Caledonian Sleeper hit by breakdown
● Furious passengers were told to buy new tickets after service was cancelled
The overhauled Caledonian Sleeper service has been hit by another breakdown, with the Glasgow/edinburgh to London service cancelled yesterday morning.
The rail firm confirmed at 5:20am that the service had ground to a halt at Preston due to a technical fault which it is understood was not caused by bad weather.
This meant that around 200 passengers were left stranded.
Those stuck at Preston were told they would need to buy new tickets to travel to London with other rail services, but Caledonian Sleeper confirmed they would be reimbursed for the cost. The outcome angered one passenger, who tweeted: “Another shambolic night on the @Calsleeper.
“Imagine having issues, then telling your customers that they have to buy tickets again to get to London. What a mess.”
The operator said it was “proving difficult” to secure road transport to ferry those passengers stranded in Preston.
Ryan Flaherty, Serco’s managing director for Caledonian Sleeper, said: “Our Southbound Lowlander service was cancelled at Preston this morning due to a technical fault affecting ride comfort and on-board systems.
“We’re extremely sorry to those affected by this issue. Unfortunately, ticket acceptance on other trains was initially declined due to knockon effects of disruption across the network yesterday, but all guests will be reimbursed for their onward travel to London.
“Ticket acceptance was later put in place, which allowed the remaining guests at Preston to complete their journey.
“Our maintenance team will be looking into the fault this morning and we expect tonight’s services to run as scheduled.”
Caledonian Sleeper trains carried their first passengers in April in a move described as the most dramatic change to overnight cross-border rail travel in 40 years.
They featured the first double beds in the service’s 146year history and the first ensuite showers for nearly a century.
However the overnight trains have been plagued by problems since the revamped fleet was rolled out in April.
There have been a series of faults with new carriages and staff have voted overwhelmingly for strike action.
Managers were also accused of “absolutely losing the plot” last month for serving drinks, but no food on an Edinburghlondon service because they were short-staffed.
The latest problems follow a series of faults with new carriages and Operator Serco revealing the service made a £3 million loss in the year to March despite £23 million of funding from the Scottish Government.
Serco has previously said the “revitalised” trains would launch a “magical new era in travel”. The firm also unveiled an “inspirational” marketing campaign “which encourages guests to Dream Big”.
It said: “Caledonian Sleeper is more than just a train ride – it is a world of possibilities”. The new fleet of 75 carriages arrived a year late, having been delayed twice from April last year by design and manufacturing hold-ups.
The new trains have free wifi, charging sockets and keycard entry to cabins. Prices for basic bunk bed cabins or “Classic Rooms” start at £140 for solo use or £170 for two.