It's A Mini-Saga

[purpletigron]

This is purpletigron's version of a long lie-in after a disrupted night: 09:10

So, the saga of last night. I decided to take a risk, and catch the last direct train back after a day of job and house hunting, so that I could have dinner, and natter with N for as long as possible before trudging to our beautiful but lonely house. I was treated to the last of the couscous which G and I had cooked for them last time we visited, which was very kind :-) I rang National Rail Enquiries at 19:30 and was assured that my train was running to time. Then, at 20:30, N helped me to the bus stop, for the last-but-one fast bus which was due to the station in time for my train (just as well, as the buses were running late enough that I would have missed the scheduled 21:40 train departure).



I got down on to the platform to find a post (mail) train being loaded, which was interesting, but uncomfortably noisy, as the full sacks were being shunted about in rattly metal cages, over the textured row of paving which warns the hard-of-seeing of platform's edge. I suspect that the electric tug drivers should have been wearing ear defenders.

The post train pulled out, and the departure board, which was flashing a number of delayed, re-routed and cancelled trains, informed us that our train was expected at 21:55.

By 22:00, the board was showing `expected at 21:59' ... and another post train had pulled in to be filled and emptied as appropriate. At this point, I started to have strong Suspicions.

At about 22:15, with the departure board unchanged, still ineffectually advertising our train as `expected at 21:59', two train supervisors started counting the numbers of passengers on the platform, and cataloguing our intended destinations. "We think that control have cancelled the train, but we're trying to get confirmation." Talk about communication skills...

Suspicions confirmed, I, and the other passenger wanting to go through to the final destination, were directed to the 22:28 Bristol Temple Meads train and told that, as we'd missed the last connection at Bristol Parkway (which means that the timetable has been significantly changed for the worse from when I last came back late from London), the train company for the cancelled service (Wales and Borders) would pay for a taxi. At this point, I found out that the last-but-one direct train, the 19:45, had also been cancelled - and my fellow traveller had been waiting since 19:30. Clearly, a man with vast reserves of patience and good humour. Apparently, much of the disruption was being caused by a suicide (attempt?) at Cheltenham Spa :-( ... why didn't National Rail Enquiries know about this?

The Bristol train was of the new Virgin rolling stock, and like the new Great Western stock, has seats which are physically impossible in which to sit comfortably. After 10 mins, I developed acute neckpain, because the hard foam tilted my head forward. Then I remembered the pillow in my rucksack, and was able to get comfortable (note to all train users: from now on, remember to pack your inflatable pillow) and to sleep until Bristol - in fact, I woke up after everyone else had left the train! We had been given a docket for the taxi, with our names on - and it turned out that my travelling companion shared my (very common)surname. (Looking at his very dark skin tone, I suggested that we claim to be siblings, which amused him :-) He had given me the docket for safe keeping, and had waited for me to wake up in my own time (which had only taken a few seconds, in fact). Whilst I shook myself fully awake, he carried my rucksack for me. Hero, eh? We got the docket endorsed by a suitably authorised member of station staff, and then found a very comfortable mini-van taxi who would take us home. The taxi driver agreed that it should take about an hour, and also, to take a suitable route so that he could drop me atthe end of my road rather than taking me in to the railway station.

He dropped me off 40 mins later. Yes, I did see his needle touch 100 mph once. But he seemed to be in control of the vehicle, there was very little traffic on the motorway, it was a very smooth ride, and I was in the minority in my objections. Wah.

In fact, I arrived home only 20 mins later than the last, slow, direct train would have allowed. So, the worst parts of this journey, were the ear-bashing from the postal worker's waggons, and the excessspeed on the motorway. Oh, and the lack of effective communication from the rail companies to their passengers... and that fact that someone, somewhere, probably caused the delays by dying :-(



When I was told that my train had been cancelled, I was of course sorely tempted to just go back to N's...

Oh, and I have no qualms about continuing to travel by rail - far worse things happen on the roads.

Comments

Road rage

[catabolism.livejournal.com]

You're right about that! I spent 2 hours on the M4 last week going from the junction where I joined the motorway in Bristol to the next Junction in Bath, followed by a further one and a half hour detour to get past the section they had closed. I had no water in my car, and no access to toilets. It was hot and not at all fun (apart from observing how many people on the road are actually travelling together. At least I assume that's why people kept swapping from one car to the next. Maybe it's a new craze I don't know about?)