TGV overshoots rail station
Driver has to reverse train "several metres" back up track to pick up passengers after computer bug makes him miss stop
A TOURS-Paris TGV had to reverse back up the track to pick up passengers at Vendôme after it failed to stop due to a computer bug.
The driver spotted just before Vendôme that the train's computer was not set for a halt at the town in Loir-et-Cher, despite being timetabled to do so.
He applied the brakes but still overshot the station and, sources said, had to reverse for "several metres" to pick up the dozens of passengers who had watched in amazement as the train screeched past, still braking.
An SNCF spokesman said today it would take 3km for a TGV to brake to a complete halt from its normal full speed of 320kph.
The company said a "computer database" problem had caused the delay, which meant the train - the 7.11 from Tours - was a "good half-hour late" in arriving in Paris.
It was an embarrassment for the SNCF on the day it launched its new "cultural revolution" with a six-point travel guarantee for passengers.
The Garantie Voyage will ensure long-distance passengers are given:
* up-to-date information;
* a transfer to another train or a refund if a train is cancelled;
* extra places for last-minute passengers on fully-booked trains;
* help fromSNCF staff during service disruptions;
* improved compensation for delays,
* and a rapid five-day response to complaints.
SNCF president Guillaume Pepy said the guarantee was an "obligation for results".
Elsewhere, the state-owned rail firm was ordered to pay €1,500 compensation to a woman who lost her job in Lyon due to constant late trains.
Soazig Parassols also received another €1,500 in legal costs, but had claimed €45,000 for the stress and the fact she could not find another job.
