Rain at Oxford

As we all know, the weather has been somewhat unpredicatable over the last week or so. This was exemplified by one commuter getting off the train at Oxford today with ear glued to mobile phone and mind / brain clearly in another far more important realm...

He got off, failed to notice it was lashing down and then walked in to a really really deep puddle on the platform... which he failed to notice... for a few seconds at least so engrossed was he...

And then when he did lower himself to this mortal place, he tried to pretend nothing had happened.

But we all knew. All of Oxford knew.


TrainMan has been in touch (see previous posts). It seems his experience of commuting has been a joy! Git.

TTF

To Mr Anonymous, again

See previous post for Mr Anonymous' previous comment.

Life isn't really simple because sometimes one has to travel to where the work is in order to support family and so on. One therefore makes a decision as to which way to travel. I have chosen the train because, at the moment, it is slightly better than driving. I am actually reconsidering this decision so TrainFellow may become CarFellow...

Reference comments about "accepting public transport is unreliable". Sorry. Can't do that. I've been to France, Germany etc and their systems are a dream compared with our under-invested railway.

I don't blame the staff though... generally. Unless they do something really blameworthy. Like stop at the wrong station.

I do blame middle management though as this is, I'm sure, where most of the dodgy decisions are made.

Lovely.

TTF

To the anonymous responder

I like it when people respond to this blog. It pleases me - even when people have a little go at me.

Someone anonymous responded to me telling me to get a job somewhere else. Sadly the world is not as simple as this and, if given the opportunity I would work within 1/2 a mile of my house. Sadly this is not possible as my skill set is very specific.

So that's why Mr Anonymous.

TTF

The dreaded "New Timetable Season"

Tall man greeted me this morning (looking tall and very cool in his new pin-stripe, honestly he's such a loser... ) to tell me that there is a new timetable wef. Monday.

Having examined the whole thing, it seems that the one and ONLY change is that my train is now 6 mins earlier with no change in time on arrival at Reading.

So what do I get for this 6 mins wasted in my life. A free croissant maybe? Pay for wasted time? No. Jack All. Nothing.

Per week I will lose 1/2 an hour of my life to this wretched company FGW. Over the course of a year (excluding delays, cancellations, pestilence, famine etc) I will lost something like 20 hours.

FOR NOTHING. No advantage. Not even at work earlier. WHAT ARE THESE IDIOTS DOING?????????

One expects that if your train time is changed you get one of the following:

1) Destination earlier
2) An extra stop
3) A extra service they can fit in somewhere due to the change
4) At least something of value to someone.

Honestly....

All I hope is that the children miss the train and get a later one and then I won't have to listen to their incessant showing off and so on. And I won't have to look at their shabby uniforms.

I saw an ex-Dean Close pupil on the train tonight who was very well behaved. What a refreshing change.

TTF

The noisy children

I was doing some work this morning on my way to work (taking special care not to be over-looked) and, as we pulled in to Charlbury, the annoying whiney children announced their presence with their inarticulate posturing and general rowdiness.

I don't know about you but when I was at public school, we were expected to be neat, tidy and above all, to be "Ambassadors" for the school. This meant being well turned out and acting in a decorus manner.

(The irony of this is not lost on me - hurrah for the public schools who were not afraid to treat their puplis as free advertising and therefore contributed to the commercialisation of children...)

These children are a mess. Their uniforms are hardly consistent (therefore calling in to doubt whether they are actually uniforms) and often hanging off them in a most loutish manner.

Anyway, I just wish they'd keep it down a bit. I lost my way right in the middle of a quadratic equation and had to start all over again.

Or am I just being an old git.

TTF

When trains get lost

I imagine that after a while, one station looks like another to your average train driver. Same features -platform, ticket office (most of the time) etc. etc.

But when you get the feeling that neither the driver or the "train manager" (by the way, which one is the other's boss?) has any idea where they are..

Today the manager announced we were approaching Kingham and that if we wanted to get off, we should be in certain coaches... well actually he said "we are approaching Kinfhsdjkfnsjc bnzx cnzbj scszjnpkzx c" because the tannoy is so knackered or the bloke doesn't know how to use it.

The more experienced of us looked around at the surroundings and decided we had at least another 5 mins until Kingham. Indeed we were right as the train had stopped at a station it has never been to before. You actually need special glasses to be able to see it.. or a Turbo train.

The train moved off 3 mins later in an embarrassed shuffle (can you imagine it... I can).

Finally arrived 10 mins late.

TTF

If you do that again, I'll.....

Why oh why would you sit on the train and then, when your mobile rings, get up from your seat and walk up and down the carriage talking to your colleague "Martyn" about goodness knows what...

Maybe it's because everyone needs to have the benefit of your conversation. Oh no. We don't.

This man angered me.. I honestly thought he was going to sit in the vestibule area and take his call but instead he walked up and down like a caged lion.

Have you noticed people doing this - I have seen a few - the ones who have a compulsive need to pace up and down when talking on the phone - I've also seen security guards doing it 'cos they think it makes them look important.

Stop it. Sit down. Shut up... or talk quietly. The technology in phones these days really is very good and it makes no difference if you shout or not.

TTF

Train Deaths

Some of you will recall my ridiculous post about the cost of a suicide on the line out of Paddington which excluded the loss of the person who died.

So I was suprised to see an article in the Telegraph today on a similar subject:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/05/05/do0502.xml

TTF