More passengers left in the lurch at new bus interchange
FUMING travellers were left in the lurch when a coach failed to arrive at the new Hartlepool transport interchange – the second time in the last week.
A group of passengers arrived at the new 4m interchange at around 8.45 on Thursday morning to wait for the National Express number 426 service to London, which was due to pick them up at around 9.30am.
But they were left marooned after the coach didn't show, leaving them all to replan their trips at short notice.
As reported in the Mail last week, passengers hoping to board a National Express coach to Leeds were left stranded when that service also failed to turn up.
Maurice Cornish, 63, was one of the people left standing. Due to the no-show he ended up driving the 300-mile trek journey to Brighton on Friday.
Maurice, who lives with his wife, June, and two grandchildren, Connor, nine, and 12-year-old Chantell, said: "It was a terrible situation really.
"I was supposed to be going to visit my ill sister in Brighton, but because the coach from Hartlepool didn't arrive I would have missed my connection in London.
"We stood waiting and rang National Express on a number of occasions and we were told the coach had been and picked two people up, but it hadn't.
"We had been waiting there for a long time.
"My two grandchildren were already upset about me going away, but now I am going to have to drive all the way to Brighton."
Carolyn Browne was another of the travellers who was left waiting at the interchange.
Carolyn, who lives in Sydney in Australia, was in Hartlepool to visit family as part of a summer break in England and was forced to get a train back to London on the Thursday afternoon.
Carolyn, 60, said: "They kept telling us the coach had already been to the interchange, but it hadn't.
"I was then told I could wait until the Friday to get the next coach or make my way to Stockton, but I ended up having to pay 30 for a train.
"I don't think I will use National Express any time soon in England."
A spokesperson for National Express said: "We are very sorry that our customers had their travel disrupted.
"It seems that the driver of the service went to the old coach stop by mistake.
"We will make sure that all drivers are trained in the new route to prevent this happening again."
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Weather for Peterlee
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 17 C
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