Fans delayed by train disruptions

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/london/6395273.stm

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About 2,000 football fans who took the train from London to south Wales to watch the Carling Cup final were delayed for hours due to disruptions.

Many missed the start of the match as First Great Western trains to Cardiff were hit by signalling problems, a Network Rail spokesman said.

Four trains were held up just outside Cardiff Central station, as the Chelsea and Arsenal match began.

Fans who drove down also faced traffic jams from the M4 to Cardiff centre.

'Standing like cattle'

Alan McLaughlin, an Arsenal fan who took the 0930GMT train from London, reached Cardiff at about 1430GMT.

"We were standing like cattle for the entire journey," he said. "The driver gave up trying to tell us what the problem was.

"There was a flood at Didcot which held us up for 30 minutes, and as soon as we got to Newport we simply ground to a halt and went nowhere for an hour," he added.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "We have been working since this morning to rectify the problem, and we will continue working throughout the day."

Services are expected to return to normal by Monday, he added.