06.08.13
First Great Western delay ‘unacceptable’
First Great Western has apologised after passengers were stranded for over five hours on Sunday.
The service from Penzance to London Paddington broke down near Pewsey in Wiltshire, stranding over 500 passengers on board.
The train finally arrived in London at 10.15pm, five hours and forty minutes late, after a fractured air pipe caused the brakes to lock.
FGW has apologised for delay and said refunds and compensation would be arranged.
The service was overcrowded and the toilets were not functioning, adding to passengers’ misery, the BBC reported.
First Great Western managing director Mark Hopwood said there was “no doubt it wasn't a good experience in any shape or form last night. Clearly what I need to do is say sorry.
“We are sorry. We need to investigate what's gone on and we need to learn some lessons quickly from this. It took a lot longer to find the fault than we wanted.”
A spokesperson said: “A delay of this magnitude is unacceptable and a full investigation will be carried out.”
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