- By Susie Rack
- BBC News, West Midlands
Rob O’Malley says his travel experience ruined ‘a great day’
Angry Coventry City supporters have described returning by train from Wembley on Saturday night as “unsafe” due to overcrowding.
Fans attempting to return to the West Midlands have described crowded services and delays of several hours.
Rail operators have apologized for the disruption.
Fans line up for the West Midlands Service at Euston waiting to open
He arrived at Wembley from Banbury with Chiltern despite the moderator’s earlier advice.
“That message came out at 11-12 p.m. Friday, at which point we had no choice but to take that train,” he said.
On his return journey from Wembley Stadium, he was baffled when he saw signs saying no trains were running against Warwick, and described the lack of a manager as a “safety concern”. “.
“[Chiltern] There should have been more trains or bus replacement services or at least the right communication and proper organization, but they didn’t have any,” he added.
He ended up getting on a train to Bicester and then a “very expensive” taxi to get home.
Thousands of Sky Blues fans went to Wembley to watch their team lose on penalties
Earlier the same day, Chiltern Railways said those with “high-risk” tickets would not be able to return after the game.
The operator has agreed their tickets will be accepted on the West Midlands Trains and Avanti services running from London Euston.
The BBC’s Katie Stafford said her Avanti trip from Euston to Coventry was a “carnage”.
“There’s no ticket check,” she said. “It was literally cheek to cheek with the person next to you before we left Euston.”
Passengers describe confusion after services were cancelled
She described crying, crushed children and the many fans piling up at Watford Junction.
“It’s so unsafe. You can barely breathe,” she said. She got off in Milton Keynes and paid for an Uber ride home.
Passengers diverted by Chiltern to the Watford junction describe waiting up to two hours to board London North West Rail services
Chiltern Trains said those who have chosen not to travel will be compensated due to the expected crowding.
In a statement, Avanti West Coast apologized to fans returning to Coventry and said those with delays longer than 15 minutes could claim compensation.
A spokesperson said: “Our main priority when working with other operators is to bring all the fans home. However, we admit the travel experience is not what our customers expect. wait”.
The operator pointed out that services were busy because the match ended late and they provided an additional service, which added 600 seats for fans.
A spokesman for North West London Railway also apologized for the cancellation of trains running between Birmingham and Euston due to signal errors on the line. The operator added British Transport Police were already on the service.
