I'm A Train Convert
Clive Bull travels on the trains for the first time in a decade and is pleasantly surprised.
1 Nov 2011, 09:30
One of the things about being around in the daytime rather more is that I can go places on the train. And it’s been a revelation. I feel like a time traveler. Since I’ve been away, the railways have become modern and, dare I say, efficient. My previous experiences of train travel had led me to believe that it was the least desirable way to go anywhere. Delays, cancellations, emergency bus services, lack of information, lack of seats... I could go on. I once argued that we’d be better off concreting over the train tracks and giving us some more roads. But that opinion was based on the train travel of old. Perhaps I’ve been lucky, perhaps it’s just the novelty of it, but I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised.
You must keep in mind that until recently I hadn’t been on a train for at least a decade, maybe two. For one reason or another, mainly the fact that I was working night times, trains just haven’t figured in my life. My image of the commuter carriage was one of dirtiness, slamming doors and no one knowing what was going on. Many times I remember getting on a train and wondering where it was going, hoping for the best. Announcements inside the train on a regular basis is a huge advance, as is the use of underground style signs telling you what train is on what platform! They appear to be warm, clean, and on time (well I am new to this).
So I’m a train convert, at least for the time being. In the interests of balance though the downsides must be mentioned as well. Trains are already too expensive and prices are rising. It is cheaper to drive, especially if there’s more than one of you. Buying a ticket is still confusing even with the choice of websites helping you through it. There are so many deals, cards and options that it does end up creating a feeling of confusion and putting you off the whole business.
And then there’s the general public. In that respect, not much has changed there since I last caught a train all those years ago. The vast majority are sitting in silence and avoiding eye contact. The only difference is that most of them are reading their smartphones rather than the paper now. Of course you get the annoying minority too, a group who are much more irritating than they used to be - thanks to technology. I’ve heard about the “I’m on the train” brigade who for some reason speak extra loudly into their mobile. Now I have experienced it for myself. Why is that such a wind up? Is it because we want to hear the other side of the conversation? Probably not. And there are the “music” fans who want to share it with you. One guy got on at Penge East last week and had clearly not heard of headphones at all. He was blasting out his sounds as a challenge - do you dare ask him to turn it down, or off? I don’t know how you would describe the genre, but it had a lot of rude words.
One other thing that would help the train take the strain. The last trains from London don’t seem very late to me. Victoria Station is virtually closed shortly after midnight. If you’re living South of London and want to get home after midnight then you’re reliant on the night bus or the good will of our friends in the black cab trade. I’ve witnessed raised eyebrows and the odd frown, but in the end it appears they will take you South of the River these days. That’s the recession for you. Victoria Station incidentally is so badly designed. It’s like playing human space invaders. Everyone is walking at different angles, in different directions and into each other. I tweeted this recently and found a lot of agreement coming back at me.
So I’m now officially a fan of the train, if not all of its passengers. It is getting colder and darker though. I fear the novelty may wear off.
You must keep in mind that until recently I hadn’t been on a train for at least a decade, maybe two. For one reason or another, mainly the fact that I was working night times, trains just haven’t figured in my life. My image of the commuter carriage was one of dirtiness, slamming doors and no one knowing what was going on. Many times I remember getting on a train and wondering where it was going, hoping for the best. Announcements inside the train on a regular basis is a huge advance, as is the use of underground style signs telling you what train is on what platform! They appear to be warm, clean, and on time (well I am new to this).
So I’m a train convert, at least for the time being. In the interests of balance though the downsides must be mentioned as well. Trains are already too expensive and prices are rising. It is cheaper to drive, especially if there’s more than one of you. Buying a ticket is still confusing even with the choice of websites helping you through it. There are so many deals, cards and options that it does end up creating a feeling of confusion and putting you off the whole business.
And then there’s the general public. In that respect, not much has changed there since I last caught a train all those years ago. The vast majority are sitting in silence and avoiding eye contact. The only difference is that most of them are reading their smartphones rather than the paper now. Of course you get the annoying minority too, a group who are much more irritating than they used to be - thanks to technology. I’ve heard about the “I’m on the train” brigade who for some reason speak extra loudly into their mobile. Now I have experienced it for myself. Why is that such a wind up? Is it because we want to hear the other side of the conversation? Probably not. And there are the “music” fans who want to share it with you. One guy got on at Penge East last week and had clearly not heard of headphones at all. He was blasting out his sounds as a challenge - do you dare ask him to turn it down, or off? I don’t know how you would describe the genre, but it had a lot of rude words.
One other thing that would help the train take the strain. The last trains from London don’t seem very late to me. Victoria Station is virtually closed shortly after midnight. If you’re living South of London and want to get home after midnight then you’re reliant on the night bus or the good will of our friends in the black cab trade. I’ve witnessed raised eyebrows and the odd frown, but in the end it appears they will take you South of the River these days. That’s the recession for you. Victoria Station incidentally is so badly designed. It’s like playing human space invaders. Everyone is walking at different angles, in different directions and into each other. I tweeted this recently and found a lot of agreement coming back at me.
So I’m now officially a fan of the train, if not all of its passengers. It is getting colder and darker though. I fear the novelty may wear off.
Comments (3)
Subscribe to this posts's comments feed
I agree with your point about last trains leaving London too early. 30 years ago I used to travel to the North West on speedy trains leaving up until just after midnight.
Now the latest train from London to Crewe, my nearest mainline station, leaves London at 11.30 pm but takes nearly 7 hours! The train before at 10.00 pm takes a more sensible 2 ¼ hours, and regular trains during the day take only 1½ hours.
So if you want a day trip to London to see an evening West End show, the 10 pm is too early. As for the 11.30 you've got to have enjoyed it one hell of a lot to be prepared to arrive in Crewe 7 hours later in time for breakfast the following day. (I could drive to the West End and back AND have a leisurely meal in that time)
Now some practical chappie will tell me I should see matinees only, which I sometimes do. But I much prefer evening performances and 30 years ago in the days when train services were supposed to be worse that was no problem. Today's Virgin evening timetables are a real disappointment for me.
One other thing, the seats on Virgin's futuristic Inter City trains are like rocks. Bearable but not comfortable for a couple of hours, but for 7 hours? Ouch. Anyone else find this to be true?
01/11/2011 11:57You've obviously never set foot on a First Crapital Connect service!
01/11/2011 13:04It can indeed be quite good *off-peak* - but peak time services? Forget it. Assuming the average rate of subsidies, I found myself paying almost £1 per mile for the privilege of standing in a confined space with half a dozen other victims. Over-staffed, over-funded and under-delivered ... and the government proposes to allow above-inflation fare hikes yet again!?
To have your tickets checked a total of four times in 40 miles of travel is completely insane. Yes, they have finally introduced ticket vending machines and ticket barriers, but done almost nothing to combat overstaffing, overcrowding or excess costs.
For the last few months, I've been catching glimpses of rail "workers" very slowly reassembling a small brick wall along the underside of a platform - or rather, one guy doing that, two standing there watching him while three more pace up and down the closed dead-end track section. No doubt their unions ensure we are all paying way over the odds for them pretending to work - hence why building a new bridge here costs ten times what building the same bridge costs in other Western countries, or what it used to cost here decades ago inflation-adjusted.
Of course, GNER did a great job delivering their service, until they had the plug pulled on an obscure technicality about operations in the US so the government could reward National Express. My mother endured a long journey on Virgin trains recently - which would have been much better had it (a) not broken down and (b) had working lavatories.
01/11/2011 22:39