Simon Calder's regular column in the Saturday edition of the Independent is devoted today to the experiences of passengers on a broken-down FGW train last Friday.
No happy endings to "The Great Escape" from Paddington
Why is it so apparently so difficult for train operating companies to properly manage delays such as this, and keep customers (yes, customers, as that's what the TOCs like to call us) informed? It's too easy to imagine the feelings of helplessness and utter hopelessness felt by the passengers in this situation, and it's far from being an isolated incident.
Should rail passengers be entitled to mandatory compensation for long delays, just as airline passengers are? Perhaps £100 for every hour's delay after the first two hours? That would focus a few minds.
No happy endings to "The Great Escape" from Paddington
Simon Calder: No happy ending to 'The Great Escape' from Paddington
Few trains these days have names, but the 5.45pm each Friday night from Paddington to Swansea deserves to be called The Great Escape. It is packed with commuters heading home from work, augmented by Londoners escaping the capital to weekend hideaways from Gloucestershire to the Gower. Except last Friday night, that is. At the height of the bank holiday weekend getaway, seven miles and seven minutes outside London, the emergency brakes went on and stayed on. More than 500 passengers stopped escaping and began several hours of incarceration.
Apologetic staff walked through the train. They explained what had gone wrong, and what was being done to fix it. They dispensed bottles of water, advised about onward connections and handed out forms so passengers could claim the stipulated compensation for stewing in west London rather than strolling in west Wales.
Did they heck.
As the delay slowly erased a perfect summer evening, the train staff were nowhere to be seen. During the hiatus, only two accurate announcements were made, both by the lady in the buffet... (read more)
Why is it so apparently so difficult for train operating companies to properly manage delays such as this, and keep customers (yes, customers, as that's what the TOCs like to call us) informed? It's too easy to imagine the feelings of helplessness and utter hopelessness felt by the passengers in this situation, and it's far from being an isolated incident.
Should rail passengers be entitled to mandatory compensation for long delays, just as airline passengers are? Perhaps £100 for every hour's delay after the first two hours? That would focus a few minds.