Robert Hampton

Reading on Merseyrail‘s web site that Northern Line services were subject to severe delay and cancellation, it was with a certain sense of trepidation that I walked into Moorfields station.

As it turned out, I needn’t have worried, because although services to Southport, Ormskirk and Kirkby were severely disrupted, the Hunts Cross service I wanted was running just 3 minutes late. Hurrah for problems that affect everyone except me (and I got to see the rarely used Northern Line bidirectional signalling put into action, but… that’s just a railway thing).

Then, as the train rolled into St Michaels station, the guard came on the PA system: someone has fainted and we must wait here for an ambulance. Then he came on again to ask if anyone knew first aid. I — never knowingly useful in a crisis — could do nothing but sit and wait.

Now, St Michaels isn’t exactly in the back of beyond; it’s the second station out of the city centre and is not far from a main road. But 25 minutes later, the ambulance still hadn’t arrived. Eventually the aforementioned fainter (faintee?) regained consciousness, was helped off the train by a couple of staff members and we proceeded on our way.

But really… a 25 minute wait? That’s rather worrying really.