Passengers Stuck On Cambridge Train

1 November 2010, 10:35 | Updated: 1 November 2010, 10:44

First Capital Connect says it was right to keep some passengers on board a train that had broken down near Cambridge for nearly four hours.

The train was the 4:14pm service from London Kings Cross to Cambridge.

It broke down at around 5:00 around 500 metres away from Foxton station.

Some people on board the train grew tired of waiting for a replacement service and forced the doors of their train open.

Replacement trains were bought alongside the stranded carriages, with the first 100 passengers being evacuated at around 6:30pm.

Another 274 passengers were moved to another replacement train at around 7:45pm.

The final few passengers were moved from the broken down train to a third replacement train at 8:35pm.

28 rail replacement buses were then used to ferry the passengers between Royston and Cambridge.

Roger Perkins from First Capital Connect said: "We apologise sincerely to everyone who was caught up in Friday
night's incident and the frustrating delays.

The safest place for our passengers was on the train not the railway line.

That is why we evacuated people by bringing trains alongside the stranded service.

It does take time to evacuate people in this way but it is the safest and no-one was injured as a result."