TRAIN PASSENGERS FEEL THE STRAIN
PASSENGERS have complained of overcrowding on some Great Western Railway 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 told us 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 tweet to Great Western Railway, 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 tweeted Great Western Railway saying 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 tweeted Great Western Railway saying: “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 to 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 night: “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.”
Significant disruption is expected on the roads and railways this weekend. Those travelling between England and Wales will be impacted by closures affecting both Severn Crossings, while some trains crossing over the border are set to be replaced with buses.
The most high-profile closure on the roads is that of the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge, which is set to be occupied by protesters on Monday morning. The demonstration against rising fuel prices will see two lanes of the bridge shut, with only one lane open for other traffic.
There will also be disruption on the M48, with the Severn Bridge being closed for a second consecutive weekend.