UPDATE: Rail passengers still delayed

12:25pm Monday 28th April 2008

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Rail passengers travelling between Oxford and London are still experiencing delays this lunchtime after engineering works over-ran.

Passengers arriving at Oxford were forced to get the bus to Didcot Parkway after Network Rail failed to complete works at Hinksey in time for the morning commute.

The first train out of Oxford was the 8.07am to Didcot but passengers continued to experience delays throughout the morning.

Lance Cole, a spokesman for First Great Western, said 13 trains were trapped in Oxford early today, leading to problems with services throughout the morning.

Graham Thomas, a train crew manager who tried to help passengers caught up in this morning's hold-ups, said: "We got about seven 50-seat buses from Wheatley to come here and take passengers to Didcot.

"It is very difficult to get hold of coaches first thing on a Monday morning because they are usually needed for the school run but we did our best in the circumstances.

"Plenty of staff were on hand to help passengers out and give them advice."

Mr Cole said: "Thousands of passengers were affected and it is extremely disappointing.

"First Great Western was affected by two Network Rail engineering over-runs which impacted our customers morning commute - principally across the Oxford and Thames Valley routes.

"Trains to and from the West Country were also affected by an over-run at Westbury, near Newbury.

"We apologise for the delays, which were beyond our control. Some replacement buses were sourced at Oxford but the short notice of the over-run means that securing buses was not possible for several stations.

"Our staff did their very best in the circumstances and worked hard to minimise that delays and knock-on effect for passengers on the Cotswold, Thames Valley and local lines.

"First Great Western is making every effort to improve its performance and we are working closely with Network Rail to achieve this. Today's problems were unforeseen and we are confident that the Network Rail investigation will yield valuable lessons."

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "Equipment failure in the early hours of this morning meant that we were unable to complete important engineering works to schedule.

"A full investigation into this incident will take place over the coming days. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this has caused passengers."