Letter: Passing the buck on private rail

Sir: Having gone to some effort (two telephone calls to train inquiries) to avoid travelling from Exeter to Norwich at a time when there were engineering works, and hence a coach ride and extra journey time, my daughter duly ended up on a coach to Ipswich and arrived in the middle of Sunday night at Norwich with other misdirected passengers.

So far, in the search for responsibility, Great Western call centre says it's Cate (a computer system), who say it's Railtrack, who say it's Anglia Railways, who say it's Great Western call centre, who say ... In the process, I discovered that the engineering works had been going on for some weeks and that the wrong information was still being given out to hapless travellers for the following Sunday.

Various comments from friendly staff include: "Passing the buck is the name of the game"; "It's a shambles" and "I don't see it getting any better." If this is privatisation, London Tube travellers should take heed.

P BARNES

Exeter