Commuters' frustrated time on Harrogate rail line

There were angry passengers on platforms all along the Harrogate-Leeds rail line this morning as over-crowding created new headaches for commuters.
A Harrogate-Leeds Pacer train.A Harrogate-Leeds Pacer train.
A Harrogate-Leeds Pacer train.

With only two carriages on the 7.46am service from Harrogate to Leeds, it was a case of standing room only as early as the Hornbeam Park halt in Harrogate as all the seats had already been snapped up.

By the time the Pacer train, run by Northern rail, part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe, arrived at Weeton, passengers with tickets were struggling to squeeze on board.

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By the time the jam-packed rain reached Horsforth where a crowded platform awaited, the conductor, who was friendly and pleasant throughout, took the decision not to allow anyone else on board leaving dozens of people exasperated.

The scene was similar at Headingley and, then, Burley Park.

But there was a heated scene at Burley Park station just before Leeds central station when one member of the public on an even more packed platform stepped on board only to be told to get off.

The passenger stood their ground until the conductor was joined by a staff member in a hi-vis jacket.

Then they got back off the train.

The Pacer then rolled on and arrived at Leeds on time.