MartinC
Member
My wife and I have just yesterday completed an exhausting journey from Windermere to Southampton Central. 12.24 slightly late leaving Oxenholme.
First Class catering staff said "just completing breakfast, new team will start lunch after Preston". The first indication of trouble, with screen altering from "Euston" to "Train to Preston" at Lancaster followed by message from train manager that we would all have to detrain at Preston due to trespass on line.
After waiting on the platform for some minutes we were told to reboard the train, which would be reaching Euston by another route, the cause of the stoppage having been amended to include signal failure.
Another train was then terminated at the adjoining platform and the passengers transferred to our train. This ended up with a seriously overcrowded train which was then "declassified".
The position improved at Crewe where some passengers were persuaded to take alternative trains. Needless to say the "declassification' remained and there was no food service for the remainder of the journey, although all the service staff were in the kitchen area.
After crossing London in the middle of the rush hour, our next available train at Waterloo was the 18.05 to Southampton Central, but our "adventures" had not ended. The packed train moved a few yards on the journey and came to an abrupt halt, followed by a number of announcements "driver contact guard" etc. The driver appeared from the cab and waked down the train,when it was finally disclosed to the "public" it appeared that there was a medical emergency which had involved the activation of an alarm.
It was then decided to reverse the train into the platform involving obtaining another driver and conversations over the public address systems "would the country end driver de-key?& "would the country end driver please release the emergency brake"
A journey that was scheduled for seven and a half hours, in comfort with food and drink (we are both over 80), took nine and a half hours in overcrowded trains with one bottle of water supplied by the "breakfast team" To catch the train at Waterloo did not allow us sufficient time to make a purchase at Waterloo.
The whole whole booking was done through Avanti West Coast, as booking agents, and I am awaiting their comments.
First Class catering staff said "just completing breakfast, new team will start lunch after Preston". The first indication of trouble, with screen altering from "Euston" to "Train to Preston" at Lancaster followed by message from train manager that we would all have to detrain at Preston due to trespass on line.
After waiting on the platform for some minutes we were told to reboard the train, which would be reaching Euston by another route, the cause of the stoppage having been amended to include signal failure.
Another train was then terminated at the adjoining platform and the passengers transferred to our train. This ended up with a seriously overcrowded train which was then "declassified".
The position improved at Crewe where some passengers were persuaded to take alternative trains. Needless to say the "declassification' remained and there was no food service for the remainder of the journey, although all the service staff were in the kitchen area.
After crossing London in the middle of the rush hour, our next available train at Waterloo was the 18.05 to Southampton Central, but our "adventures" had not ended. The packed train moved a few yards on the journey and came to an abrupt halt, followed by a number of announcements "driver contact guard" etc. The driver appeared from the cab and waked down the train,when it was finally disclosed to the "public" it appeared that there was a medical emergency which had involved the activation of an alarm.
It was then decided to reverse the train into the platform involving obtaining another driver and conversations over the public address systems "would the country end driver de-key?& "would the country end driver please release the emergency brake"
A journey that was scheduled for seven and a half hours, in comfort with food and drink (we are both over 80), took nine and a half hours in overcrowded trains with one bottle of water supplied by the "breakfast team" To catch the train at Waterloo did not allow us sufficient time to make a purchase at Waterloo.
The whole whole booking was done through Avanti West Coast, as booking agents, and I am awaiting their comments.
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