Local Vicar Caught Up In Christmas Train Nightmare

A local vicar and his family had a nightmare journey trying to get from Chiswick to Scotland over Christmas due to the train fiasco at Kings Cross.

The experience included being "squashed like sardines" on board a delayed train at Finsbury Park, several hours waiting at train stations for delayed trains, and missing the opening hours for their hire car.

Eventually after a two-hour wait at Peterborough they were forced to find a hire car and finish the journey by road, arriving to Edinburgh very late having left home at 8.30 a.m. He has now asked for compensation from the train company.

Thousands of train passengers were hit by the train delays on Dec 27 sparked by cancellation of all services at King's Cross station due to over running Network Rail engineering works.

Rev Moy, who was travelling with his wife Nicola and three small children, on an East Coust service to Scotland was caught up in the mayhem which extended to Finsbury Park where large crowds were rerouted. That station was also temporarily closed due to congestion.

He believes that East Coast Trains should now compensate him and other for their failure to provide the requisite service and has written to the company to complain.

His letter states that following the website info, he booked a taxi to Kings Cross (£15) and was then told by a train company rep to go to Finsbury Park- as he and his wife had three children and luggage, they had to take a taxi there- £15. They were told they could catch a 10:16 train from there.

"There were no East Coast reps to meet me as promised but the station master told us to board the 09:41 to Peterborough." The website now said the service was only starting at Peterborough.

"We queued and boarded a rammed train. Standing on the train at the platform we waited to depart squashed like sardines (remember we have three young children). A guard told us that there was no driver and so we waited while even more people squashed on.

"We waited on the 09:41 just parked in Finsbury Park station until 10:18 when it turned out the doors wouldn't close. We finally left at 10:22.

"When we got to Peterborough at 11:55 it was impossible to board the delayed 11:45 service due to crowding.

"We were told to wait for the 12:16 and then immediately told it was delayed. The board then said it was due 13:05 three hours after we were due to leave KXC. "

The family were unable to board the next two trains and realised they had already missed closing time for their hire car. The next two trains were delayed as they waited at Peterborough.

Eventually after two hours at Peterborough station they left and hired a car. They ended up eating takeaway on the M1 service station two hours after they should have been in Edinburgh.

He estimates that he is out of pocket for hundreds of pounds due to the experience.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "What has happened is really regrettable and unfortunate, but it is a small part of a massive amount of engineering investment taking place over Christmas."