I went up to Durham today from Essex (3 hour train journey) for a Uni open day. The journey up was fine, but the return was awful! There had been a fatality on the line, and it led to mayhem. We got to the station to find it packed. It turned out the 17:37 (the train we were booked on) was cancelled, and the 16:37 hadn't turned up yet (by 17:15). At about 17:20, it turned up and the amount of people booked onto two trains had to squeeze onto one. The idea was that those booked on the 17:37 would get the 16:37 to York (50 minutes) then change onto the 17:37 from Durham, which was now starting at York. That probably makes no sense. This is where it gets bad We get to York, about 2 hours later (longer than the 55 minutes planned). The train was literally packed and some people were standing the whole 2 hours. So all the 17:37 people got off that train and went to the other platform to board the new train. However, unbelievably, as we were walking across, it pulled away almost empty towards King's Cross. Therefore every one of us (a few hundred) had to run back across onto the old train. This meant that some people were standing, packed so tightly together for 4 hours, when another train was doing the same route, just in front, almost empty Not the worst of it though... In the next 2 hours, the air conditioning failed, meaning people were literally passing out from heat exhaustion. The cafe bar ran out of every single drink including water, so everyone was dead thirsty too. We were the "lucky" ones who had seats and a table the whole way (though I was sharing 2 seats between me and 2 girls, but that's not all bad). Those who were standing up were all in a terrible position, and 2 people passed out in our carriage alone! Oh well, I'm home now, let's hope I never have to repeat that experience.
Oh yeah, I did forget to mention that everyone on the train has been told they can apply for a refund. Fair play to them for that, though I'd have been very disappointed if they didn't offer it.
Said on the local news today that a lot of trains in East Anglia were delayed by a couple of hours at least because the heat was causing power cables above the tracks to sag, which could have collided with trains coming through. What a bloody shambles this country's trains are in when trains are cancelled when it snows, when there's leaves on the line and now when it gets a bit hot as well...
And while we're at it, we seem to be the only country without air conditioning in shops and general places. In America, when it's winter, no worries, snow gets cleared my councils, pipes are made strong enough to not burst, special wheels to deal with snow. When it's hot, air conditioning etc. Just a bit poor, really.
Selfish bastards committing suicide on the rails, jump of a bridge and don't make us walk down tunnels and shit like that.
Tell me about it, I could have lost my job after missing a vital lifeguarding examination last year cos some selfish woman decided to have her final nap on a very busy rail line and caused all trains down it to be cancelled http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/c...-struck-by-train-near-chester-59067-26985637/
The thing is it is incredibly traumatic for a tube driver too, I met one once who said it happened to his mate, every time he pulled into a station he was fearing some commuter would jump in front of the train....Monday mornings are the worst for it in London... I do have some sympathy, but not when I have to walk down a rat infested f**king tunnel at 8.30 on a Monday morning.
People threatening to jump off the Tyne Bridge up here is happening more and more often now. They always seem to do it at rush hour though the b*stards. There were two yesterday.
I was coming back from Manchester and there was a power failure south of Rugby. We were delayed for five hours. On the up side they did make it a free bar.
Agreed, when I stayed in Calgary for a while they have bridges between the buildings so when winters fall to minus 30 and 40 people only need go outside when it's absolutely necessary. Where I work we have large floor to ceiling windows, so when it's hot during summer it turns the place into a greenhouse. Especially when we're at capacity on a Saturday night. It's horrendous.
And an article in papers. OOOoooo look at me i commited suicide, brought the trains to a stand still and have hurt my family.
That's excellent service in the situation then, fair play. We didn't even have a bar, let alone a free one, because they ran out of everything (including water eventually) before the end of the journey.
Most trouble I've had with the railway over here was when I was coming into Connolly Station from Mullingar and was held on a bridge for 40 mins. I wouldn't mind the last stop was less than a 5 min walk away but yet we had to wait because of some signal problem.
