A Weymouth woman has hit out at a rail company after it took her son nine hours to get back to his home in London from the Dorset town.

Amanda Lusted said there were no replacement buses or staff available to help during her son Alex's nightmare journey back to the capital on Sunday. 

His South Western Railway (SWR) train was scheduled for just before 9am but was displayed as going to Havant due to a broken rail.

He was told at Weymouth there would be a bus from Havant to Guildford, from where he could catch a train to Waterloo. 

However there were no buses or staff on hand to question at Havant, and Alex was forced to 'criss-cross' his way to Brighton, where he eventually picked up a service to his home in west London.

The aggrieved passenger arrived back at his home nine hours after he left Weymouth - leading to Amanda hitting out at the level of service on the railways.

A mixture of engineering works, broken rails and a major landslip in Hampshire resulted in the train network being severely impacted over the weekend. 

"Last Sunday was not a strike day, so how does SWR justify its directors' bonuses and shareholder profits whilst pretending to provide a transport service?" said Amanda.

"Like a modern Odysseus [Alex] criss-crossed his way across southern England, finally arriving at his front door nine hours later.

"Both he and I rely on public transport, and have had to put off visits to one another when there are interruptions to the service - and there are a number of interruptions on this one. 

"I could not see him for Christmas and this [journey] left it pretty miserable for him.

"It was extraordinary - you do feel that they do not care about this end of the track."

Amanda backed the ongoing strike action being held across the country over pay and working conditions for railway staff - and agreed that workers should receive a bonus. 

Dorset Echo: Amanda Lusted said it took her son nine hours to get back to his home in London from Weymouth via train on SundayAmanda Lusted said it took her son nine hours to get back to his home in London from Weymouth via train on Sunday (Image: Newsquest)

She also said the Government's proposed rail reforms will lead to the network losing its 'personal touch' as it attempts to operate trains as 'Driver Only Operation' - the running of a train by the driver alone.

But unions feel that the changes, which also seek to get ticket office staff off seats and on to station floors, pose a safety risk if guards are not present on services. 

"I am behind the strikes because I am shocked at how the Government seems to be gambling with the basic institutions of the country," she said. "The whole system is rotten, they are just badly run. 

"I would rather see the railways nationalised - if they have got to be dealt out to private companies then they should be held accountable to the Government instead of being backed up by them."

A SWR spokesman said it was 'sorry for the delays caused to customers’ journeys on Sunday', adding the pandemic has 'fundamentally changed the way we travel'.

"The industry has to adapt to the new normal and we are working hard to meet customer needs and expectations, while also reducing the burden on the taxpayer," he said. 

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “The safety and security of all rail passengers will always be top priority on our railways.

“Together with industry we want to improve and modernise the experience for passengers by moving staff out from behind the glass of ticket offices and onto stations to provide more face-to-face help and assistance.”