Actress Davinia Taylor has publicly criticized train staff, labeling them as "horrible and inhuman" after alleging they prevented her from boarding a train at London Euston despite her arriving three minutes before its scheduled departure. Taylor, 48, shared her experience in a now-deleted social media video, detailing her sprint through the station with heavy luggage.
According to Taylor, she was told by staff that she had arrived too late to board her train to Birmingham, even though the platform was reportedly empty. She stated that she had her ticket and had not yet passed locked gates when she was informed she could not board and would need to purchase a new ticket for a later service. Taylor expressed frustration, saying she had to buy another ticket after working hard, and criticized the staff for "sniggering" at her.
"I hope their mothers are embarrassed. Horrible, horrible brats," Taylor said in the video, as quoted by reports. She also described the staff as "jobsworths" and questioned why some individuals in the travel industry are "set on default to be unhelpful."
Taylor stated that a train manager on her subsequent journey advised her to report the incident, emphasizing that such behavior needs to cease. She characterized the staff's actions as "passive aggressive behavior that some of them seems to relish in," particularly noting that they saw her struggling with large cases.
In response to a social media comment suggesting her complaint showed entitlement, Taylor clarified the timeline, stating the train departed at 4:29 p.m. and she was at the top of the train with her QR code by 4:25 p.m. She claimed that by the time the staff member told her there was nothing they could do, it was 4:26 p.m., and her request for the staff to radio the conductor was denied.
Avanti West Coast's website indicates that platforms at London Euston close two minutes before train departures. Representatives for Avanti West Coast have been contacted for comment.
Taylor, formerly associated with the Primrose Hill party set in the 1990s, has been sober for 17 years. She has since become a fitness advocate, crediting "biohacking" for her self-described "biological age of 20."