Terrible Trains Too...

It was about 10 to 5 that we wandered up onto the platform, to discover that the waiting room had been gutted and was closed. The platform cafe was also closed, and there weren't even toilets, so we stood and froze our backsides off, happily chuntering "only 20 minutes, only 19 minutes, only..." you get the picture.

Then the time started sliding up. "Only 1 minute to go. Only 1 minute to go. Only 1 minute to go. Oh, hang on... We've had this three times now..." The platform redirected, so a hundred or so people (including us with all our bags) made a manic dash from platform 2B over to 7. Lo and behold, a train pulled up and we all leapt on in. Hallelujah, warmth! Until we were all booted off again five minutes later. Platform change - 2B. His lordship was NOT amused, as he had the suitcase and none of the lifts were working. Stairs all the way...

So we all ran back from platform 7, a hundred or so people, back to platform 2B. And there, the signs went mental. Cancelled No Alternative Transport, then Hull Platform 2A. Cleethorpes Platform 2B. Then Cancelled No Alternative Transport again. Several dozen people went off up the stairs (I assume to the info station to find out what the hell was going on) leaving just us and a handful of people baffled, waiting there to see if the signs would start to say something sensible.

And then a train pulled up. The same damn train we were just booted off on platform 7. We shrugged and climbed on anyway, and it pulled away - presumably leaving many people behind. "This train is arriving at Sheffield. It terminates at... Sheffield." We all looked at each other and shrugged, as it was clearly LEAVING Sheffield. It skipped and skittered along the icy rail. "This train is destined for Sheffield, calling at..." We pulled into Meadowhall, where a group of similarily befuddled people got on - the signs there had also gone mental.

Pulling away from the station, I had to laugh, as two minutes down the line the announcement went "We are approaching Meadowhall. Please remember to take all your personal possessions when you alight from the train. This train is approaching Meadowhall." ... We just left there! His Lordship worked out what had happened: trains had been coming TO Sheffield, but the line FROM was badly iced over. The last one to Sheff had finished at about 4.30ish - so we were going back DOWN the same line the wrong way and the automatic pickups on the track were reading out the announcements.

We eventually got to a snow-laden Grimsby, thank goodness!