A frustrating journey was in store for railway passengers travelling from Pembroke Dock on the early morning train last Wednesday.
The single-carriage 7.05 from Pembroke Dock left the station with no faults apparent, but broke down before it could arrive at Pembroke. It was a dark morning, and with the lights reflected in the windows, it took most passengers a few minutes to realise where they had stopped - inside the tunnel!
It was soon obvious that the train had developed some kind of power fault which made it impossible to proceed.
Railway staff handled the situation efficiently. The tunnel was blocking all mobile 'phone signals, so it was necessary for the driver to walk the 50 yards to the Pembroke end of the tunnel in order to raise the alarm. While the guard informed everyone of the situation, the driver donned reflective clothing and made his way through the dark tunnel.
It was not long before passengers were being reassured that the position of the broken-down train was known. All that remained was to wait for the next timetabled train to arrive from Tenby. A gentle bump and the two trains were coupled, then the working carriage was able to shunt the poorly one back to Pembroke Dock.
As the newly coupled train made its way back to the terminus, refunds were offered to all passengers, and complimentary refreshments from the trolley service. A coach was standing by at Pembroke Dock Station, but since an hour-and-a-half had elapsed since the journey's start, most people opted to stay on the train and wait for its next scheduled departure at 9:05.
It was a frustrating journey for everyone, especially those who had a long journey ahead of them and were likely to have missed connections. The exemplary behaviour of Arriva staff, however, averted any disasters and made sure no-one made a 'drama out of a crisis.'