National Express (From The Northern Echo)

National Express

10:08am Monday 6th July 2009 in

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AFTER an incident on the East Coast Main Line last September I am glad to see National Express go (Echo, July 2). I was travelling to the south of England one weekend, but due to essential engineering works, trains from the North-East were not going to King’s Cross, but were terminating at Leeds instead.

London-bound passengers were then expected to board the existing Leeds to King’s Cross service. The train I boarded at Leeds had nearly every seat reserved by people starting their journeys at Leeds, so I and many other passengers from the North-East were crammed in the vestibules, including a disabled man who couldn’t stand.

Some upgraded to First Class. I didn’t have that option as I physically couldn’t move. At Wakefield Westgate station the door opened on my side of the vestibule, and I had to perform a balancing act so that I or my luggage didn’t fall from the train.

Realising I would have this problem at each station stop I disembarked at Doncaster and found an alternative route to London St Pancras, reaching my destination three hours later than I would have done.

No wonder I would like to see a more competent operator run the East Coast Main Line.

Jeremy Whiting, Great Lumley, Chester-le-Street, Co Durham.