Train fright night for city salon girls
Commuters Kerri Mitchell (left) and Vikki Bell.
TWO trainee stylists at a city salon had a hair-raising experience trapped in a train carriage for nearly an hour late at night at Inverness Railway Station.
Kerri Mitchell and Vikki Bell, who work at the Head Gardener hair parlour in Church Street, found themselves locked in the carriage with a fellow passenger.
"We do training at work on Wednesday evenings so we always catch the late train home," said Kerri (18), who lives in Dingwall.
"It leaves for Tain at 9.10pm. We had our tickets and we always board the first carriage on Platform 7. You can’t see the entire second carriage because it’s on a bend."
Kerri and Vikki (18), who lives in Muir of Ord, sat down waiting for the train to pull off. They heard the engine fire up then die away.
"We thought there was an engine problem so we just sat there. There was a man further along the carriage. By 9.25pm we looked outside and couldn’t see any railway staff and the chap started walking through the carriages to find out what was going on. The doors, which were open when we arrived on the platform, were now locked. We were stuck inside.
"The man told us there was no-one else on the train. He got right through to the driver’s cab so, who knows, he may even have been able to drive the train away."
The two girls were spooked by events and started putting posts on their Facebook sites via their mobile phones.
"Our mates thought it was a right laugh," said Vikki, "but it wasn’t very funny. Our pals were joking and told us to contact the FBI or kick the window in. I would have done that if no one had come."
Their fellow passenger however, who had travelled up from London, had been on his mobile phone and told them the police were coming.
"About 9.40pm the main lights went off and it was quite spooky. We weren’t scared but it was like a scene from a horror movie," said Vikki.
A railway guard finally appeared about 9.55pm.
"He was very rude and we were all taken to the office and we were questioned as to how we had got onto the train and how long we were in the train. It appears there were two more carriages at the front which pulled off leaving us behind. The doors certainly shouldn’t have been open to allow us to board when we reached the platform and they certainly should have checked the train when they locked the doors."
The girls said this was the subject of discussion between the guard and another member of staff in the office.
"One was asking the other who had closed the doors," said Kerri. "They were open in the first place and clearly they shouldn’t have been. We were taken down to the lost and found property office to order a taxi for us and I asked for a complaint form. The guard was very cheeky and said ‘do you want me to take you by the hand to your taxi as well’. He said it was our fault because we got into the wrong carriage. He said the first two carriages had left the station."
Vikki arrived home to Balvaird Terrace, Muir of Ord, at 10.45pm. Kerri lives in Neil Gunn Place, Dingwall, and she didn’t get home until 11pm.
A spokeswoman for Scotrail confirmed the Tain train was in front of the two carriages on Platform 7.
But she added: "At this time we have received no complaint. If one is made, it is right and proper that we respond directly to the customers in the first instance. A taxi was provided."
