Govia Thameslink apologise for cancelled and late trains

Rail commuters attended a packed public meeting in Letchworth to voice their anger at the disruption on Govia Thameslink services

Govia Thameslink season ticket holders are to be contacted directly about compensation after 28 July, a meeting of more than 200 passengers has heard.

Govia's representative at a meeting in Letchworth on Thursday said the firm had responded to its timetable crisis.

When the meeting chairman asked passengers if the crisis was continuing a resounding "yes" was the reply.

Local MP Oliver Heald said the firm was "in the last chance saloon" and his constituents were "really suffering".

The train operator had suffered delayed and cancelled trains since a new timetable was introduced earlier this year.

It had complained of a shortage of drivers and targets that were difficult to achieve.

The Govia management were optimistic about this week's revised timetable

The meeting heard from working parents struggling to pick up their children from school.

Regular first class passengers complained their seats were given up to standard class travellers because of over-crowding.

The Govia representative apologised and said the changes were done for all the right reasons to cope with increasing numbers of rail passengers.

But the company and the rail industry had got it wrong and they were working to put things right, including offering compensation.