Minister 'chuffed' with success of Britain's railways, despite delays

There were scenes of chaos at King's Cross on Saturday when trains were cancelled because maintenance work was not finished on time

Tory transport minister Claire Perry has drawn ridicule for 'toasting the success' of the railways when thousands of passengers faced hours of delay in the bitter cold (Getty)

Tory transport minister Claire Perry has drawn ridicule for “toasting the success” of the railways when thousands of passengers faced hours of delay in the bitter cold.

Writing in a Sunday newspaper, the minister declared: “The trains are busier now than at any time since the 1920s. In fact, passenger numbers have doubled since privatisation in the 1990s and services here are now among the most punctual in Europe.”

The article, which appeared in The People under the headline “Why I’m so chuffed” did not mention Saturday’s scenes of chaos, when trains in and out of King’s Cross were cancelled because maintenance work was not finished on time.

On Boxing Day, Ms Perry had used her column in the Wiltshire Gazette to claim that the large amount of work taking place on the tracks over Christmas was a major sign of improvement.

Ms Perry’s boss, the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, said: “Passengers are entitled to be reimbursed if they are delayed and train operators have compensation schemes in place.”