January 30, 2009 —
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So it was a broken rail this morning, causing delays of 40 minute up to London, and a very full platform when I arrived at Chelmsford.
January 29, 2009 —
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A fatality blocked the line, and the train operator tried to cram 16 carriages-worth of people into a train of just four coaches.
January 28, 2009 —
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So the saga of our advanced tickets has finally drawn to a close. The reason we could get tickets but not seats on the train we wanted was that the booking system had apparently broken down. I'm not sure I entirely believe that as I'm sure it gave me the option of seats on earlier trains.
January 27, 2009 —
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Not a good day for trains. After this mornings delays, more of the same tonight. Line congestion, it said at Chelmsford, but that's such a stupid cover-all excuse that it's useless. Trains theoretically run to a timetable, so you don't spontaneously get line congestion one day when you didn't have it the day before. Something must have caused it.
January 27, 2009 —
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Two very unimpressive journeys in a row. Last night it was a points failure at Liverpool Street and a broken down train at Shenfield. This morning, who knows. They didn't give any excuse on the platform and the guard mumbled his announcements on the train.
January 25, 2009 —
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Coming home from the Royal Albert Hall on Friday evening should have been easy: Piccadilly Line to Holborn and then Central to Liverpool Street and on to the over-ground. Except it wasn't. The Central Line was closed from Marble Arch to Leytonstone because of a 'passenger under a Central Line train at Liverpool Street'. Code for 'suicide'.
January 23, 2009 —
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The saga continues. We’ve been trying to buy tickets to get to Darlington for Easter. Not difficult, you wouldn’t think. After all, it’s still months away, and the train operators like you to buy early. That’s why they give you a discount. Well, after weeks of it looking like it was going to cost £200... Read more...
January 16, 2009 —
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Are we heading for a strike? We could be, as South West Trains has announced plans to trim its workforce by 480 heads.
January 15, 2009 —
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British Transport Police want to change the Conditions of Carriage that form a contract between every rail passenger and the companies that carry them on their trains. If it happened, and the proposed new clauses were introduced, it would mean that every time you bought a train ticket you agreed to be searched by the... Read more...
January 14, 2009 —
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A broken down train holding us up this morning. Not mine - another one some way ahead, causing queues at Shenfield. I know it's been cold, but if countries like Canada and Sweden can manage to run the trains, why can't we?
