Today was my regional TU meeting in Nottingham. So I set off early to meet a colleague at the station and collect two others along the way. We had arranged that we would all be on the same train by the time we got to Birmingham!
But we hadn't bargained on the new direct train to London breaking down and making all subsequent trains late!!!
The train before mine was a stopper (calling at every station) and it was 20 minutes late leaving only ten minutes before mine which was on time and a non stopper. Well of course that meant we had to stop at all the red signals and we were severely delayed. Due to this, the train in front kicked it's passengers off at Wolverhampton which meant that all those passengers needed to get on our train which was already full!
Why was it quite so full? The proper train had broken down and this one had only had two carriages instead of four... We had been greeted with an apology as we got on the train!
The sea of faces waiting on the platform when we got to Wolverhampton was quite alarming. We set off and were treated to weird announcements such as 'Weee! Green Lights'! The explanations and apologies were quite amusing! We were so crammed in that it was boiling hot, the air was stale and I began to feel a bit squiffy. One poor girl went quite white and I thought she was going to pass out. I did offer her my seat but she sat on the floor instead, thankfully that helped her recover. I hate to think what would have happened if there had been a train accident or another emergency.
Eventually we reached Birmingham and searched the masses for our missing colleagues. Amazingly, the one who had caught the stopper had managed to cram onto our train after being kicked off at Wolverhampton. It seems that on Wolverhampton station there was a lot of shouting to keep back, stand clear and not get on the train.
Of course due to the delays we missed our connection. We arrived at the meeting 30 minutes late...
I bet you are wondering about the journey back. Well between Nottingham and Birmingham it was stop at every red signal so we missed the connection again. And guess what, all the trains were still 20 minutes late.
But we hadn't bargained on the new direct train to London breaking down and making all subsequent trains late!!!
The train before mine was a stopper (calling at every station) and it was 20 minutes late leaving only ten minutes before mine which was on time and a non stopper. Well of course that meant we had to stop at all the red signals and we were severely delayed. Due to this, the train in front kicked it's passengers off at Wolverhampton which meant that all those passengers needed to get on our train which was already full!
Why was it quite so full? The proper train had broken down and this one had only had two carriages instead of four... We had been greeted with an apology as we got on the train!
The sea of faces waiting on the platform when we got to Wolverhampton was quite alarming. We set off and were treated to weird announcements such as 'Weee! Green Lights'! The explanations and apologies were quite amusing! We were so crammed in that it was boiling hot, the air was stale and I began to feel a bit squiffy. One poor girl went quite white and I thought she was going to pass out. I did offer her my seat but she sat on the floor instead, thankfully that helped her recover. I hate to think what would have happened if there had been a train accident or another emergency.
Eventually we reached Birmingham and searched the masses for our missing colleagues. Amazingly, the one who had caught the stopper had managed to cram onto our train after being kicked off at Wolverhampton. It seems that on Wolverhampton station there was a lot of shouting to keep back, stand clear and not get on the train.
Of course due to the delays we missed our connection. We arrived at the meeting 30 minutes late...
I bet you are wondering about the journey back. Well between Nottingham and Birmingham it was stop at every red signal so we missed the connection again. And guess what, all the trains were still 20 minutes late.
7 comments:
I have this great nostalgia for train travel and once wrote a post about it. An Indian blog friend said you haven't traveled on a train in India if you think like that.
This would be another cure for me I guess. I once remember going from Edinburgh to London by train and it took more than 12 hours because of some breakdown somewhere.
That said I have travelled by train from Vancouver to Ottawa and it took 4 days, with a six month old baby and a 4 yr old child. Still I loved it.
I would hate to be crammed in and have people invading personal space. Nothing worse than being late by something that out of your control, especially if one is punctual.
I bet you are wondering about the journey back.
I was indeed and half thought something like that might happen.
jmb - I love train journeys when the trains are not crammed full of people and you have to keep changing at every station... I have a nightmare of a journey looming up on me!
Nunyaa - there was not personal space. I dropped a bit lucky and got one of those fold down seats by the door so I was a bit lower down and it didn't feel so bad.
James - That's privatised rail for you!
The joys of travelling British Rail!
Sounds like a nightmare. I can really feel your frustration.
Liz - I remember the good old days my grandfather was guardsman on British Rail. I am glad he can't see it now!
Welshcakes - Thank You, wish me luck in two weeks time!
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