What’s the worst excuse you’ve heard for train delays?

Latest favourite bs excuse by FCC / Thameslink….. “delays caused by earlier delays”…. They trot this one out almost every day. It used to be lack of crew but they may have got bored and don’t use that one quite so often

A few ears ago I was in Brighton when SE Rail made an apology for the delays to trains because of a land slip at Fishguard! Certainly there had been such a land slip, but Fishguard is over 300 miles away with no links to that system!

Worst excuse we have had – “Too many passengers getting on and off the train” – near half hour delay getting into Paddington from Penzance. Always the customer’s fault apparently! No compensation even though our plans were ruined.

First Great Western, 20th Jan. Due to a potential suicide, trains were disrupted into Paddington. What they always do to recover is run stopping trains as non stopping trains. The 16:31 from Reading ran as non stopping from Slough to Paddington, as did surrounding stopping services. The end result is a very overcrowded, poor service at the minor stations. By all means run a few like this but not 3 on the trot like yesterday leaving a 15 minute service to be an hour. These stats don’t appear on the lists because the train did run from Reading to Paddington and arrived at Paddington on time. They always do this and it’s annoying.

I am sorry for the people who travel with Southern rail and buy 1st Class tickets seasons tickets. The extra expense they pay, to either ensure a seat or so that they are able to work, is circumvented on a regular bases.
I have a bad knee, so when traveling to London Victoria, I buy a 1st Class ticket, to try an guarantee a seat on the overcrowded train. So you can imagine my chagrin, when it is declassified due to overcrowding. However listening to the commuters, I realised they were continually rip-off.

In the Spring of 2015 I went to Manchester on business taking a Virgin Trains return from Euston. The train came to a halt on the return journey and we were told it was due to a polythene bag on an overhead electric cable ahead. The train was delayed for less than 90 minutes. The guard came along the train and gave everyone a form for claiming compensation. I completed it and got my return fare refunded – worth approximately £80. I was paid in vouchers for rail travel to be used on any route.
This was excellent service from Virgin trains. The delay wasn’t their fault and I would not have expected compensation. Purist could argue it should be a cash refund, but vouchers are fine by me

Frequently you hear the excuse that your train is delayed because it’s following another slow running train. The question that is never answered is why is that train is slow running?

My claim for delay compensation with Thameslink has been rejected by their automated ‘web-based’ delay service because on their web form I have entered 5.00PM as an approximate departure of my delayed train (the scheduled departure was 5.08PM which I didn’t want to look up weeks later). Only in a month, the system replied with an email that wasn’t such a train and simply ignored my claim.

I have since then contacted Thameslink twice in email but never seen a reply and now have contacted London Travel Watch.

Thameslink is hiding behind this intentionally complicated web form to avoid paying compensation.

But the fact that they do not reply email complaints is simply unacceptable.

This sent on 21 Jan 2016 to:

David.Statham@southeasternrailway.co.uk,
comments@southernrailway.com,
NickBrown@tfl.gov.uk,
enquiries@londontravelwatch.org.uk,
advice@transportfocus.org.uk,
tracey.crouch.mp@parliament.uk

Dear Sir/Madam.

I am writing this e-mail, copying in all the relevant parties as well as my local MP (living in Walderslade in Chatham), due to an incredible failing on the part of the rail companies and watchdog organisations.

On 29 November 2015, my family, consisting of 5 adults and 2 children, drove to Petts Wood, and from there bought a group train ticket for the day to Kensington Olympia. This was a Southeastern railway station from whom we purchased the tickets.

The journey there was from Petts Wood to Victoria, change for Clapham Junction, and change again for Kensington Olympia. The outward journey took a little over an hour.

We left Kensington Olympia at 15:00. The first delayed train arrived at 15:20 or so. We tried getting on with the children and a wheelchair/pushchair, but the guard would not let Mum or Dad on, though we had boarded with the children. There was enough room, but the guard would not get out of the way or move people down the train. We had no hope of getting off again. This was a Transport For London train.

We all met up about 20 minutes later at Clapham Junction, and caught the train to Victoria.

The train to Victoria from Brighton arrived on time, but got in as our train was leaving Victoria. We would have caught this train but for the guard and the initial delay. This was a Southern Railways train.

On arrival at Victoria, the next two trains were ‘delayed’ due to a signal failure outside Victoria. We therefore waited.

After about an hour (with two children with disabilities, both of whom have congenital heart defects, where the cold affects them), we were told that the trains were cancelled.

The Southern station manager suggested going to Blackfriars and catching the train from there. We therefore trekked across London to catch this train.

This train, the 18:04, left on time, but was also delayed. This was a Southeastern train.

We pulled into Petts Wood at about 20:20, close to four hours later than we should have arrived.

I tried claiming a refund from Southeastern. They replied by stating that the issue was with Southern Rail.

Contacting Southern Rail, they said that the station of departure was Kensington Olympia, which made it TfL.

TfL said that the tickets were bought from Southeastern, so the issue was with them, and they could only refund to an Oyster Card which could not be cashed in anyway.

I called Transport Focus who said that a complaint had to be made through London Travelwatch as it was in London.

London Travelwatch said that the tickets were bought outside of London, so the issue was with Transport Focus.

It is clear why passengers do not bother with the trains, and why they don’t even try to reclaim ticket costs. I have spent a lot of time and money (about 3 hours so far at NZ$250 per hour which is my usual fee as a Barrister and Solicitor) to be given the runaround by the companies and the watchdogs. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Clearly, the only group here to come off at least halfway co-operative is Southern Rail, who, as a goodwill gesture, offered us 50 pounds worth of travel vouchers. We are in point of fact entitled to a full refund after such a delay, yet are being given the runaround.

As such, I would ask for the full cost of the tickets, (copies of the returns enclosed), plus at least 100 pounds to allow for time and expense.

I would also say that I know Minister Crouch that you have an interest in this issue, and so here is a practical case, from a former NZ Parliamentary Candidate and Lawyer from the opposition Party (NZ Labour Party) which you can safely use without fear of allegations of this being politically motivated. I would support any battle to hold these crooks accountable. I say crooks, as it seems prima facie that this is a set-up to avoid payment, with the watchdogs being in the pockets of the rail companies.

I am looking forward to a prompt and full resolution, as failure to resolve this will lead to a full media release.

Yours sincerely