Train passengers were forced to sleep on the floor of a station after they were left "stranded" overnight on their way to Glasgow on Thursday night.
Pictures on social media showed travellers who had been on the Avanti West Coast service from London Euston waiting at a "freezing cold" Carlisle station at midnight - 99 miles away from their destination.
One traveller was forced to sleep on the floor after passengers were allegedly "kicked off" the train.
Avanti West Coast attempted to organise taxis but only a small number actually arrived, according to passengers.
One passenger wrote on Twitter : "Avanti West Coast abandons 60 people for Glasgow outside Carlisle in almost 0 degrees in the middle of the night.
"Two hours and only four taxis have turned up."
Another said: "This is the current state of the situation that Avanti West Coast has us in - people sleeping on the floor of a cold station.
"It's freezing cold, nearly 3:30am, and literally Avanti couldn't give a damn about their passengers.
"This is abysmal service."
A third person tweeted: "Stranded at Carlisle on way to Glasgow thanks to Avanti West Coast who won’t even provide overnight accommodation for people who can’t stand on their feet. Ridiculous!
"And the staff only know that most people will still be here waiting for the 7am train!"
The train operator apologised to its customers and said it would launch a review into what happened.
A spokesperson told The Sun : "We can only apologise to those caught up in last night’s disruption.
"Our customers have the right to deserve better and we will be conducting an immediate review into what happened.
"We would also like to thank those customers for their patience and encourage them to contact us to ensure they receive compensation for their journey."
The nightmare journey comes as Bank Holiday travel chaos was already well underway with hundreds of thousands of Brits plotting weekend getaway escapes amid rail mayhem and packed roads.
Huge airport queues have been forming with demoralising train and motorway warnings issued as many look to make the most of their extra day off with the M5 has been closed in both directions due a lorry crash.
It comes after "carnage" has been reported at Manchester and Gatwick airports already, with passengers suffering long delays at Birmingham as keen holidaymakers were caught in long lines trying to board their flights.
But it is not just a case of flyer beware - around 17 million motorists are expected to be on the roads.
Some have been pushed into their cars with £70million-worth of rail engineering works and strikes crippling the already reduced rail network.
Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines urged everyone to pre-plan trips.
He said: "While the majority of our network will be open for business as usual, we're asking passengers who are planning to use the railway over the Early May bank holiday to check their journey in advance.
"Teams across Network Rail will be delivering £70 million worth of upgrades, helping to make the railway more reliable and fit for the future."
