How stressed and anxious is everyone who was meant to be on the cancelled supporters train? Let's all get there safe and stick it to Leeds!

Really unimpressed with this 'service' we've paid £50 for!!

As i said on another post, you guys will make it.

2 members of my family plus a mate are on there, its a pain, but get to the game and then have the inquest.

Just been told by Geoff Warburton that the problem is that there was an accident whilst the train was being prepared this morning. The train guard has been injured and the club have been desperately trying organise alternative transport.

sounds like the wheels have come off wigans band wagon

lets just hope the guard is ok...

wonder why they only have 1 guard?

Dikkhead.

how did they get there then

Banter aside, you have to feel for those supporters who were due to go on the cancelled train.

I don't know the facts but i'm suprised that the injured guard couldn't have been taken away and replaced with another guard, its not like the train was a normal service, it will have been a once in a lifetime trip to remember for a lot of them.

Possibly because the injury was a serious one and if related to the train itself, the train may have been required for investigative work. In the great scheme of things, I'd suggest that the wellbeing of a human being would trump travelling to a rugby match.

Just an idea like

I can honestly say that was the worst experience I have ever had travelling to Wembley.

I understand that things like this can happen BUT the lack of information was shocking.

Once the train had been cancelled around 8am, the message came over the loud speaker for everyone to board the next train to Crewe, so hence it came and people clammered on in sheer panic (some even from the Mayfair train got on). I got to speaking the head Steward who desparatley trying to get in contact with Geoff Warbuton. And here's were I believe the fault does lie with the club. Geoff Warbutons phone was on voice mail!! I kid you not, believe me or believe me not I was stood next to the head steward at the time. Surely he should have been on standby to sort something out if anything was to go wrong?
By this time the train had left for Crewe with still around 100 fans for the Club train on the platform. Mayfairs train weren't letting any official supporters on (even though there was spare seats left from their patrons getting on the earlier train).
It was Pandermonium!
For some bizarre unknown reason there was three coaches waiting outside to take the rest of us to Crewe.
So here we all was heading for Crewe either by sardine train or mystical buses appearing from nowhere, yet no one had a clue (and at that time neither did the stewards) wether there'd be a train that would definatley take us to London.
Just before hitting Crewe station we find out there is a train (yeehhhaaa) but its leaving at 9.32, its now 9.15 and we were still on the motorway!! We make it with around 5 minutes to spare. BUT theres no seats left on it, in fact theres hardly anywhere to stand!! Ah buts theres another train on another platform heading for Euston and theres seats on that, so off we pop across the stairs only to find this one jack packed aswell, just not as jam packed as the other, in fact you could even stand in the aisle on this one without standing on someone else feet.
Anyways we get to Euston and manage to get on the overhead service to Wembley, I don' think that Euston staff were expecting so many fans travelling there, so much so they didnt check anyones tickets from getting off at Euston to getting to Wembley Central.
It was sheer luck that we all managed to get to London in time for the match!!
Coming back wasn't the best either after cueing in the rain for well over 1.5hrs, once again the lack of info was shocking!!

IF we get back there next year, I don't think the club need bother organising a 'Special' train as I can guarantee there'll be nobody going on it.

For anyone that went on that train they'll know what I mean. Has anyone heard anything from the club yet about how fans are to be compensated for the utter shiite they had to go through yesterday? 1st class hahahahahahahaahahahahahahaha, standing up going(plus the stress) and not even running water in the bogs coming back!!

Can only echo what was said above! Although I should add it is a huge compliment to us as rugby fans (and people!) that it didn't escalate into something very nasty as there was a hell of a lot of chaos when there wasa rushed message over the tannoy that the train was cancelled!!

I managed to squeeze onto the Crewe train and then grab a seat with a table to Euston but there were people sat in the buffet cart and allsorts on the way down. Finally grabbed the overhead to Wembley central at 11.37 and I was happy just to be there although on the way down I thoght we'd just get stuck in London as even getting there you just think how am I going to get back after the game? Serious lack of communication.

