Punters travelling from Inverness Station to London at 8:30pm on Friday, April 12, learned as they boarded that some compartments would be without water, meaning they had no access to their showers or toilets
Sleeper train guests shelled out £400 for a posh overnight journey only to find themselves unable to freshen up or even flush their toilets due to a lack of running water on the swanky train.
Travellers who boarded the Caledonian Sleeper at Inverness Station bound for London at 8:30pm on Friday, April 12, were disappointed to be greeted with the news that their private sleeping quarters would not have running water.
This left them without the option to shower and struggling with non-functional toilets during the 12-hour trek to Euston Station. Ian Barratt, an 81-year-old from Maldon in Essex, told of his experience returning from a three-day trip to Inverness with his wife, saying he ended up sitting down for breakfast “unshaven, unwashed and thirsty”, reports the Daily Record.
He detailed the inconvenience as staff had to shepherd elderly passengers along a lengthy corridor to access a working toilet, with the only concession being the distribution of bottled spring water. Ian said: “Embarrassed staff, willing and helpful though they were, suggested that passengers could use the few general passenger toilets situated on the express, but for some people that required a long trek along a narrow corridor on a train which stretches several hundred yards in length.
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“One passenger claimed he had suffered a similar plight on four previous trips. A company spokesman apologised for the inconvenience but explained that the only maintenance depot was in London, so there was nothing else they could do but hand out cans of spring water.”
Ian and his wife both paid £800 for a return ticket and he hit out at management for the fiasco. He says staff on the train were shocked to learn that passengers had not been advised about the issue prior to boarding.
He added: “A member of staff seemed surprised that I had not been given prior warning of the problem, but the first I knew was when we were about to board the train at 8.30am. This kind of situation isn’t what one expects after paying over £800 for a return ticket. I feel this was a management failing.”
Last year Mirror Travel reporter Milo tested out the Caledonian Sleeper. “It would be untrue to call the room spacious, but it sufficed. The beds were the star of the show. If you are in need of getting down most of the country in the space of a night but to arrive well rested, the Sleeper is the only way to go,” he wrote.
“In our warm little cabin the dark and lashing rain of the Scottish countryside was kept firmly outside, allowing me to drift off into a dreamland of crushed velvet upholstery and silver service buffet cars. We threw back our bedclothes at 6.30am to the sound of the train intercom, our driver explaining that we’d arrived at Euston 35 minutes early. I was at my desk an hour and a half later, remarkably refreshed and ready for a day’s work.”
A spokesperson for Caledonian Sleeper said: “Due to a technical issue onboard on Friday night (12 April 2024) a number of the cabins were unfortunately left without water on for their journey south from Inverness.
Since maintenance for this specific issue can only take place at one of our main engineering depots – Wembley or Polmadie – we were unable to rectify this issue ahead of travel. Wherever possible, we will move passengers to alternative unaffected cabins, however, this wasn’t possible on this occasion. Instead, Mr Barratt was issued with a partial refund for his inconvenience.
“We are very sorry that Mr Barratt’s journey was impacted on this occasion, however we look forward to welcoming him back onboard very soon.”
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