Railing against chiefs creating chaos on line

FOLLOWING another two nightmare journeys I am beginning to believe that Great Western Railway couldn't run a whelk stall, never mind a major railway line. Last Wednesday I went up to London on a train which was supposed to arrive at Paddington at 3.28 pm. It never arrived there at all, as we were all thrown out at Reading after a long series of delays.

- Ann Widdecombe

The only reason I got to my appointment in central London was that I had the foresight, born of long experience, to leave two hours from the time of alleged arrival until I was due there.

Thursday was even worse as I sought to return to Devon in the wake of the storm.

All my trains were cancelled but GWR maintained the fiction that there were still trains to Exeter right up till 20 minutes before boarding when suddenly the departure board said Taunton.