{"id":291723,"date":"2024-04-17T12:38:57","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T12:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.c2c-online.co.uk\/?p=291723"},"modified":"2024-04-17T12:48:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T12:48:57","slug":"an-apology-for-disruption-monday-15-april-tuesday-16-april-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.c2c-online.co.uk\/media-centre\/latest-news\/an-apology-for-disruption-monday-15-april-tuesday-16-april-2\/","title":{"rendered":"An apology for disruption \u2013 Monday 15 April & Tuesday 16 April\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are very sorry for the disruption our customers experienced on the evening of Monday 15 April and throughout yesterday on the c2c route.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What happened?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At approximately 17:00 on Monday 15 April, a large tree fell on the tracks at Upminster. As it fell, it pulled down the overhead lines, which supply power to our trains.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, we were unable to run any trains on the Shoeburyness-bound track between Barking and Pitsea. This also severely restricted the number of trains we could operate across the entire route,\u00a0and all services then had to be diverted via Rainham.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are really sorry that passengers on the 16:44 from Fenchurch Street on Monday night were stranded for a considerable length of time between Barking and Upminster due to a power failure. We know this must have been an extremely stressful situation for people on board and we want to reassure these passengers that we worked extremely hard to get the train moving as soon as was possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon confirmation of the overhead line damage, arrangements were made for c2c tickets to be accepted on Greater Anglia and London Underground services.\u00a0We also provided a bus replacement service <\/span>to help provide alternative options for travel.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Network Rail immediately dispatched a team of engineers to the area who worked overnight on Monday to repair the power lines but due to the severity of the damage the disruption continued into yesterday\u2019s train service.\u00a0The damage to the overhead lines was repaired by Network Rail last night in time for this morning\u2019s service.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rob Mullen, Managing Director of c2c said, \u201cI am really sorry to all of our customers who were caught up in the recent disruption on our\u00a0route.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know this will have caused extensive delays to your journeys on both days and especially as the disruption hit our peak services on Monday evening. We worked closely with our Network Rail colleagues to try and get our services up and running as quickly as possible but due to the severity of the damage to the overhead lines, the disruption ran into yesterday\u2019s service, which we know will have caused issues for many of our customers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would urge anyone caught up in the incident to share their feedback on the disruption via the survey below. This will allow us to review our current emergency plans and help us respond better to future disruption. The survey results and updates to plans will be shared with and delivered in collaboration with our partners at Network Rail.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lawrence Bowman, route director for Network Rail Anglia said<\/span><\/b>: \u201cMonday\u2019s storm and the damage caused by trees falling onto overhead lines meant journeys on Monday and Tuesday were massively disruptive to passengers. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe worked together to restore normal services as soon as possible, but in some instances, lengthy, complex repairs or further safety checks were needed, so there were also some additional delays and cancellations on Tuesday 16 April with repairs ongoing between\u00a0Upminster and Dagenham East.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile our response teams worked as quickly as possible to remove tangled trees and fix and re-energise the electric power lines, I know that many people had a horrible and disrupted journey home last night, and I\u2019m sorry for that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The survey can be accessed here:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>https:\/\/forms.office.com\/e\/7qFS2rPYBk<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Compensation for delays<\/b><\/p>\n

If you have been delayed you will be eligible for compensation for your journey. Find out more about the compensation we offer, and how to claim, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n