18.12.11
Train too long for platform
A rail service running from Saunderton station to Marylebone, London will be cancelled next month as the train is set to become too long for the platform.
Chiltern Railways have decided to add a seventh carriage to the service to ease congestion. However, this means that the train will be too long for the platform at Saunderton, and as Chiltern Railways does not employ any guards it will not be possible to open only some of the doors.
Commuters from this station have criticised the move, yet Chiltern Railways maintains it is attempting to resolve the problem.
Martin Howard, secretary of the Saunderton Rail Users Group, said: “We have been left with a 90 minute gap between services to London, apart from one two-carriage train which is rubbish. It is only a small rural station and people moved here because of the train service. People are very upset.”
Bob Crow, the general secretary of the RMT rail union, said: “This exposes the nonsense of removing guards from our trains as simply having a human being on board would avoid this ridiculous situation at a stroke.”
A spokesman for Chiltern Railways said: “We are looking at alternatives for people who use this service, we are seeking a solution.”
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