MP demands explanation from train company after snow halts services

Passengers were left stranded for hours, with some forced to spend eight hours on a broken-down Charing Cross to Hastings service after it got stuck near Orpington in Kent.

Last Thursday (December 2) the company announced trains between Battle and Charring Cross were ‘cancelled until further notice’.

Now MP Greg Barker has demanded an explanation from managing director Charles Horton for the lack of communication and poor service.

Mr Barker has also written to National Rail, responsible for clearing the tracks of snow and ice, insisting they set out clear action points and improvements they will be putting in place.

An error in National Rail’s timetable system meant that passengers were given incorrect information across the whole network, while the Travelmaster replacement buses were unable to get out onto the A21.

Mr Barker said: “I have been hearing about some terrible experiences that local passengers have suffered during the bitterly cold weather. It is clear that the lack of communication from the train companies made these many times worse.

“This week I tasked my team with getting some clear answers from Charles Horton at a meeting in Westminster.

“He has assured us that they are making some key improvements to their contingency plans and will themselves be taking up some issues with Network Rail.

“I have now written both to Mr Horton and Network Rail myself, asking for clear answers to my constituent’s questions.

“Local passengers deserve to be kept updated and given clear information, particularly at crisis times like these.

“Action must be taken to make sure communication doesn’t break down like this again.”