A PREGNANT woman has railed against train operators after a "horrifying" rush hour crush, despite being sent flowers and an apology.

Michelle Ward, who is 18 weeks pregnant, stood trapped in battery-hen conditions, unable to move, for 40 minutes after her regular eight-carriage commuter train was suddenly replaced by one half the size.

Mrs Ward, of Hudson Road, Bexleyheath, told the News Shopper there were so many passengers trying to cram into the carriages that she couldn't break free and was swept onto the train in the crush.

She said: "Not everyone meant to get on the train. People were getting quite stressed."

When she saw how many people were getting on Mrs Ward said she had wanted to wait for the next train.

She said: "It was frightening and a lot of people felt it was unsafe. I felt like cattle. It reminded me of Hillsborough. It took about two hours to calm myself down afterwards."

When she called Connex South Eastern to complain, Mrs Ward waited for 15 minutes for an answer.

The rail operator -- ranked among the country's worst in a recent report -- sent the mother-to-be a bunch of flowers as an apology.

But Mrs Ward said: "It was a nice gesture but I would rather they spent the money on getting the service right."

Keep your train travel horror stories coming. Call the News Shopper on 01689 894813.

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