Passengers stuck on boiling train outside Peterborough for hours have to wait for answers on why they were not rescued sooner

Passengers said fellow travellers fainted after being stuck on the LNER train which stopped just short of Peterborough station at about 4.15pm yesterday.

Other commuters started vomiting, and people tried to break the doors on the train as they waited for three hours to be rescued.

At one point, passengers were allowed to leave the train, but they were then told to get back on board.

Today The Met Office said temperatures in Peterborough yesterday were the highest ever recorded, and one passenger said temperatures on board the train reached 52C. They were finally rescued at 7.15pm.

More; Passenger stuck on 52C train recalls three hour nightmare

More: Passengers pass out on train stuck outside Peterborough for hours

The problems were caused due to damage to overhead lines.

The Peterborough Telegraph has contacted LNER to ask why it took so long for passengers to be rescued, and what was being done to prevent similar issued from happening again in the future.

A spokesman for LNER said those questions would be answered in a review.

He added: “Services were disrupted yesterday due to record-breaking high temperatures, followed by damage to the overhead lines yesterday afternoon. This halted services while power was turned off and emergency repairs could be carried out. A controlled evacuation was carried out on one of our trains at Peterborough to another train. We appreciate conditions on the train were very uncomfortable for those on-board. Our train crew and station teams along were on-hand with medical support for anyone requiring extra assistance. We apologise to all of our customers who have had their journeys disrupted.

“Tickets for travel yesterday can be used today, tomorrow or Sunday, or a full refund provided through ‘Delay Repay’ if customers prefer not to travel.”

When passengers were finally able to get off the train at Peterborough station, they were met by crews from the East of England Ambulance Service and St John’s Ambulance.

St John’s Ambulance had 18 volunteers assisting at the station including two senior operational Cadets (St John volunteers aged between 10 and 17), along with one of the charity’s ambulances and crew.

Before eventually being stood down at around 10pm, the volunteers had treated a handful of passengers and handed out numerous bottles of water.

Lee Taylor, St John Ambulance District Manager in Cambridgeshire, said: “Our volunteers are very pleased to have been able to help at Peterborough Station yesterday and it was good to see members of the public heeding the heatwave advice that has been in the news and circulating on social media. As well as handing out water we were able to provide reassurance to travellers and direct them to places where they could sit and shade themselves. It was great to have been able to help local people and those passing through Peterborough in this week’s extreme weather conditions.”

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance service said they had declared an ‘internal critical incident’ yesterday evening. He said: “Following extremely high temperatures and travel infrastructure challenges we saw a rapid rise in demand for the ambulance service. This led us to declare an internal critical incident on the evening of the 25th July 2019. All our staff and volunteers worked continuously for our patients and each other. Our grateful thanks go out to them and those who came in following the request for assistance.

“The Trust has implemented its SURGE demand management and business continuity plan. We have also put in place additional resourcing to support patient care and staff welfare.

“At these times the Trust will prioritise life threatening calls and other patients are likely to wait. We are unable to give exact times, and would ask that people to seek support from 111, a GP or a pharmacist. If they believe they need hospital attendance, such as a fractured arm, they should make their own way there.

“We would ask that people continue to stick to the heatwave advice of self-care and checking on others. We received emergency calls for people who had collapsed following exercise in the extremes of temperature. This is both unwise and unhelpful for themselves and emergency services as the situation remains preventable.”