1 week Ago
A man has voiced his frustration after a rail blockage put a dampener on a day out in the dales. Bob Hayes, 67, is originally from Kent but now lives in Farnworth. Rev Hayes, chaplain at Royal Bolton Hospital, had gone to the Yorkshire Dales on Tuesday (April 15) to spend his day off there.
However, when he was heading back home on a Northern Rail service between Leeds and Manchester – the train ran into a problem. Rev Hayes said: “We slowed down and then stopped – no one knew why – then they said that a freight train had broken down in front of us. “To be fair the crew on the train were fantastic and they did their best.
“By the time we were there there were about two hundred passengers, and then another two trains came in the next hour and dropped their passengers out.” Passengers were left stranded after the rail was blocked (Image: Bob Hayes) He said that there was “no communication” about when the train could be moved, or how the stranded passengers would get home. However, Northern said that there were no reported issues with rail replacement buses on that day.
They said that they ran every 25 minutes between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden from a quarter past six until 10pm. Rev Hayes said that he didn't see the bus turn up and if it was there it was "not obvious" where it was leaving from. He said: “A few people who weren’t going too far went in taxis.
” He said that from there he made his way back to Leeds to get a train heading to Manchester on a different route. Multiple trains piled up as they were unable to pass (Image: Bob Hayes) Have a story? Get in touch at eoin.mccaul@newsquest.
co.uk Rev Hayes said: “These things happen from time to time – unfortunately it’s a bit too regular. “The most annoying thing is you just get sort of abandoned.
“They always tell you ‘just don’t travel’ – which is useless to people who have already started their journey.” After finally getting to Manchester he went to take the train to Bolton – only to find out they had been cancelled and replaced with a bus. Rev Hayes finally got home to Farnworth – a whole four hours later than planned.
He said: “It’s not just Northern – there’s no plan if things go wrong, the message is just don’t travel – they just seem to give up when things go wrong. “Things go wrong – I do understand that – but they just seem to give up. “I was in Morocco last month and all of the trains were on time there.
You just think – well hold on, what are we doing?” Rev Bob Hayes (Image: Bob Hayes) READ MORE: My lightbulb moment as a northerner on the London Underground READ MORE: Cheap train tickets - when to book and money-saving tips READ MORE: Lostock Railway Station to get new bicycle storage facilities A spokesperson for Northern said: “A freight train broke down between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden at 4.48pm on Tuesday. “A rail replacement service was run between those stations and ticket acceptance was in place, allowing some customers to travel on alternative routes with other operators like TransPennine Express for no extra cost.
“We run around 2,500 services a day across the North of England. If we are forced to make cancellations, we always look to provide alternative travel where possible.”.
