Thursday 7 May 2009

Screw airline passengers

This just in from 'Bacon Butty'...

When is a Gatwick Express not a Gatwick Express?

When it's the 18:22 London Bridge to Eastbourne (not calling at Gatwick Airport).

Who gives a stuff about route branding anyway!

Engel gets full marks

Bowler tip to Michael Kerr's blog over at the Telegraph for this...

In his wonderful new book about the relationship between the British and their railways - which he sums up as "a kind of exquisite torment" - Matthew Engel has a swipe at automatic ticket barriers, "an innovation neighbouring countries have managed to avoid, and one which slows up further the process of getting on a train".

Is no one brave enough to stand up for these awful machines?

Tom Harris on NXEC

This from nebusiness.co.uk

Former Rail Minister Tom Harris said: “It is entirely plausible they could hand it back, but I don’t think they should be subsidised by the public purse.

He added: “If they are going to want to be a private company, they have got to accept that if they make the wrong judgment they have got to pay the price of that.”

No sympathy there then.

EMT employs people power

EMT has managed to upset the good burghers of Sheffield.

This from the BBC...

Council leaders in Sheffield have hit out at a train company for causing chaos at the city's railway station by introducing "human ticket barriers".

Now there's an idea - use real live people to check tickets.

Nah, it'll never catch on.

Virgin poked

More from Beardie Rail's ad agency.

Shagborough Tunnel at 00:41 is a highlight of this one.

Presumably after the shag, the TOC is no longer Virgin?

One way to breach franchise conditions and avoid premia payments.

UPDATE: This from Westmount...

It must be a dream?

Pendolino from Glasgow to Manchester via Stoke?

Has anyone told TPE?

Water into Wine ...AND served in Standard !!!

First time in 2009 years. I know RB has a beard but the similarity ends there.

No sorry - it must be a diversion whilst NR get the wires up from Preston to Manchester.

Dream on... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...