Commuters had a battle to get home on Monday evening after a culmination of problems on the railway meant rush hour misery for tired workers.
Damage to overhead electrical lines meant fewer London Midland trains than normal were running throughout the day between Rugby and London Euston.
Trains were reduced to just two an hour in each direction – normally seven run per hour each way.
Delays were compounded when someone was hit by a train just before 4.30pm at Denbigh Hall, near Bletchley. It meant there were no trains for around an hour.
A London Midland spokesman said: “Network Rail worked overnight to repair the damage, and the normal timetable resumed on Tuesday morning.”
Many train users got stuck at Watford Junction during their journey home where frustrated travellers were ferried from one platform to another by confused station workers.
City solicitor Kait White, from Bovingdon, said: “The announcements confused people and made the situation much worse than it needed to be.
“It was very crowded, probably to an unsafe level.
“I got to Hemel approximately an hour and a half late. People travelling past Tring would have been further delayed.”
On Saturday, a man died at Hemel Hempstead after being hit by a train.
British Transport Police were called to the town’s rail station just after 10pm and paramedics also attended.
A spokesman for the police said the death is being treated as non-suspicious and added: “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the man’s identity and inform his family.
“A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
