WAITING rooms at Earlswood railway station will soon be available to late night passengers after a fault was discovered in an automatic lock, causing them to close hours before they should.
Customers who had been eagerly awaiting the new-look facilities on platforms 1 and 2 were left out in the cold when they turned up, only to find the facilities locked.
"I spend a lot of time at Earlswood station waiting for trains," said Thelma Hedley, who contacted the Mirror about the problem. "So as the winter approached I looked forward to at least waiting in warmth and comfort.
"However, although the waiting rooms were ready a few months ago, they're always locked by 5pm when I get there. Staring in at the unreachable delights created partly by my fare money, I long for the previous bench with a roof that kept the snow and rain off my head."
According to a spokeswoman for Southern Rail, a problem has been discovered with an automatic lock, which is activating before it should.
She added that engineers will be fixing the problem, although she couldn't confirm exactly when this would be.
However, it is believed the waiting rooms – which include comfortable chairs, a toilet and refreshment facilities – could be open as late as midnight once the problem has been resolved.