Grayling in plea to train firms to talk to customers

CHRIS GRAYLING has written to train companies urging them to improve communication with passengers during disruption.

The Transport Secretary said there were a “number of instances” during last week’s weatherrelated delays and cancellations which “do not reflect the high standard of communication passengers deserve”.

Large parts of the rail network were shut down during the blast of heavy snow and freezing temperatures.

No cross-border trains ran between England and Scotland for three days and many services had to be reduced or suspended.

In his letter to the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, Mr Grayling wrote that the industry “needs to take further action” around how it communicates with passengers.

“When things go wrong, effective communication is one mitigation that can be employed and one that is extremely important to the travelling public,” he wrote.

On Friday passengers became so frustrated that they forced open the doors of a train which was stopped outside Lewisham station, south-east London.

One passenger reported that they were stuck on the Southeastern train for more than four hours with no updates from the operator.

Mr Grayling praised the response of rail workers who battled atrocious weather.