services to and from Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool would start later and finish earlier.
Greg Noble, 46, a telecoms salesman, said: “I’m supposed to be travelling back to Manchester this afternoon. I thought the strike being called off would logically mean my train would be running but no …. It’s like Groundhog Day, they need to get a grip.”
Mohammed el-Sharif, 31, who was trying to get to a family celebration in Birmingham, said: “We are being messed around good and proper. It’s a shambles. I think I can get a train out but getting back looks like it’s going to be a nightmare.”
Taliia Jones, 25, a PA, said: “Coming in from Kent was a pain. There was not a train before 7am so I had to be late for work. They need someone to take charge of finding a solution - it’s just out of control.”
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train firms, said there was “not a quick fix” to restore timetables.
This was because many trains and crews were not in the right place. They may have been in position for the amended “strike timetable” but not normal services.
Rail insiders said staff had to be given 72 hours’ notice of new locations.
South Western Railway said: “We understand our customers’ frustration at the late start-up caused by the now-cancelled RMT strike action. Timetables are meticulously planned to ensure trains run safely, have to be coordinated by Network Rail nationally and are finalised a week in advance.
“They rely on complex resourcing plans for drivers, guards, signallers, engineers and trains, so reintroducing train services with confidence relies on over 1,000 individual plans working together to ensure we have the right trains, guards and drivers in the right place.”
Former transport minister and Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers said: “It is the unions that need to sort this out. The Government and train operators want to make the railways safer and more efficient. There are reasonable proposals on the table. Timetables cannot be put back in place without significant notice and unions know that.
“Wrecking the quality of life for commuters with threats of strike action, even if called off last minute, is not justified.”
Minister for London Paul Scully said: “The unions pull out last minute, the disruption remains but their members get paid.
“Meanwhile hard pressed commuters in other sectors can’t get to work and London’s economy takes a bigger hit than it should. It’s not right that the livelihoods of the union members’ family and friends are being put at risk because of this short-sighted, avoidable disruption.”
The RMT said its ruling national executive committee had “decided at the earliest opportunity” to suspend the strike after receiving written offers from Network Rail and the Rail Delivery Group on resolving the issues over pay and working conditions.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper today repeated his call for “all parties continue to work together and deliver a modern railway we can all be proud of”.
A London TravelWatch spokesman said: “We’re disappointed for passengers that there is continued disruption this week despite the rail strike having been cancelled on Friday.
“We do understand that train companies can’t produce ‘off the shelf’ timetables especially after short notice changes to staff availability.
“The industry should work together to explain the reasons behind not being able to reinstate services as quickly as people would expect.”
Former Labour transport minister John Spellar said: “Once again these train companies, particularly Avanti, have shown they are incapable of running a railroad. They need to get a grip.
“Avanti should be stripped of their franchise immediately and it taken into public ownership, as the East Coast Main Line was, because the management just aren’t up to the job.”
A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, said: “Train companies have worked really hard over the weekend to reinstate services this week following the late notice suspension of strike action by the RMT leadership. The majority of services have returned to normal today, but there may be some starting later and finishing earlier. We intend to run a full timetable across the majority of the network tomorrow.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused to passengers, and we encourage anyone travelling to continue to check before they set off for their journey while we reinstate timetables.”
