Peterborough United fans frustrated after missing Ipswich win due to cancelled trains

Dozens of supporters missed one of the best results of the season after Greater Anglia cancelled trains heading from Peterborough through Whittlesey and other parts of Fenland on their way to Ipswich.

The rail operator, which for the past two months has seen its service between Peterborough and Ipswich severely affected by cancellations, has apologised to those who were affected but has not shed any more light on the “train fault” which caused the problems.

One disgruntled Posh fan was Andy Surtees from Whittlesey who was looking forward to his first away match of the season, with trips outside of Peterborough limited due to health reasons.

Andy was among 10 Posh fans (15 people in total) waiting for the 11.58am train when he received a phone call from a friend telling him planned services had been cancelled.

He then spoke to customer services at Greater Anglia which said he would receive a refund of the £36 rail fares paid for by himself and his wife, but not for their match tickets which cost £30 each.

He said: “It’s not the money, it’s the principle. There were people there far more angry than I was.
“There was a lady there who takes her son to see her dad in Ipswich and she said this has been happening for weeks.
“I’m disabled and rarely go to matches, but this one was easier to get to.
“At the end of the day it’s just a football game - instead I went to Wisbech St Mary to watch a non-league match and listened on the radio.
“It was nice Posh won so well but there was a tinge of ‘I wish I was there’. It was the first away game I would have been to in a year due to health reasons.
“I spoke to an Ipswich fan and they say they had the same problem getting here earlier in the season.”
Andy was also critical of the initial response from customer services at Greater Anglia, which he felt was unhelpful, although when he called back he said the person he spoke to tried their best to find a solution.

He was informed that the next available train might mean they could make the second-half, but it was possible this could also be cancelled.

In total, 1,909 Posh fans were able to make the match, which was the club’s first win at Ipswich for 60 years.

There were reports of severe overcrowding on the trains which did make it to Ipswich, although Greater Anglia did not address this when contacted by the Peterborough Telegraph.

The rail operator apologised last month after “signalling issues” caused havoc with its programme of introducing new trains, leading to widespread cancellations.

A Greater Anglia spokesperson said: “We apologise to passengers who were affected by delays and cancellations on Saturday. This was due to a train fault near Kennett.

“The 09.20 Ipswich-Peterborough service developed a fault at Kennett which blocked the line and caused knock-on delays and cancellations.

“As a result, the 11:50 Peterborough to Ipswich service started from Ely. Customers who were delayed can claim compensation at www.greateranglia.co.uk/delayrepay.

“We apologise for the disruption and would encourage customers to get in touch with us direct.”