The only train service being offered by East Midlands Trains from Kettering to the capital on Saturday, May 23, will see intrepid travellers leave Kettering at 1.35pm, arriving at St Pancras just after 8am the following day.

The recommended route will take passengers on a cross country train and bus tour taking in Derby, Blythe Bridge, Crewe, Stafford and Rugby, followed by a five-hour overnight stop at Milton Keynes and a short ride on the London Underground.

The cost of the seven-stop train, bus and tube journey starts at £40.50 and goes up to £67.

The train company says it is planning to offer an alternative journey via Leicester and Peterborough that will take a more manageable three hours, but these tickets have not yet been made available.

The farcical situation is a result of engineering works on the lines south of Kettering over the bank holiday weekend.

Kettering Rail Users' Group spokesman Mark Deutsch said: "Engineering work must be carried out but unfortunately what seems to be happening more and more is that train providers are more concerned to look after their own arrangements rather than those of their customers.

"What I think will have happened is the search system on the website cannot cope with exceptional circumstances like this so searches for other routes.

"I hope they find another way of getting around it.

To drive the 295-mile journey suggested by East Midlands trains would take just over six hours.

Rail user Danny Coles, 34, of Headlands, Kettering, said: "This is completely crazy, you could probably cycle down to London quicker than that.

"Would they honestly expect people to stay overnight at a bus stop?"

Cody Pell, 18, of Cleveland Avenue, Kettering, regularly uses the train service to travel to university in London.

He said: "You just wouldn't bother trying to use the train, would you?
"I'm sure there are buses and even people car sharing who would be able to get you down there much quicker and cheaper."

The last service on Friday, May 22, will leave at 10.24pm and arrive just over an hour later, with regular services starting up again on the Tuesday after the bank holiday.

A spokesman for the East Midlands Trains ticket line said: "There are engineering works taking place on the line over the bank holiday weekend.

"There will be tickets available for a journey which will take three hours and two minutes from Kettering, which will go to Leicester and Peterborough before going to Kings Cross in London, but there will be
no services going into St Pancras."


The route

The route proposed by East Midlands Trains ticket website:

Set off from Kettering Rail Station at 1.35pm on Saturday

Arrive at Derby Station at 2.50pm and leave at 3.42pm

Arrive at Blythe Bridge at 4.21pm and leave at 4.26pm on a bus

Arrive at Crewe at 5.51pm and leave at 6.02pm on a bus

Arrive at Stafford at 7.26pm and leave at 7.37pm on a bus

Arrive at Rugby at 10.03pm and leave at 10.10pm on a bus

Arrive at Milton Keynes at 11.20pm and leave at 4.53am on Sunday

Arrive at London Euston station at 7.41am

Take the tube from Euston station to St Pancras and arrive at 8.01am.