Strange Thoughts of a Strange Man

Labels: Southeastern, stupid, Trains

Occasionally, when my train arrives late at Charing Cross there is an apology given over the tannoy. There is usually some reason given even if it is just the standard “train operating difficulties” which means that the train is broken.

I’ve noticed that for the past few times the announcer gets so far through the message before pausing:

“We’d like to apologise to passengers who have just arrived on platform 6 for the late running of this service. This is due to …”

Then we have the tiniest of pauses. It’s small but noticeable.

“… train operating difficulties.”

“… a trackside fire at Hither Green.”

“… congestion in the London Bridge area.”

“… a passenger being taken ill on an earlier train.”

The pause is probably due to the announcer (and it is a real person, I can tell) rattling off the first part without even thinking and then having to look up the reason for the delay but to us passengers it does sound like he is making it up as he goes along.

Labels: Charing Cross, Train, Trains

The train home yesterday was packed owing to Southeastern’s policy of running an unnecessarily reduced service just so they don’t have to pay compensation for a normal service that isn’t running properly. I’d taken an early train as well due to their habit of closing Charing Cross at the fall of a snowflake.

Part of the way through the journey I began to feel some snow on the back of my neck and the odd flake or two floating down in front of my face. Someone had opened the window behind me and the blizzard outside was blowing in through the window.

Without thinking I reached up and slammed the window shut only to have the woman sitting opposite me give me a very patronising speech about how some of the people standing up were finding it hot. She wasn’t getting snow in her face at that point.

The window was re-opened and I muttered “fine” and left the window alone for the rest of the journey but glowered every time I felt snow on the back of my head.

I don’t really believe it was that hot in the train. Yes, there were a lot of people and they were dressed for cold weather but the heating wasn’t overpowering.

Some people have to open the windows when they get on the train regardless of whether it is hot or not. It is a habitual, almost OCD, action and they get very panicky if they can’t open the window. On almost all occasions when they open the window they always sit upwind of the window. In other words they like the air but they don’t like the cold breeze, or the rain or the snow.

I do like a it of ventilation myself, now and then. The heating on those trains is never perfect and sometimes it is way too hot. However, on those occasions when I do open the window I try to make sure that it isn’t going make another passenger uncomfortable.

Labels: Inconsiderate, Passengers, Snow, Trains

I know full well that I have blogged about all of these subjects before. I will undoubtedly blog about them in the future. You will just have to live with it.

This morning’s train was short by a couple of carriages so there was a bit of overcrowding by the time we got to Elmstead Woods. Instead of people just standing near the doors they were standing everywhere, including in the aisles. What annoyed me about this was that the woman who chose to stand next to me had a handbag that was poking me in the shoulder for the entire journey. She didn’t notice, of course, because she was very busy talking with her friend.

We got to Charing Cross a little late so I took the tube but I had to get on hurriedly and found myself crunched up against some woman who was wearing the rankest, strongest perfume I have ever smelt and I knew I would be sneezing (or suffocating) if I breathed it for too long. I was trying to work out if I would be able to hold my breath until we reached the next station or if it would be possible to discretely put my nose inside my coat when I noticed there was a bit of a breeze so I was able to orientate myself so that my nose was in the draft and I wasn’t able to smell her. At the next stop, however, I jumped off the train and ran up the train a few doors.

Didn’t she have a sense of smell?

Labels: bag, perfume, Train, Trains, Tube

It’s coming up to the time of year (November) when I buy my annual Travelcard for travel from my home in Orpington (zone 6) to work Tottenham Court Road (zone 1) including tube and bus fares. Last year it was £1740.

I have just checked on the price for this year’s ticket. It is …

£1904!

I really can’t afford this much in one go. It does save me money compared to a monthly or weekly ticket but I’m beginning to suspect that the amount I save would be swallowed up in the interest charges on the credit card.

I will have to change to monthly tickets! Thank goodness I can do it all online these days.

Labels: Cost, Trains, Travel, Travelcard, Zone 6

Labels: Children, NewsShopper, Trains