Snow travel chaos 'cannot happen again'

Date: 18/2/2010

The recent travel chaos caused by snow has prompted the London Assembly to call on the government to urge train companies to improve their services during bad weather conditions.

The assembly's transport committee said passengers were left frustrated at the lack of information about delayed or cancelled services, and some were left stranded when icy conditions hit last month.

The committee said "snow chaos on the rail network must not be repeated" and called for a review to scrutinise Network Rail and rail operators' contingency plans during bad weather, suggest possible modifications to trains and tracks to deal with icy conditions, and show how information and compensation for passengers could be improved.

The committee's letter to transport secretary Lord Adonis details complaints from passengers who found rail operators' websites had crashed, staff were poorly informed about which services were running, and platform displays lacked real-time updates. It asks that these problems be addressed urgently.

Caroline Pidgeon, chair of the committee, said the bad weather would inevitably led to some disruption, but highlighted the variation in the services provided by different train companies.

"It is vital that our views and recommendations are taken on board if we are to avoid so many passengers facing severe disruption the next time it snows," she said.

The snow is thought to have cost the economy £2 billion, the report said.