NETWORK RAIL has apologised to commuters affected by problems with overhead power cables late last month.
Reading East MP Matt Rodda raised the issues in parliament after passengers were left on platforms for hours following the incident on Monday, March 25.
It is not the first time this has happened in recent weeks, prompting Mr Rodda to tell transport secretary Guy Opperman that thousands of commuters were affected by the delay, and it had not been a one-off incident.
“That has happened a number of times before for various reasons,” he said. “I urge the Minister to consult with the Rail Minister and feedback the serious concerns of travellers on this vital piece of infrastructure.
“The line connects London with towns in the south-east, such as Reading, and is of strategic importance across the whole UK, connecting Wales, Bristol, the south-west and parts of the midlands with the capital city.
“It is vital that train travellers can rely on this excellent service, which normally allows swift and easy access to the heart of London.”
Earlier this week, we revealed that train operator GWR shared concerns.
A spokesperson for GWR said: “The team at Network Rail understands the impact on our customers when the infrastructure doesn’t perform as it should, and the need to improve.”
And this was echoed by Network Rail, which operates the tracks on which the trains run. However, they pointed out the delays were caused by needing to turn off the overhead power lines due to a vulnerable person.
A Network Rail spokesperson told Reading Today: “We’re sorry to passengers who experienced delays on Monday, March 25.
“This was owing to the power to overhead cables being switched off to allow emergency services to attend to a vulnerable person near the railway line.
“Although overhead power cables were not the root cause of the delay on this occasion, we understand passengers’ frustrations when disruption is caused by faults with our infrastructure. We have a detailed plan in place to improve performance on the line between Reading and London Paddington to give passengers the service they expect and deserve.
“This will include installing modern, more robust overhead line equipment between Heathrow Airport junction and Paddington to replace the infrastructure installed in the 1990s.”
