East Midland Trains - Worst in UK

I have just come back from Lincoln Station and think I may have been teleported back to the 1970s whilst there.  To a time when British Rail ran the railways for their own convenience.  Let me explain further.  Today I decided I would cycle from the village I live in South of Newark on Trent to Lincoln and catch the train back.  The cycle ride was brilliant and will be the subject of a separate post.  The train journey never took place....!

I bought a ticket at Lincoln well in advance and waited for the train.  A single carriage train pulled up fifteen minutes later and off stepped the guard already huffing and puffing and shaking his head.  One of Bob Crow's finest jobsworths I have no doubt.  It was a little busy so I waited in turn to board the back of the train and he said, 'you'll have to get on last with that.'  I was happy to wait, and to be honest, I expected to get on last anyway.  Everyone boarded the train and then he said to me, 'you can't get on with that we're full.'  He then promptly shut the door and the train went.  Despite complaining to the conductor on the platform and the manager in her office neither could give me any explanation except the carriage of bikes is subject to availability.  Yes, I know that, the carriage of passengers is too.  Additionally, the Manager couldn't even guarantee that I could get on the next train because, 'it's not up to her' and she couldn't even give me a refund because, 'that's up to the Ticket Manager.'  The Ticket Manager wanted a full explanation why I should have a refund and why I didn't get on the train....incredible.! 

Faced with no alternative and no guarantee of getting on the next train I had no choice but to cycle the 25 miles home.

Every person I spoke to at Lincoln Station and especially the guard on the train could quite easily have stepped straight back in to the 1970s and joined British Rail without any training at all.  The only saving grace is the fact that the guard was quite 'big' and had such a bad attitude I am fairly certain he won't be using up a lot more of the oxygen if you know what I mean. 

Right I'm off to slag them off on few train forums now.