Rail users have hit out after disruption on Transport for London's first day in charge of a railway line. 

A number of services from Chingford to Liverpool Street were cancelled yesterday due to an "unexpected shortage of drivers" on the newest part of the London Overground network.  

Services were cut from up to four trains an hour to just one throughout the day, with many travellers forced to take alternative routes.  

TfL officially took over the line from Greater Anglia, with London mayor Boris Johnson promising improved services through £25million investment.  

But many complained there was a lack of information, with services cancelled at the last minute.  

Sandra Dibble, 46, from Chingford, has been travelling from Highams Park station for 20 years.  

She said: "Yesterday was a joke. 

"There didn't seem to any service whatsoever - only one train per hour.   

"To operate like this on your first day, it was diabolical and I was not very happy.  

"It seemed to be the theme throughout the day and really showed themselves not in a great light.  

"We didn't know the reason for delays, there were no announcements so we couldn't make an informed decision.  

"I was dreading this morning but trains were running smoothly." 

Rail campaigner Graham Larkbey, of the Barking to Gospel Oak Rail User Group (BGORUG), added:  

"Many trains were cancelled although you would not have known this from TfL's information systems for some time.  

"Eventually TfL admitted the driver shortage, but station 'next train' screens still weren't giving the full picture.   

"At least the previous operators used to own up and show cancelled trains as 'cancelled' on the screens." 

Other people took to social media to complain.

 

 

TfL's director of rail, Jonathan Fox, said: "West Anglia services have now been successfully integrated into the TfL network, providing more services and offering better value for passengers.

"Sunday services from Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Chingford and Cheshunt have historically been reliant on train drivers volunteering to work overtime.

"We are working to ensure that robust staffing arrangements for Sundays are in place as soon as possible to allow us to run a service London Overground customers rightly expect."