I ARRIVED at Worcester Shrub Hill station from Paddington on the train that arrived at 18.07.
The London train was actually a couple of minutes early and, as I arrived, there was a train on the other platform. I wondered whether it was a train to Malvern/Hereford or perhaps heading to Birmingham or Gloucester. I looked up and down the platform I had arrived at to see if, in this modern age, there would be a screen showing all trains and destinations, and also keeping a keen ear out for any announcements. There was only a display for trains from my arrival platform. There was nothing to show the other platform so I wandered over the bridge to see what it would say.
By this time the train doors were shut and it was being flagged away, but the platform display showed it as the 18.08 train to Hereford.
I was furious, and asked why was there no announcement or any useful information to help passengers. The response was: “It is not a connecting service.”
How pathetic can this be, Health and Safety apparently wants a little more time to make it a connecting service so that passengers do not fall while rushing over the bridge. And this, despite the fact that a number of folk did rush over the bridge as they were obviously in the know.
Consequently I caught the “connecting” service and got to Malvern at 18.40 whereas I could have arrived at 18.23, almost 20 minutes earlier.
If I wished to go to Hereford the situation is even worse. The “disconnecting” train would arrive at 18.57, whereas the “connecting service – entailing another change at Worcester Foregate Street – arrives at 19.33, almost a 40 minute difference.
Why can’t the railway companies ensure there are sensible joined up services, or at least provide the information so that I can make my own mind up about rushing about!
PETE WATSON, Cockshot Road, Malv
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