Worst train journeys you have had to do?

Question

I had a horrendous one so here is mine:-

I was stuck on a broken down train with no air-con, food or water for three hours... then after getting of the train I had to sit at Bournemouth train station for an hour and a half, stand on a packed train(four trains worth of rush hour traffic)for another hour, followed by an hour a half sat at Winchester train station before finally getting on another packed train which went to london, then a forty minute trip on the tube, after which I had to get a train to Birmingham New street, change at BNS (12.30 am) and finally get a train to Stafford...

Took me 11 hours when it should have taken three and at the time I was 15 and on my way home on my own, which ain't good when you have to go through london and BNS late at night..

I couldn't decide what I was more annoyed about:-

1.the fact that south west trains were more useful than cross country were and it was cross country trains that had the problem

2. that they didn't tell us until the train had left that they were going to london and on the underground

3.that they didn't organise another form of transport instead

4.that we had every single excuse known to man

Can anyone beat my experience?

Answer 1

That is totally appalling customer service. How long ago was it? I certainly would write a letter to the Managing Director of Cross Country trains (I assume it was the current operator who caused you all this grief and not Virgin Cross Country). I think your parents should also complain in view of your age and, as you quite rightly say, were expected to travel through London and BNS late at night. I cannot understand the mentality of the operating staff who didn't realise earlier that there was something wrong with your train and arrange for the alternative much sooner in the day. The CC staff at Bournemouth seem to be a bunch of total incompetents. Have you had any compensation (as you are entitled to under the Passenger Charter)?

My longest delay was something like 3 hours on a journey from Darlington to London in the days of GNER. We were kept fully up-to-date with what was going on and when we finally arrived at Kings Cross, there was staff on the barriers handing out vouchers for a free journey from anywhere to anywhere on the GNER route (and we had a day out in Glasgow as a result!)