01634 377577
Thousands hit by Monday rail delays
Travellers on a main London to Scotland rail route endured delays today due to overhead wire problems.
The disruption, at Retford in Nottinghamshire, caused hold-ups to passengers travelling with the East Coast, First Hull Trains and Grand Central train companies.
There were also delays to ScotRail services on Monday due to a signalling problem near Glasgow Central station.
Some services were suspended and trains were replaced with buses between Neilston and Barrhead.
In western England, a problem with line-side equipment near Chippenham in Wiltshire caused delays to First Great Western trains between Swindon and Bath Spa.
Meanwhile politicians in Scotland have called for a crackdown on late trains. In a report on the current ten-minute threshold companies are allowed before a train is deemed late, MSPs said: "The committee considers thresholds do not adequately reflect the difficulties and inconvenience caused to passengers who are on trains that arrive late but still within the relevant threshold.
"The committee, therefore, recommends the thresholds should be reduced, on a phased basis if necessary, so that a train will be considered on-time only if it arrives within a minute of its timetabled target."
Copyright Press Association 2012
