Chaotic delays on the railways are costing passengers ^1 billion, with many left in the dark as to why their journeys are disrupted.
A damning report from a Committee of MPs▸ today says even relatively minor incidents can create problems across the network, with train companies at times failing to tell passengers why they have suddenly stopped and, in some cases, emergency services not knowing who to contact when an incident occurs.
Until recently, First Great Western (FGW▸ ), which runs the majority of services in the Westcountry, was universally panned for its quality of service. Though the rate of delays and cancellations has begun to improve, many are still left frustrated by the lack of announcements about why their journey is not going according to plan.
Research for rail watchdog Passenger Focus in the spring revealed that just 31 per cent of FGW customers were satisfied with how the company dealt with delays.
The Public Accounts Committee calls for the way train firms communicate with their customers to be monitored, amid growing concern that they could be failing to meet official guidance.
After the recent freak flooding in Ottery St Mary, the entire network of trains into the Westcountry were disrupted. In several cases, hundreds of passengers were left sitting in carriages well after their scheduled departure date, with no information given about what was happening.
For the full report, from the Western Morning News, see
http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/news/MPs-lay-rail-firms-lack-communication/article-480908-detail/article.html 
