Hundreds of revellers were left stranded at London’s Euston station after the last train home was cancelled and a back up convoy of coaches failed to arrive.
Julian Windross, who was making his way home to Boxmoor after finishing work at the Royal Albert Hall, was among the crowds on Saturday night.
“There was probably about 1,000 people,” he said. “They had basically decided to have engineering works without telling anybody.”
Train operator London Midland put on buses to replace the 12.15am service but not all of the pre-ordered vehicles arrived.
“It was the most hideous experience,” said Julian. “There were young girls crying because they were so frightened by what was going on.
“There were arrests being made – frustration had just got the better of them. They were pushed over the edge.
“What was arranged was woefully inadequate.”
The travel problems came on one of the hottest nights of the year when many had made their way into the City for music events, including the Rolling Stones concert at Hyde Park and the Wireless Festival which was staged in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Eventually London Midland put on taxis to get people home and Julian arrived back in Hemel Hempstead at around 4.30am.
A spokesman for the train operator told the Gazette: “We are investigating the circumstances surrounding this and would like to apologise to our passengers for any inconvenience experienced and advise anyone affected to claim back compensation through our delay repay scheme.”