'Pathetic' scenes of pandemonium have erupted at Glasgow Central Station as Avanti rail cancellations to London sparked huge queues of fuming passengers waiting for hours with 'no information'.
Droves of travellers have stood waiting to board trains to London Euston since early on Wednesday morning. Footage from the scene shows hundreds of people standing in a queue that stretches from Platform 1, down the entire concourse, out onto Gordon Street then right along the block.
Images show Avanti staff handing out bottles of water at around 2.30pm to passengers waiting in the heat as Glasgow continues to see soaring summer temperatures. Electrical faults on lines down south, due to scorching weather conditions, have been cited as what's caused the scrapping of services.
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Temperatures hit 40C south of the border on Tuesday, the hottest on record in the UK, meaning services on both the east and west coast mainlines have been affected.
On Wednesday, the 9.30am London Euston to Glasgow Central service, was terminated at Carlisle. The 9.40am Glasgow Central to London Euston service was delayed and expected to run 81 minutes late.
The 10.30am London Euston to Glasgow Central service was delayed at London and expected to be 18 minutes late. The 10.40am Glasgow Central to London Euston service was cancelled.
The 11.33am Glasgow Central to London Euston was also cancelled. Meanwhile the 12.40pm Glasgow Central to London Euston added Motherwell as an additional stop.
Steve, Rocko and Jack, who did not want to be pictured or provide full names, travelled to Glasgow to watch their team West Ham take on Rangers at Ibrox on Tuesday. The trio claim that, on their train from London to Glasgow on Tuesday, they were stuck at Preston because the train in front broke down and were told to get off the train.
The footie fans forked out £800 between them for a private mini van to take them to Ibrox. They arrived five minutes before kick-off at 7.45pm.
Waiting outside Glasgow Central Station on Wednesday, all three are in a desperate bid to make it home for work in the morning but are doubtful.
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They told Glasgow Live: "We were supposed to get a train at 11.30am this morning but got to the station at 10am just to suss it out. We’ve been here ever since.
"I reckon we’ve moved 45 yards in about four hours, it’s a joke. We’ve been given no information and no support from staff at all, we just want to go home.
"We’re all working tomorrow or we would stay and enjoy the city but we absolutely have to get home. Staff said this morning they thought things would improve but from what we can see they’re only getting worse.
"We looked at planes, buses and even the sleeper train but it’s all extra money that we really can’t afford, especially as this trip has already cost so much more than it should have."
Another fuming traveller, Gordon, who preferred to only provide his first name, was booked to travel back home in London on Wednesday afternoon. He was supposed to leave for London over two hours before chatting to Glasgow Live close to the front of the queue leading to Platform 1.
He said: "I was booked to go on the 10.40am train yesterday (Tuesday) and then the announcement came out not to travel unless it was essential. I got here at five past 12 today (Wednesday) and started queueing at the Union Street entrance before we were all brought to queue at Platform 1.
"I went to the ticket office but staff said they don’t have any information to give us which really left me quite disgruntled. Staff has been walking up and down handing out water but no updates, unfortunately."
Several more disgruntled Avanti customers took to social media to vent about the 'poor' and 'pathetic' state of affairs at Central Station.
At around 1.45pm Nick Sherwood wrote on Twitter: "Congrats, Avanti. Now queuing outside Glasgow Central Station for the 1.35pm London train.
"No information online or on the ground, no support. "You told us not to travel Monday or Tuesday, then you are caught off guard when we turn up on Wednesday? Poor performance so far."
Around 10 minutes later Nick added: "Avanti you need to get your act together. Checking the link above tells me the 2.34pm from Glasgow Central to London will be on time but no one here believes that, including Avanti staff who say no trains will leave before 3pm.
"Bad information is worse than no information, see it, say it, sort it."
Just after 2pm Nick added: "To clarify, I arrived Glasgow Central at 1.10pm for the 1.35pm train to London after checking, only to find a queue around the block. At 1.35pm I was told by Avanti staff that the train had not even arrived yet.
"I'm now on an Avanti bus to Carlisle instead but honestly, pathetic info."
Network Rail released a statement on Twitter.
It read: "Colleagues in England have been working through the night to repair damage caused by the extreme heat yesterday. This has been a very challenging 24 hours. There is still a lot of work to do, but the teams are working hard to make those repairs."
Avanti West Coast, which operates trains on the west coast mainline between Glasgow Central and London Euston, said tickets that had been purchased for journeys on Tuesday and Wednesday will be valid for travel until Friday. The operator urged members of the public to check journeys and find alternative routes.
An Avanti spokesperson said: "Train services are severely disrupted across our network today as result of damage to the overhead wires at multiple locations due to yesterday’s extreme heat. Network Rail is still at the sites carrying out repairs. Please check your journey before leaving for the station.
"Train tickets for Tuesday, July 19 and Wednesday, July 20 will be valid for travel on Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22 until midday. We’re sorry for the inconvenience this will cause."
The Caledonian Sleeper services on Wednesday evening are scheduled to run, but the operator has urged passengers to check ahead of travelling.
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