Thameslink have apologised to troubled travellers who struggled to go to and from St Albans recently due to a broken-down train.
A train broke down near Kentish Town on Thursday, October 3 and caused major delays across the Thameslink network for hours on end.
While it could be argued that the incident itself was isolated, St Albans resident Martin Medforth said the lack of alternative travel options provided by Thameslink suggests potential long-term issues for commuters.
Martin, who was trying to get to a meeting at Blackfriars on October 3, told StAlbansNews: “A number of issues were highlighted last Thursday including: vulnerability to service when a train fails in the core and a lack of integration of Abbey Flyer with mainline services.
“I left Croydon at 12:40pm on a delayed train – trying to make a meeting at Blackfriars.
“I never made the meeting as we were asked to leave the train at Tulse Hill, time then 1.45pm, so I took a bus to Brixton and then tube to Victoria hoping to get to Blackfriars but was advised that the District Line wasn’t running beyond Embankment. I then decided to make for home so returned to Victoria Line to go to Euston (Kings Cross was closed).
“I was left to wait for return of the Abbey Flyer at 4.33pm and therefore got to St Albans Abbey at 4.49pm. It was an end to end journey for what should be a 50 minute journey was therefore 4.5 hours or more. I did receive a full £10.30 refund for my ticket.”
Govia Thameslink Railway chief operating officer Steve White said: “Last month a broken-down train near Kentish Town in north London caused major disruption to passengers across the Thameslink network.
“We had a much-reduced service in place and our staff did everything possible to help passengers with alternative travel advice.
“I am very sorry for the difficult journeys our customers experienced and urge anyone affected to visit www.thameslinkrailway.com to apply for compensation.”
Picture courtesy of Hoss Photography
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