A CITY woman who missed two planes due to train problems says her week has been a “nightmare” and she is "mentally exhausted".

Linda Mulas said the problems began on Tuesday when she was at Worcester Shrub Hill Station and was set to catch the 5.11am, so she could get her plane from Gatwick.

“I was sat on the train, and it was not moving," she said.

"Eventually they said there was no driver, and it was cancelled. I realised I wouldn’t make it in time. I was so frustrated I just went home and unpacked. The station guard didn’t explain to me that they would have got me a taxi at their expense, which would have got me there.”

Mrs Mulas said she had been looking forward to going to Sardinia to see her friends and family including her husband, children and grandchildren.

“My grandson was terribly disappointed,” the 69-year-old said.

“It was part of his present for me to see him. It was my birthday last week too, and we were going to celebrate that. It was all so upsetting.”

Mrs Mulas said she was determined to make the trip for Easter, so rebooked a flight for Thursday lunchtime, and thought she would try again getting a train from the station with a back up plan for a friend to drive her.

“The plane was taking off at 2pm, so I thought I’d get to the station really early and get the 7.35am," she said.

“This time the train left on time and I was really happy. But then we suddenly stopped on the line at Honeybourne. We were told there was a breakdown of a train and we were held up. The train didn’t move for three hours. I was going to change at Reading. But I got off at Oxford, spoke to a station manager, who said there was no way I would make it. Staff were great - they got me a first class ticket home. But that was going in the wrong direction.

“For it to happen on two occasions, it is bad luck. It has been really stressful and I want a refund - I am £300 out of pocket. I want to make sure people know that they will pay for a taxi, if a train is cancelled.”

Yesterday, the Upper Tything resident was set to make a third attempt, having booked a plane that was due to take off at lunchtime, but this time a friend was going to drive her.

A Great Western Railway spokesman said: “This is an incredibly unfortunate set of circumstances and we have been in contact with Ms Mulas and have offered to cover the cost of her missed flights.”

The spokesman added the first train was cancelled due to a short notice staff absence and the second was delayed after a train suffered damage, when it struck an animal. The spokesman added a taxi was offered on Thursday, but it would not have got her to the airport in time.

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