Saturday 4 February 2012

“Take Me To Cuba!” “Sorry Mate, We’re Terminating At London Bridge…”

Passengers forced open train doors and one jumped onto the tracks when they thought a train had been hijacked.
Errr….
A First Capital Connect train from London Bridge was Sutton-bound on Wednesday night when passengers pulled the emergency cord near the platform in West Croydon and forced the doors open.

Passengers screamed at staff on another platform,, telling them the train "had been hijacked".
I bet they were somewhat surprised!

It all appears to have been a miscommunication:
Passengers were "kept in the dark" throughout the journey according to Mr Peterson, and were only told what was going on after many of their stations had already been passed.

Mr Paterson said: "It was the last train of the night so people were anxious to get home. One man had had enough and walked down the tracks to West Croydon.

"The driver actually came down the train and tried to stop people getting off. He thought it was a bit of a joke, but people thought they were stranded."
And who wants to be stranded in Croydon late at night?
A spokesman for First Capital Connect said: "We are sorry to hear about Mr Petersen's experience. Our customers should expect the very best level of service.

"A broken down train at Peckham Rye was blocking our train's route to every intermediate station to Sutton.

"We do not control the information that is posted at London Bridge but the driver maintains he made two announcements in the station, one of them shortly before leaving, that his train was diverted via West Croydon and would run fast to its final destination of Sutton.

"From there it would have been able to run in a reverse direction to all the stations that the passengers on board wanted to reach. This course of action was thwarted by the passenger alarm being activated."
Here’s a thought, FCC – just because your driver makes an announcement (maybe he did, maybe he didn’t) doesn’t mean everyone hears it. Equipment can break down, people can have earphones on (or be deaf), the noise level might obscure the announcement…
Mr Peterson said: "If I thought I had got on the wrong train I would have been embarrassed at my own stupidity, I certainly wouldn't be publicising it, but we were not told what was going on."
I believe you. Because I've been on c2c trains when similar things have happened, and sometimes you hear an announcement, sometimes you don't. Sometimes it's your fault; sometimes you don't hear the announcement.

And sometimes, you don't because he doesn't make one...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

'.......Passengers screamed at staff on another platform,, telling them the train "had been hijacked.......".

IMO being hi-jacked is not the first thing most people would have thought but then this was (a) CROYDON and (B) most would have been of a particular demographic - perhaps coming from a country where such things ARE commonplace or expected.

Anonymous said...

When I sit in the front of the train, I can sometimes hear the driver making an announcement in the cab, but it doesn't come through the speakers. Maybe that's what happened here. (I can also hear what he says to the controller over the radio, so I know he is actually trying to make an announcement.)

Soft buffers said...

"I'm a hijacker. Fly me to Somalia or this railway timetable gets it."

I'd be scared.

Captain Haddock said...

"I'm a hijacker. Fly me to Somalia or this railway timetable gets it."

"I'd be scared" ...

Scared ?? ..

I'd be bloody terrified of any bugger wanting to go to Somalia voluntarily .. definitely certifiable .. ;)

Budvar said...

Maybe it went down,something like this:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2N4QsTdzfI

I mean "This train will terminate at Croydon", can so easily be mistaken for "Any of you fucking pigs move and I'll execute every last mutha fucking one of you!!".

It's an easy mistake to make, I mean, it could happen to anyone....

Anonymous said...

More CROYDON:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16894602

Ah aksed for too peeces innit

nah mate, ah aksed for too peeces innit

this goes on for a while until the art of debate & rhetoric is exhausted and one rude bwah gangsta stabs the other.

JuliaM said...

"...most would have been of a particular demographic..."

I can't imagine what you might mean... ;)

"Maybe that's what happened here. "

Could well be.

"Maybe it went down,something like this..."

:D

"More CROYDON"

Nuke it from orbit; it's the only way to be sure...