The story of the Great Rail Debacle of 8th November 2014. Normally when I fly out to Gambia from Manchester the flight is at OMG oclock in the early hours of the morning, which entails travelling down to Manchester the day before and staying in a hotel overnight. This time flight was at 14.05 with check in opening at 12.05 and with doing the check in on line it only meant dropping luggage at Bag Drop. Checked train times and ......great 7.10 from Glasgow would get me in to Manchester Airport at 10.47 so plenty of scope for minor delays. Due to ongoing problems with the road between Inveraray and Glasgow decided we needed to leave at 4.30 am to make sure any delays were taken care off and of course no problems and arrived in the station before 6 am ! Train left exactly on time and all was fine till we got to Carlisle. There we were held for about half an hour which the nice lady on the trains speaker system told us was due to a signalling problem between Lancaster and Preston. No cause for concern , feeling smug cos there was a margin for this. Got to Oxenholme in Cumbria and informed there would be a further delay and someone would be round to get details from most of the people on the train who were all headed for the airport to make arrangements to get us there on time. Fine ....still no cause for alarm. 10 minutes later......please leave the train since other arrangements were being made. We were all left on the platform with not a single railway employee in sight so off to the Team Managers door and roused him out. He could do nothing till he heard from Network Rail who would be footing the bill for alternative arrangements. After a while a guy in Hi-Viz says the train on the next platform is going to Mcr Airport so a mad dash down stairs with 2 bags and shoulder bag through the underpass and up on to the platform and on to the train only for us all to be told this train is not going anywhere and the train on the platform we just left is leaving soon to go to Lancaster and we need to get on it. Another mad dash and on to the train where it is packed liked sardines with 10 of us +luggage crammed in to the gap between 2 carriages. But at least still moving South and hope still alive. Get to Lancaster where we all get off and met with total chaos. No railway staff to be seen but we had been told busses were being laid on to take us to Preston. The crowd moves to follow the exit signs only to be stopped and told we were all going the wrong way and it was the other side of the station we needed to exit to get busses. Outside more chaos as 2-300 people find one bus and one brave rail employee left to cope !! Some more busses start to arrive disgorging people who have bussed up from Preston and mad scenes as people dash from one bus to another trying to get on. Tempers were getting a bit stretched to put it mildly. Eventually managed to get on a bus about 12.00 and by now all hope is draining away. Got to Preston where again all was chaos with nobody giving information. My commendations to one member of the rail staff though who loudly shouted out platform details for the train we all needed so off we set up stairs and along o a platform some distance away and on to a train to the airport . Not enough seats so squeezed up against a door with bags and thank goodness for my walking stick because by now my knee and leg was in spasm and seized up. Eventually arrived in Manchester Airport at 14.44 and headed for Terminal 1 to see what could be salvaged to find that Thomas Cook desks were all shut and they do not maintain an office. Swiss port managed to provide a number for someone from TC and after a brief chat was left even more frustrated. Back to the rail station to find it was pointless trying to get back to Inveraray and booked a ticket for Sunday and off to find a hotel for the night. Premier Inn is nearby and have stayed there before for reasonable amount. Single for the night.......76 quid and 22 quid more for 2 course dinner and breakfast. Was too tired to get another taxi and hunt around so ended up staying. Now back in Inveraray feeling totally knackered ! Just to round off a wonderful experience.... was booked on the 11 am this morning and got there in loads of time. At 10.30 they announced the train to Glasgow was cancelled !!!!! Train to Manchester Piccadilly and hot foot it across the station to another train to Glasgow. Think I might look in to National Express busses in future :)
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 21:08:31 +0000