What's the headcode for a government minister?

The Minister of State for Transport has been brave enough to list his itinerary on The Times website.

It's not quite a blog in the sense that his predecessor would understand it - but it is a start...

Half tip of the Bowler to Andrew Adonis.

UPDATE: It gets better!

This from the second page of Adonis' "blog":

"As for cost, I am expecting to do the whole trip, standard class, for £375 – plus a sleeper supplement for the first night – using a seven-day “all-line rail rover”. This is a ticket no one seems to have heard of, perhaps because it is so poorly advertised. (Thought that was Barry Doe's line! Ed)

"It prompts the thought that we should be marketing these tickets more widely, not least to young people (who can buy the seven-day ticket for just £245) so that they can get to know their own country...".

What an excellent idea - it might also increase the percentage of the population who use rail services (currently a mere 11%) and encourage some national marketing of the entire network, sadly missing since privatisation.

An interesting challenge for ATOC. Will the Owner Groups let them do it?

UPDATE: This from John B...

No - 51% of people use the railways in any given year.

Only 11%-ish of journeys are made by train, which is unsurprising given that you're unlikely to get a train to the corner shop to buy milk...

Stand corrected - thank you.