Rail firm blamed for mugging at empty station

The station was closed for engineering works but the woman, who does not want to be named, claims that there were no posters advertising the fact, plus the lights in the station were on.

Her son is a 20-year-old student who was due to be getting the train into central London before going back to Manchester University.

As he was talking to his mother on a mobile phone to tell her his train had not arrived, the phone was snatched out of his hand and he was attacked by three teenagers.

She said: "They took his mobile phone, his wallet with all his cards and a gold chain.

"He tried to jump the fence and lost one of his trainers."

The youths also cut the top off two of the young man's fingers with a knife, and he has a graze on the side of his face.

Both the woman and her son are angry that WAGN did not publicise the fact that no trains were calling at Enfield Chase station.

He said: "I am angry because obviously I wouldn't have been waiting there if there had been something to tell me it was closed."

His mother added: "My son is as white as a ghost and he had his train ticket stolen as well, so he won't be able to go back to university until at least Wednesday.

"I am wild about it. We are thinking about suing the train company."

The only effort made by station officials was one poster that said 'buses to Alexandra Palace', but the family claim that there was no date on it and that it was very unclear that the station was closed. Indeed, a number of other people were waiting on the station later that evening.

The police have been informed and are investigating the mugging.

A spokesperson for WAGN said: "For the past four weeks and the next two Sundays, the train service between Alexandra Palace and Gordon Hill has been replaced by a bus service for engineering works to the tracks.

"There certainly should have been posters up about the closure and the bus service, showing the times that the buses would be leaving."

November 13, 2001 11:01