Vandals cause disruption to train service

Date: 17/9/2012

Vandals who placed traffic cones on a train line led to the delay of a number of passengers on their journey, as well as damage to the train itself.

The 10.50pm London Waterloo to Reading service was delayed for three hours late on Friday night after 15 cones were put onto the tracks in south-west London.

A small amount of damage was sustained by the train when it hit the cones at 11.10pm, partway into its journey.

A spokesman for South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance said: "Fitters worked on the damaged train and were able to get it moving at low speed into Mortlake Station where passengers got off.”

Some of the passengers were able to take taxis provided by the train company to their destinations, while others waited for a new train to arrive.

One of the passengers who was stuck on the train, Julian Bookman, told the BBC that his journey had been substantially longer than the usual 20 minutes it took from Mortlake to Twickenham.

He took a taxi along with some other passengers in order to get home after the incident left the train unable to go any further.

Passengers were offered an apology by the train company for the delays and subsequent inconvenience which occurred.

The spokesman said: "We are extremely angry at the impact such irresponsible actions by vandals has had on our customers and we would urge anyone with information about the incident to contact British Transport Police."

Trespassing on the railway is a criminal offence, but it can be difficult to catch those who are responsible.

What can seem like a harmless prank can damage trains and cause delays as in this case, but inferring with train lines can have even more serious consequences and can cause fatalities.

Endangering safety, trespassing, causing criminal damage and throwing missiles at trains are all punishable with fines, imprisonment and a criminal record, if the perpetrators are caught.

Posted by Mary Treen

Transport News and Transport Consulting News