A MAN from Colwyn Bay walked home from Rhyl in the middle of the night after the late cancellation of the last train of the evening left him “stranded”.

Ian Reynolds, 53, had visited a friend in Rhyl during the evening of March 7, and had intended to catch the Transport for Wales (TfW)-operated 1.10am train from Rhyl back to Colwyn Bay.

When the train was cancelled, Mr Reynolds said he was left with no alternative but to walk home in the early hours of March 8.

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He arrived home roughly some four hours later, he said, at about 5.30am, and is now seeking compensation and an apology from TfW.

Mr Reynolds said: “I was left stranded at Rhyl railway station by TfW with no alternative transport.

“I got there in plenty of time, at 12.45am, and the indicator board said: ‘delayed’. However, when the clock went to 1.12am, it suddenly flashed up as: ‘cancelled’.

“They announced the usual spiel that the train was short of train crew, with no offer of alternative transport.

“So, I was left stranded in Rhyl and forced to walk along the seafront to Colwyn Bay, as I couldn’t find a taxi, my phone was dead, and I couldn’t remember the phone number of my partner or my friend.

“I left Rhyl at 1.40am, walked along the sea front to Colwyn Bay, got lost on the way, but eventually found my way and arrived wearily at 5.30am. It was quite scary in parts.”

This is not the first time Mr Reynolds had been left “stranded”, he said.

Just before Christmas, a similar incident occurred, though on that occasion, he managed to walk back to his friend’s house, where he slept on the floor and had to buy another train ticket the following morning.

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Mr Reynolds said he suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and anxiety, Asperger’s syndrome and panic attacks, and felt that this predicament exacerbated his mental health issues.

Unbeknown to him, he added, the police were looking for him after his partner had contacted them.

He added: “Since TfW have taken over from Arriva, the service has got worse and worse.

“I am very angry, as they cancelled the train at the last second, having no care or concern for customers who are left stranded with very little money.

“I’d like an apology and some sort of compensation. My partner was worried out of his skull; the police were out looking for me. It was a nightmare.”

In response, Marie Daly, chief customer and culture officer at TfW, offered Mr Reynolds an apology on behalf of the company.

She also sought to assure him that a full refund of his £7.40 ticket will be provided to him.

Ms Daly said: “We’d like to apologise to Mr Reynolds for his poor experience while trying to use our services.

“The Manchester to Holyhead service had to be terminated at Chester at short notice and unfortunately, while we were able to secure some replacement road transport so people could continue their journeys, it did take longer than we would have liked due to the time of night. 

“Our customer services team will be in touch with Mr Reynolds to provide a full refund for his journey.”

Passengers can contact TfW using the “help points” at stations, or by calling its 24-hour customer services number on 03333 211 202.