I spoke to Northern on behalf of the customer; it took quite some time to convince them that the train should have ever existed, because it has been deleted from several systems.
By the time I got agreement that the customer was entitled to a taxi, they had already made alternative arrangements of their own.
This was partly due to the long wait to even speak to someone, and partly down to the length of time it took for Northern's representative to understand the issue and accept that they should be providing transport. The person was helpful and doing their best but they appeared to be on their own (other than being able to contact control) and did not have easy and immediate access to the relevant information.
I think most people would give up, or perhaps not be capable of being assertive enough to have that conversation and know what to say to convince the representative that the train did exist. I suspect people got home by taking a night bus and walking or getting a lift from someone, or a taxi at their own expense.
I would be interested to know if deleting the train from the screen was a deliberate act to reduce the number of people claiming a taxi, or if it was a mistake?
A last train of the night from a major station like Manchester Piccadilly should see some sort of notice/instructions/staff presence, surely?
presumably something about an English court sufficing?