Time travel, by train

There has been much talk of upgrading the British rail network and building a new high speed line to Birmingham and Manchester from London, called HS2. It is expected, thanks to British work ethic and bureaucracy, to take 30 years or so to get built. The public enquiry will probably take 10 years. I think it will be fantastic and I hope to be using my old persons rail card as I travel around the country in my pension years.

I am travelling by train today from London to Newcastle on the east coast line, one of the busiest routes in Britain and supposedly the fastest line in Britain with a top speed of, wait for it; 125mph. French commuter trains are faster. The train station, Kings Cross, built in the 19th century at the peak of the first railway boom, has been rebuilt and is great, spacious, and comfortable and has plenty of shops and cafes, the same cannot be said about my train today. My train is what they used to call an Intercity125; this train was built in 1975 as were the carriages we are sitting in. They have been upgraded, given a clean but I am sure if I look under the seat I will find a flyer for a Bay City Rollers ticket or the 1976 cup final.

I am travelling north on a train that is the same age as my sister and frankly, this train has seen better days. And to add insult to injury, the company have moved to a "print at home" service for tickets. Fine on a normal day but I couldn't access a printer yesterday so called them up to explain. I was told, tough, buy a new ticket, only £113 single and that was on a train that departed 3 hrs. after my original train and I would completely miss my niece's birthday party, the main reason for my journey. I asked if I went to the station early with my receipt would the ticket office print off my ticket, no was the answer, they can't. So I advise anyone who is in the slightest bit forgetful like me, pay the £1 extra and have the tickets posted to you so you don't forget or mistake a bank statement for your ticket. You really want tickets to look like tickets rather than memos from HR. And to the cold hearted woman at East Coast customer services, I hope your teeth fall out. 

February 9, 2013