POLICE were called to Farnham station on Monday evening when irate Alton-bound passengers refused to leave a train terminated short of destination.
According to one local commuter, he was one of a hardcore of some 25 protesters who remained put until ordered off the train by local police threatening arrest.
Described as Òone of the busiest commuter trains of the dayÓ, according to SWT spokesperson Lucy Wray, the 17.48 Waterloo-to-Alton train had been running 20 minutes late from Woking and it was decided to get the service Òback on trackÓ by turning it round at Farnham.
While not taken lightly, it was a decision made Òfor the greater good of all passengers, to minimise overall disruption and inconvenienceÓ, said Ms Wray.
Michael Mitchell was not impressed. A Medstead resident, he has been commuting into London from Alton for the past 30 years and says the service now is worse than he can ever remember.
ÒThe situation is getting out of hand. Passengers are so fed up with the service which has grown progressively worse over the past few months. I travel at all hours and last week not one single train left on time.Ó
According to Mr Mitchell on Monday the 17.48 departed Waterloo 15 minutes late and ÒambledÓ down to Farnham with no indication en route that it would be terminated short of destination.
Nonetheless, on arriving at Farnham passengers for Alton and Bentley,around 150 of them, were ordered off the train. In a replay of a similar incident in July this year some obliged but others saw red and sat firm.
ÒThere was considerable discussion with staff but there was no raising of voices or threatening behaviour,Ó said Mr Mitchell. ÒWe had simply had enough.Ó
Eventually the police were called. ÒThere were five officers and a sergeant which we felt was a bit over the top,Ó said Mr Mitchell who also questions the attendance of local rather than British Transport police when there was no breach of the peace.
Passengers are now planning to lodge a complaint with the Chief Constable, feeling that it was the police presence which served to Òstir the situation upÓ.
ÒThis was not a criminal matter and we feel they may have been acting outside their jurisdiction,Ó said the Medstead man who, with his colleagues, only left the train when threatened with arrest.
Surrey Police spokesperson Nicola Burress confirmed that police were called to attend the scene to provide a Òsupporting roleÓ to South West Trains staff, and no arrests or evidence of public disorder was recorded.
After passengers eventually left the train, it was then shunted off to a siding while those who had used the service waited for the arrival of the 20.08 service to take them on to Alton.
Mr Mitchell feels it is becoming a habit for SWT to terminate the service short of destination in order to make up time and leave Alton passengers waiting for the next train which could be an hour or more behind.
Recently he has been forced off three trains in a row - first at Woking, then Aldershot and later at Farnham. ÒAt times like this it means that a journey which should take one hour ten minutes can take four-and-a- half hours.Ó
The managing director of a company located just ten minutes walk from Waterloo Station, Mr Mitchell says he now leaves at the time his train is due to depart and can more or less guarantee that he will still catch it.
Furthermore he is getting Òvery fed upÓ with his staff turning up late for work because of SWT. ÒI am obviously sympathetic towards the staff but I shouldnÕt have to accept the situation. It has reached the stage where SWT is not even running a reasonably acceptable service.Ó
Having complained to SWT, Mr Mitchell has been told that the action of passengers in refusing to leave MondayÕs train caused 250 minutes delay across the board, for which the company will have to pay a heavy financial penalty.
While unable to confirm the total time lost, SWTÕs Ms Wray said that the action had certainly turned what would have been a ten to 15-minute wait for the next train into a much longer delay. ÒIn terminating the train staff knew that there was another service close behind,Ó she said.
It is not an acceptable explanation for Alton Line Users Association (ALUA) chairman Chris Campbell who points out that this was a Òclass one commuter trainÓ and, as such, carried a guarantee, given by SWT following privatisation, that it would run through to destination.
He believes the problem is being caused by a timetable which leaves insufficient time for trains to turn round leading to a knock-on effect which is impossible to put right without terminating services and it is a situation which is unacceptable.
ÒIt is happening too often and commuters have had enough,Ó said Mr Campbell who fears that Alton rail users could currently be receiving Òthe worst deal in EnglandÓ.