Train drivers not qualified to go through ... tunnels!
Not enough drivers have been trained to operate new routes opened up when a new timetable was introduced across Britain on May 20.
This has resulted in a shortage, triggering hundreds of delays and cancellations for passengers.
One particularly embarrassing trouble spot has emerged in North London where a new tunnel has opened near Finsbury Park. It is meant to improve services between the north and the south of the capital, helping commuters from the South coast up to Peterborough. However, some drivers are having to stop the train at Finsbury Park, before the tunnel. They then wait at the station to swap with a driver who has come through the tunnel from the other direction.
Hertfordshire councillor Sam Collins was alerted to the embarrassing situation after meeting rail bosses. Govia Thameslink Railway says it was not given enough time to train staff.
Govia did not receive the schedule until the end of April, giving it just a few weeks to teach drivers the new routes.
Govia – which operates Thameslink, as well as Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern – claims it will ultimately be able to offer ‘tube like’ frequencies on overground trains running into central London, with a service every two or three minutes.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has blamed Network Rail for the timetabling chaos, describing its work as ‘simply unacceptable’ and triggering ‘chaos’ for the rail operators.
But he has also been highly critical of Govia and Arriva, which runs the beleaguered Northern rail network in the North of England.
He has ordered an independent inquiry by Stephen Glaister, chair of the Office of Rail and Road, and threatened to strip the operators of their franchises if they are found to have breached their contracts.