Heat and crowding spark Skegness rail complaints

Passengers travelling to Skegness in 30C heat have complained of overcrowding and failed air conditioning on a packed train service.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) said recent heatwaves had created "particularly challenging operating conditions" and apologised to passengers affected.

The complaints from passengers and an online petition launched by Skegness town councillor Paul Collins prompted BBC News to travel on a train from Nottingham to Skegness to experience conditions first hand.

Travellers on the Friday service described conditions as "diabolical" and "an absolute disgrace".

The country is experiencing another spell of exceptionally hot weather when the train for Skegness leaves Nottingham Railway Station.

It is during the school summer holidays and the four carriages are already very busy. Within minutes 58-year-old Sharon Buttler from Long Eaton is fanning herself.

"We can't feel the air conditioning so we don't think it's working and that's just not on," she said. Her husband nods in agreement.

Sharon has boarded the 10:45 train with her family. It is one of the hourly, direct services to Skegness running from Nottingham today. The first ran at 05:45 BST and the last will leave the station at 18:45.

Despite the frequency of the trains, passengers are calling upon EMR to end what they say is an overcrowded, inadequate service.

Temperatures are climbing to 30C outside the train and inside the carriage it soon begins to feel hotter.

For the first 45 minutes all passengers appear to have a seat, but that changes when the train reaches Grantham.

More passengers board and many are forced to stand for the remaining 85 minutes of the journey.

Families with young children and babies are among those packed into aisles and areas around the doors.

A member of staff for EMR confirms the air conditioning in the carriage is not working, but says it is operating in two of the other four carriages.

Later in the journey, passengers in one of those carriages also complain about the heat.

David Naden, 41, from Grantham is travelling to a funeral.

"They've told us to move down the carriages but they're full and there's just no room," he says.

Christine Clement, 78, has travelled from Mennock in Scotland to visit her family.

"If there was any sort of accident it would be absolutely chaotic and a disaster because there are so many people and young children would get trampled underfoot, it's just awful," she says.

Moving around the train is difficult, requiring passengers to step over children sitting between carriages and squeeze past cases, pushchairs and other travellers.

Samantha Eaton, 41, from Derby says the conditions are "diabolical".

"No air con and the overcrowding is a joke," she adds.

The carriage continues to feel increasingly hot and passengers use whatever they can to fan themselves.

Eventually the conditions become too much for Sharon Buttler, who begins to vomit into a bag.

She later says she felt overwhelmed by the heat.

A member of her family goes in search of a member of staff but soon returns, saying he cannot get through the crowded carriage.

The train pulls into Skegness station just before 13:00 to loud cheers from passengers. Stepping off the carriage I realise that I am drenched in sweat.

Outside the station, I meet Paul Collins, the Skegness town councillor who launched the online petition calling for improvements to the service.

He says the conditions on the trains "are an absolute disgrace".

"At the start of the season EMR promised me that none of this would happen this year," he said.

"The senior management has given up. They know they are going to be renationalised and so they've just stopped investing."

An EMR spokesperson said the operator had been affected by repeated heatwaves and was "sorry for the level of service many customers have experienced in recent days" and was "working hard to lessen the impact by making the best possible use of available fleets".

"This is not the level of service we aim to deliver, nor what our passengers deserve."

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