Rail disruption affects visitors to World Travel Market

A major disruption in service on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) line on Monday morning made getting to London’s World Travel Market (WTM) chaotic at best.

On the show’s opening day, hundreds of WTM exhibitors and visitors had first-hand experience of London’s transportation system at its worst.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Canning Town, but DLR staff did not provide any explanation as to what had caused the problem. Later in the morning, a statement on the DLR website cited a faulty train at Royal Albert to be the cause of the disruption.

Many WTM attendees were not able to board trains due to overcrowding caused by the delays, and those that were able to, complained about being crammed into the train like cattle.

When the visitors arrived at Canning Town, they were not able to disembark because of the crowds on the platforms. Train doors remained closed until DLR staff were able to clear space on the platforms.

A replacement bus service was eventually organised, making it possible for the visitors to make their way to Excel, slowly through the rain and rush hour traffic.

“It doesn’t look good for London,” a visitor from Cyprus said. “It’s always bad, but this is the worst I have known it. Next year I will not make any appointments before midday.”

Thanks to www.travelmole.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.wtmlondon.com