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All across the Great Western territory => The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom => Topic started by: Chris from Nailsea on October 29, 2010, 23:29:40



Title: Passengers break out of stuck train in Cambridgeshire (29/10/2010)
Post by: Chris from Nailsea on October 29, 2010, 23:29:40
From the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-11655182):

Quote
Passengers have forced open the doors of a train after it broke down near a Cambridgeshire village station.

The First Capital Connect Service to Cambridge from King's Cross, stopped outside Foxton, near Cambridge, shortly before 1700 BST.

About 15 people broke open the doors and walked along the track to the station.

The remaining passengers are waiting to be collected. British Transport Police have been called to the scene.

A spokesman for First Capital Connect said problems with overhead power cables stopped the train, which also called at Hertfordshire.


Title: Re: Passengers break out of stuck train in Cambridgeshire (29/10/2010)
Post by: eightf48544 on October 29, 2010, 23:44:38
From the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-11655182):

Quote
which also called at Hertfordshire.

 ???


Title: Re: Passengers break out of stuck train in Cambridgeshire (29/10/2010)
Post by: Chris from Nailsea on October 29, 2010, 23:45:43
Journalists, eh??  ::) ;D


Title: Re: Passengers break out of stuck train in Cambridgeshire (29/10/2010)
Post by: JayMac on October 29, 2010, 23:55:02
Agreed. Bit random. Hertfordshire may not be the biggest county in the land, but it still has a few stations.


Title: Re: Passengers break out of stuck train in Cambridgeshire (29/10/2010)
Post by: LiskeardRich on October 30, 2010, 12:19:17
just seen the remaining passengers were threatened with arrest if they tried leaving, apparently only a few yards from station and they were kept there for over 5 hours!


Title: Re: Passengers break out of stuck train in Cambridgeshire (29/10/2010)
Post by: paul7575 on October 30, 2010, 18:45:51
The BBC '5 hours' quickly reduced to three, and even then the text explains that half the train load of passengers were rescued after 90 mins, and the rest after less than three hours.

Not defending the actual time taken, they're still OTT, but major exaggeration does appear traditional in these stories.  Interviewees must add the delays onto the time they'd already spent travelling, probably including the walk to the station. 

See also Eurostar in the snow last winter...

Paul


Title: Re: Passengers break out of stuck train in Cambridgeshire (29/10/2010)
Post by: Chris from Nailsea on November 01, 2010, 20:29:01
Video report, from the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11667140):

Quote
Stranded train commuters blast delays

Travellers who were stranded for hours after a train broke down have criticised the way the incident was handled.

About 15 people broke open the doors of the First Capital Connect Service to Cambridge from King's Cross when it stopped outside Foxton, near Cambridge.

They walked back along the track to the station, a distance of 500 metres.

The remaining passengers were locked on board by a rail official.

News report, from the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-11666923):

Quote
Passenger anger over stuck Cambridgeshire train

Passengers who were stuck on a broken down train from London to Cambridgeshire have spoken of the "absolute chaos".

The First Capital Connect Service to Cambridge from King's Cross stopped outside Foxton, near Cambridge, shortly before 1700 BST on Friday.

Some of the 300 passengers forced open doors and walked down the track while others remained and were locked in.

More than 800 passengers were left stranded, one commuter said.

The train broke down due to problems with overhead power cables.

A First Capital Connect (FCC) spokesman said two trains were brought alongside to evacuate the train through the cab door.

One took about 100 passengers six miles back to Royston in Hertfordshire at about 1830 BST and the second took another 274 people at about 1945 BST.

But passengers said because trains arriving in Royston were being cancelled, about 800 people were left at the station.

British Transport Police officers were called to the scene to deal with crowd management.

Jon Thompson, 23, who commutes every day from King's Lynn to London, said: "I was there for three hours, it was a scene of absolute chaos with rail staff refusing to help deal with the situation. The police did not arrive until two hours after the first train was cancelled. One of the replacement buses drove straight at a group of people, myself included. The driver seemed to flip and just started shouting and screaming after he couldn't squeeze the bus past all the people waiting, and we couldn't move anywhere. So instead [he] turned his wheels, pointed them at us and drove to within two inches of our legs in an attempt to get us to move, with others having to jump into a bush behind us to get out of the way."

FCC said it had put on 28 buses to transport people, but people at the station said in three hours there had been no more than eight buses.

FCC spokesman Roger Perkins said: "There was extreme congestion at Royston because so many people were trying to get home from the station where our northbound services had to terminate. In addition to our normal team of staff at Royston we sent an additional team in support. We take allegations such as this [the bus driver's actions] extremely seriously and would ask the passenger to contact us directly so we can investigate without delay."


Title: Re: Passengers break out of stuck train in Cambridgeshire (29/10/2010)
Post by: jessicafoxton on February 22, 2012, 21:48:53
I saw this story and was appalled. I get on this train regulary and never heard of such ridiculousness.

Cambridge>Foxton>meldreth>Royston>ashwell and morden> Baldock> letchworth garden city> hitchin> stevenage> potters bar > finsbury park >london kings cross.

Dont know if thats any help to your hertforshire queries and  ???



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