Connex: £1.65m fine

Connex faces a £1.65 million fine for its appalling rail service in January alone, more than six times the amount imposed for the same period last year.

January was officially one of the worst months on record for trains arriving late or not at all. The weather, of course, was mostly to blame. Snow caused electrical short circuits in Connex's 40-year-old trains which then came to a stop, usually packed full of commuters.

The fines, imposed by the controlling rail authority, will increase once other bad months are taken into account.

The snow caused widespread disruption, catching out road, rail and Tube services, most of which came to a halt as the first flakes fell.

There was furore because the roads were not gritted and special heaters used to keep the track points free of ice failed to work. A special report to be published later this week by the Strategic Rail Authority will detail poor train services during the worst three months of the winter, up to and including January.

A Connex spokeswoman said: "We are not hiding the figures. Our passengers know the service has been bad and so do we."

She said snow had particularly badly affected the old slam-door trains. Many had to be taken out of service because of electrical faults.

Shortage of rolling stock led to trains which did run having fewer carriages than they should have done - which in turn added to the overcrowding. The spokeswoman admitted: "January was a very bad month for us and our passengers."

But, she added, more of the £1 million-a-carriage new trains are gradually being introduced.

"Ultimately, the service will get better," she promised.

Commuter Matt Venus, who travels from Ashford to Bromley South, said: "The service has been really bad. I am not surprised Connex has been slapped with such a hefty fine. The company deserves it. "

Mr Venus, 24, a fraud investigator for an insurance company who pays £55 for his weekly ticket, says: "Train delays or services being rerouted are frequent. Passengers who use these lines have responsible jobs and need to be there on time but they know this will not happen."

Last year the passenger train companies were fined £71 million for poor service - largely because the trains failed to run on time.

The passenger companies in turn laid claims against Railtrack, now Network Rail, blaming it for late trains because the tracks and signals kept breaking down.