Engineering work and bus delays hit rail passengers

PASSENGERS have complained of overcrowding on some Great Western Railway (GWR) services after services were reduced due to engineering work on the Severn Tunnel.

On Friday, passengers on the 10.18am and 12.18pm service from Cardiff Central to London Paddington and on the 12.04pm service from London to Penzance said that some had to stand in the aisles due to lack of seats.

One passenger who was travelling on the 10.18am service said that “the trains were horrific this morning”, adding that they “had to stand for three full hours to ensure we could even get to London”.

In a Twitter message to GWR, the passenger said they had booked their train tickets five months in advance but had to “stand in a packed train for a three-hour journey”.

Another passenger said their journey to London was “way overcrowded”.

They added: “Lots of people haven’t got seats they’ve reserved and loads of people standing in the aisles.”

One person travelling on the 12.18pm service from Cardiff Central to London Paddington added: “Can you open up the First Class seats for passengers on the 12.18pm from Cardiff to Paddington? No one can move.”

Passengers travelling on a London to Penzance service also complained of overcrowding, sharing pictures of people standing in the train aisles on social media.

One person wrote: “I’m not one to complain, but this train is an absolute joke. How can you expect people to stand for five hours from London to Penzance? There isn’t even space for people to walk down the corridor to use the toilets.”

A spokesperson for GWR said on Friday evening: “We are sorry if some of our trains were busier than usual today.

“The Severn Tunnel is currently closed for engineering work, which means we have a reduced train service operating between London and Cardiff, and bus replacement services running between Bristol Parkway and Newport.

“Unfortunately, some of those buses took longer to reach their destination because of an accident on the M4.”

There was significant disruption on the roads and railways at the weekend. Those travelling between England and Wales were impacted by closures affecting both Severn Crossings, while some trains were due to be replaced with buses.

The most high-profile closure was on M4 Prince of Wales Bridge, which saw a demonstration against rising fuel prices close two lanes of the bridge, with only one lane open for traffic.