UNDER-FIRE bosses at a train company have been left red-faced after finally admitting a South Lakes service was delayed for two hours - because the driver left his conductor stranded on a platform.
Commuters travelling on the Northern Rail service were forced to wait for more than two hours after the train's conductor was left behind at Cark.
The embarrassing mishap meant the employee had to be ferried by taxi to Ulverston
A spokesman for route operator Northern Rail, said: "Incidents of this nature are extremely unusual. There is an industry-wide system of communication established between drivers and conductors to ensure incidents such as this should not happen.
"However, in this case, both appeared to have been trying to assist a passenger in distress and this led to the miscommunication.
"The train was held at Ulverston while the conductor was taken to the station by taxi."
The service affected was the 17.45 from Preston to Barrow on Saturday December 3
Northern Rail has endured criticism throughout the year regarding the quality of its service. In exchange for their fare, commuters have faced cancelled services, understaffed trains and dilapidated carriages.
When a late-night service was cancelled on December 7, a little over two weeks since the last cancellation, frustrated passengers took to Facebook to vent their anger at the franchise.
Lee Cooksey said: "Northern Rail, the worst train service in Britain. The trains are like going back in time 20 years."
Tara Kerr said: "Good old Northern, this is a regular occurrence on the Preston to Carlisle line."
In November, two services on the Barrow line were disrupted after trains broke down on the line.
Other people suggested the answer to the problems on the network was simply to take it away from private franchises. Jeffrey Holt said: "We need railways to be nationalised again."
Northern Rail operates a delay repay system for passengers whose journeys run late.
For a delay of 30-59 minutes, passengers will receive one single ticket to anywhere on the Northern network or 50 per cent of the cost of a single ticket or relevant portion of a return ticket.
For delays of 60 minutes to 119 minutes, compensation is two single tickets to anywhere on the Northern network or 100 per cent of the cost of your single ticket or relevant portion of your return ticket.
For delays of more than 120 minutes, compensation is in the form of two return tickets anywhere on the Northern network, or 100 per cent of the cost of your ticket (single or return).
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