Virgin Trains

[SNL 824]

RE: Virgin Trains
Virgin suffering major delays and cancellations on the WCML along with LM due to a person hit by a train at Hemel Hempstead. The train lnvolved may have been the 11.35 ex-Chester due at Euston at 1.39pm. Other trains were arriving with significant delays, but this was still shown as delayed with no ETA at 4pm.

Despite press reports of chaos, VT staff responded well, quickly organising a skeleton service, reallocating units and finding train crews. They also voided seat reservations and derestricted services that they could run. This may have annoyed a few passengers and led to overcrowding but meant that passengers were travelling despite the circumstances.

Also they added at least one additional Scottish service from Crewe for onward passengers arriving from Euston on N. Wales and Manchester services.

A well-handled professional response from Virgin.

As ever in these circumstances, thoughts go out to those involved in the incident, and without pre-judging the cause, particularly the train driver and emergency services who will have to live with the aftermath.