Big thanks to the couple after the game who let me shelter under their chequered flag while it was chucking it down! All in all, a very good day was almost spoiled by the lack of anyone knowing what was going on, queues being moved at the last station etc etc but at least we brought the trophy back, small price to pay!

am i the only person in the world that has never been on a train that has a 'guard' ?

I dont think thats true with a game attendance of 75k, Im sure the FA cup or Charity Shield would have had more visitors through Euston so Im more than convinced they are used to that amount of footfall. I travelled this year from Wembley Central as opposed to previously doing Wembley park. I thought the staff at Euston and Wembley Central done fantastic job even having staff stood in Wembley High St? with tannoy and placards diverting Euston passengers down a side street in the pouring down rain.

On the otherhand your dealings up north at crewe etc with busses and replacements isnt good and would have hated it to be me, Sorry to hear your day started bad. Im glad for you all the middle bit went to plan

No. That's what they're called.

Thing is our train was NEVER destined for Euston its was going direct to Wembley Central. So instead of having 2 trains from Crewe with just a few normal passengers on they had 2 sardine canned trains with hundred upon hundreds of extra fans on.

How would you know??





you spend a lot of time on the wigan board dont you!?!

ive already sussed you Jonny re what i said to your irish mate

According to tonight's WEP few problems going down, no problems on the return train. Not what I heard

Wins first prize for "Understatement of the year 2011"

Bank Holiday w/ends and train travel don't mix, booked on a well known local coach firm, organiser of which has insomnia when tickets to Challenge Cup Final go on sale, smooth journey going down, sevices at Warwick rammed but that's to be expected, getting off the coach park at Wembley was a bit like getting off the car park as Castleford but with coaches instead of cars ! Smooth journey home, glad I didn't have to drive.
A long but very satisfactory day.

An investigation into this is underway and I expect to hear back from the train company sometime tomorrow and we will then contact all fans who had booked the train to give a full explanation etc. In no way do Wigan Warriors want fans to suffer and we will be taking all possible action with the charter company who were paid to provide the service well before the event.

We will contact you again soon with information and please accept our apologies for all the issues of Saturday.

Mr G Warburton

Did you all get there though?

reporter must be guessing then.

i was on the platform waiting for a different charter train , when the announcement came over the tannoy, advising passengers from the Warriors charter train to board the next train and change at crewe for Euston.
Fans who had paid 50-75 quid for seats were stood like sardines all the way to London, via a replacement bus from warrington to crewe i believe.
The journey from Euston to wembley was describes as "the journey from hell" by people who had travelled that way.

i know all this from chatting to people on Wembley Central concourse as both sets waited for their return charter, which they had been assured was running as normal on the return journey.

30 minutes later, they were ushered to the undergrond platform......guess what?
contrary to the papers report, the train HAD been cancelled.

Fans had a great day ruined......and a full return of money would be in order, not from the club, but from the firm they chartered off.

Who knows? Some of the fans were clearly distressed as the lack of infomation from both stewards and station staff was staggering.

Here's what really gets my goat though..............

A DB Schenker spokesman said: “The service was disrupted [size=150two hours before departure [/sizedue to an operational incident.

Yep so at approx 5.30am they knew there was a problem yet it was only announced at 8am (the train was due to leave Wigan at 7.38am!) that the train had been cancelled.

Although I was on the Mayfair train I was still saddened & disgusted at the treatment of my fellow fans on the so-called "official" charter train.

DB Schenker is a freight company & are only responsible for their locomotive & it's driver, the rest is up to the charter company. I don't know which charter company the club used as their are several companies that can provide the coaching stock & other staff required for a charter train. Mayfair used Rail-Blue Charters who in turn also used DB Schenker for the locomotive & driver.

its shocking that nobody has asked how the poor guard is . was he drunk