TRAIN operator Silverlink has this week been accused of running a deteriorating service between St Albans Abbey station and Watford Junction.

St Albans county councillor Chris White said there is no-one to collect fares on the Abbey Flyer, forcing passengers to wait at Watford Junction to buy a ticket for the journey they have just made.

He said some passengers have missed their connections, and been labelled as fare-dodgers by railway staff.

He said: 'There is supposed to be a conductor on the train. It is not a staff shortage problem, because they had two staff preventing us from leaving the station.

'If they think it is a worthwhile line, they don't want to put people off who might drive to the Thameslink station instead.

'I live seven minutes from How Wood station, but after my experience the temptation to drive to the Thameslink station is very high.'

Councillor Michael Moore added: 'We are seeking a face-to-face meeting to put our concerns directly to the company.'

Silverlink spokesman Andy Milne said trains normally run with a guard who opens the doors and a ticket collector, but the service has been affected by staff vacancies and illness.

He said: 'We have either got a choice of cancelling the train or running it without a fare collector.

'We cannot run trains without a guard for safety reasons.

'We are a company that takes special care in customer service and all our staff are trained in customer service techniques.

'We apologise for the inconvenience to people having to get off the train and trek across to the booking hall to buy a ticket.

'Hopefully we can improve the situation in the next few weeks.'

tSt Albans City station, used by Thameslink for services between Bedford and Brighton, has been shortlisted as one of the seven finalists in Railtrack's Station of the Year 2000 competition.

Thameslink employee Lee Johnston, from St Albans, was also among the finalists for the Station Employee of the Year competition.

Mr Johnston was responsible for saving the life of a passenger who had stopped breathing and has been praised for a consistently high level of performance over the last year.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on September 7.