Train Failure

I'm sitting on a train, waiting to creak into Stevenage train station. But I don’t want to go to Stevenage; neither does anyone on this train. The train has a fault apparently. I say apparently because it can clearly still move – to Stevenage train station anyway, but not to my, nor my few hundred other commuter’s destination.

I want to go to Downham Market, to do so I and a few hundred other frustrated passengers will need to cram onto a train from Stevenage to Royston, then another from Royston to Cambridge. At Cambridge about 90% of this train (the lucky ones) will get off, and I and a few dozen others will then board our 4th train that will finally take me to Downham Market.

I’m particularly annoyed because after a day where I got up before 7am, was in the office just after 9am, had a shortened 15-minute lunch so I could be back for a meeting that was subsequently cancelled, and had to manage to find something to do when the systems I use to work with were down all day, I decided to leave work 10 minutes before my allotted time and catch an earlier 17:44 train.

The (second) train has just left Cambridge – thankfully the nightmare scenario of 4 trains home didn’t happen, just the annoying scenario of a 12 carriage train full of hot and tired commuters boarding a 12 carriage train of hot and tired commuters. First Capital Connect had the wisdom of stopping my normal 18:14 train at Stevenage to pick up the 17:44 passengers but unsurprisingly it was standing room only for 40 minutes from Stevenage to Cambridge. I’ve luckily got a seat a Cambridge but this service is so overcrowded that there are dozens still standing after Cambridge – when the train is normally nearly empty.

There was of course the normal fun at Royston when the 12 carriage train from King’s Cross divided into 2 separate services where the rear 4 coaches stop at all subsequent stations to Cambridge and the from 8 coaches go straight to Cambridge before venturing further up the Fen Line. I don’t know how many people use the stopping service from Royston to Cambridge but it can’t be many as most of the commuters on the rear 4 coaches seem to get off at Royston before scrambling up the platform to the front 8 coaches where they squeeze onto an already overcrowded train. This is confusing and chaotic when done with one train full of passengers – imagine what it was like with 2 train’s worth.

It’s now a 19:45 and I’m not yet at Ely. I left my house at 7:00 this morning. I left work at 17:15 and I will likely be home about 3 hours later. I’ll definitely be claiming for this. If you are unlucky enough to use First Capital Connect trains on a regular basis then make sure you claim for any delays at http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/customer-care/delay-repay . You’ll get about a £7 rail voucher which isn’t much consolation for taking a precious hour out of your day but it’s the best you can get. That is of course if you are bothered enough to do so when you get home, as like me you’ll probably be very tired.