A Hull Kingston Rovers supporter has claimed a train journey to York to watch her side play Catalans Dragons in the semi-final of the 2025 Rugby League Challenge Cup was a “debacle”.
The woman, who does not wish to be named, says she was with many other supporters on the 09.47 Northern service from Hull to York on Saturday, May 10. She got on with another person at Brough, joining three more members of their party, who had caught the train at Hull Paragon Station.
She said: “The train had two carriages and was overfull. It felt unsafe, it was hot and sweaty, as it is when you are crowded in with other people.”
She added: “Someone at one station had four suitcases with them, so where they were going I don’t know – they could have been going on holiday or to catch a flight.” She claims the passenger was left on the platform.
The woman said she was in sight of a toilet and claims the door remained open the whole of the journey so that people could stand in there. “It was one of those quite big toilets for disabled use and there were guys standing in there – they had the baby change flap down and were drinking in there, but no one was drunk or anything like that.
“When a bloke wanted to use the toilet, it wasn’t so bad for them.” The woman alleges that she saw a woman who wanted to use the toilet, and the men turned their backs to her as there was no room for them to move from the toilet area. While she says seeing this did not bother her personally, she did claim it could have been a “triggering situation.” She continued: “The fact that people are in a toilet is hygienically unsafe, in my opinion.”
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The passenger said the return train, at about 20.40 that night, was “also standing room only” but “not as bad” as the outward journey. She said it was some comfort that Hull KR won their way through the Challenge Cup final, which will be played at Wembley against Warrington Wolves on Saturday, June 7.
Hull Live put the claims of passengers being left at the platform, people being stood in the toilets and worries over safety issues and timetabling to Northern. A spokesperson for Northern said: “Our staff monitor the latest data on passenger journeys and plan ahead for major events across the North of England. During busy periods we look to run services with extra carriages on certain routes to prevent overcrowding, if we have the resources to do so.
“The toilets on our services should only be used by customers who need them.”
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