A passenger revolt erupted on a train from Cornwall to London after it whizzed through Swindon without stopping.
Six emergency bells were reportedly pulled when the packed Great Western Railway (GWR) service failed to stop at the Wiltshire town on Sunday afternoon.
The train was forced to stop following the protest and it eventually returned to Swindon so they could get off.
It caused extensive disruption on the mainline and led to the train arriving at Reading some two hours after it was due to pull into Paddington station.
One passenger told The Telegraph: ‘Swindon united against GWR in a mutiny.
‘No one knows the reason why the train did not stop at Swindon, when it was part of the stops and people wanted to get off.
‘Eventually, they did concede a win to the Swindon people and the train went back there.’
Susannah Butter, a journalist on board, said the train was held up for more than an hour as the emergency alarms went off.
She said: ‘I’m not sure if it was a protest or just people causing trouble (or just someone who really wanted to go to Swindon).’
Ms Butter added her carriage was ‘very crowded’ and passengers were ‘kicked off’ at Reading, where connecting services to London were also delayed.
Other travelers also complained about how busy the train was, with GWR giving this as the reason for not stopping at Swindon.
A GWR spokesperson said: ‘We’re really sorry for those inconvenienced yesterday and those who were delayed will be able to get their money back by claiming a refund.
‘The 2.18pm Penzance to Paddington service was diverted via Chippenham and Swindon to assist passengers affected by an earlier canceled train.
‘The service was however too busy to carry more passengers safely, so the extra stops were removed.
‘While those on board were informed of the decision, having passed Swindon the emergency “passcomms” was pulled and the train stopped – further delaying the service by well over an hour.
‘The train was returned to Swindon before continuing on its journey towards Reading.’
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Source: Metro
