Today I'm angry about.....

[Il Pirate]

Right, can anyone explain how a signal failure at Milton Keynes leads to the cancellation of a train sat an hour and a half away in Preston? Now, there is another train in an hour, but even if the delay is longer than an hour, we're still likely to be in front, if only by dint of being ahead in the queue.

It does seem a lot like Virgin have thought, 'f*ck it, let's save on the running costs of a train', which is all well and good if you're Virgin, and all poor and bad if you're in the crowd containing half of Britain currently stood waiting on the platform. Company running costs beat customer service. Again. But it's ok, because the trains are private now, and so there must be some sort of competition, meaning I can f*ck Virgin off for their poor service, and use someone else. Oh, no, of course I can't, because that's fecking obviously not how a train system works!

The best thing is that Virgin can quite honestly say that the original problem is 'not our fault, guv' as they, like all other businesses (by which I mean no other businesses) don't have to trouble themselves with paying superfluous nonsences like operating costs.

Nice one Maggie.

At the risk of missing out of a pop at Maggie, I suspect that a train an hour and a half away is only one of the trains that will require that particular line, including some probably already in transit nearer to Milton Keynes than an hour and a half away.

You don't get the whole and sole use of the line for your train. Although the price of train tickets might lead you to believe that.

I also suspect there's not half of Britain waiting, but will allow you this little hyperbole as your train's fecked.

You could ask my cousin. She kinda runs the trains in the North.............

[Worthy4England]

Right, can anyone explain how a signal failure at Milton Keynes leads to the cancellation of a train sat an hour and a half away in Preston? Now, there is another train in an hour, but even if the delay is longer than an hour, we're still likely to be in front, if only by dint of being ahead in the queue.

It does seem a lot like Virgin have thought, 'f*ck it, let's save on the running costs of a train', which is all well and good if you're Virgin, and all poor and bad if you're in the crowd containing half of Britain currently stood waiting on the platform. Company running costs beat customer service. Again. But it's ok, because the trains are private now, and so there must be some sort of competition, meaning I can f*ck Virgin off for their poor service, and use someone else. Oh, no, of course I can't, because that's fecking obviously not how a train system works!

The best thing is that Virgin can quite honestly say that the original problem is 'not our fault, guv' as they, like all other businesses (by which I mean no other businesses) don't have to trouble themselves with paying superfluous nonsences like operating costs.

Nice one Maggie.

At the risk of missing out of a pop at Maggie, I suspect that a train an hour and a half away is only one of the trains that will require that particular line, including some probably already in transit nearer to Milton Keynes than an hour and a half away.

You don't get the whole and sole use of the line for your train. Although the price of train tickets might lead you to believe that.

I also suspect there's not half of Britain waiting, but will allow you this little hyperbole as your train's fecked.

You could ask my cousin. She kinda runs the trains in the North.............

She's in the clear. Milton Keynes is in the South.

[Prufrock]

Well those trains aren't getting through either! They've just come on to say sorry the trains busy, could gentlemen please give up their seats for ladies (how touchingly quaint), and that we're going to head as far as we can towards MK. What the feck does that mean?! What happens if it's still f*cked? It's a long walk.

[Worthy4England]

Well those trains aren't getting through either! They've just come on to say sorry the trains busy, could gentlemen please give up their seats for ladies (how touchingly quaint), and that we're going to head as far as we can towards MK. What the feck does that mean?! What happens if it's still f*cked? It's a long walk.

I'm in MK tomorrow. I can pick you up at Lichfield about 0900 if you're still stuck.

[General Mannerheim]

Heading back south tonight because I'm only in two days. Knew nothing of the disruptions until we were advised, after standing in Manchester an hour wondering where our train was, to get on a train to Rubgy. On board the train to Rugby are some well pissed off folk who had already been sat there 2hrs. We're now on the way to Rubgy, via fecking Birmingham, and every stop en route. then it's busses to London. Then a frigging night bus with the weirdos because the tubes will have finished. We've paid 1st class but its been de-classified so there's no refreshments, didnt stock up with owt because we didnt know till too late then to properly kick me in the bollocks, I read on twitter that my ticket will now be valid in the morning!!

[Il Pirate]

She's in the clear. Milton Keynes is in the South.

[Beefheart]

Heading back south tonight because I'm only in two days. Knew nothing of the disruptions until we were advised, after standing in Manchester an hour wondering where our train was, to get on a train to Rubgy. On board the train to Rugby are some well pissed off folk who had already been sat there 2hrs. We're now on the way to Rubgy, via fecking Birmingham, and every stop en route. then it's busses to London. Then a frigging night bus with the weirdos because the tubes will have finished. We've paid 1st class but its been de-classified so there's no refreshments, didnt stock up with owt because we didnt know till too late then to properly kick me in the bollocks, I read on twitter that my ticket will now be valid in the morning!!

Seems I got quite lucky with my train journey from Manchester to Kings Lynn yesterday. I never understood what makes signals fail so regularly figuring it was simply some lights on the end of some wires. I asked my friend who is a signal engineer who says 'it's 'cause pikeys steal the copper wiring'.

[General Mannerheim]

tbf thats the first instance ive had any trouble with Virgin trains in 18 months. it was pretty awful tho. took 6.5 hrs door to door last night, and they didnt even give us a cup of tea! you also didnt dare go the buffet beacuse folk were stood in the aisles and theyd have had your seat!

[Beefheart]

tbf thats the first instance ive had any trouble with Virgin trains in 18 months. it was pretty awful tho. took 6.5 hrs door to door last night, and they didnt even give us a cup of tea! you also didnt dare go the buffet beacuse folk were stood in the aisles and theyd have had your seat!

Yeah, I used the Manchester to London service, and occasionally the one to Lancaster, a lot when I was working down there and probably only had problems with it a couple of times, and could usually find a seat without a reservation unless it was the 7pm Friday train.

[Hoboh]

Travel by car then!
At least you don't have to put up with a load of moaning b*ggers and the great unwashed if you are stuck in a jam, a few choccy bars or sarnies, a flask and a good cd, cracked it.

[General Mannerheim]

makes no sense to travel by car. takes twice as long, costs relatively the same in fuel as rail fares do, plus you’ve got parking and congestion charges while you’re here.

[Hoboh]

makes no sense to travel by car. takes twice as long, costs relatively the same in fuel as rail fares do, plus you’ve got parking and congestion charges while you’re here.

And you've got to sit with a load of moaning so n so's.
Never mind blame Thatcher for privatising the rail network, everyone else does

(Just wait till HS2 gets the wrong sort of leafs or snow )

[Beefheart]

makes no sense to travel by car. takes twice as long, costs relatively the same in fuel as rail fares do, plus you’ve got parking and congestion charges while you’re here.

And you've got to sit with a load of moaning so n so's.
Never mind blame Thatcher for privatising the rail network, everyone else does

(Just wait till HS2 gets the wrong sort of leafs or snow )

It is odd the sort of telephone conversations that people feel are appropriate to have on a train.

Hopefully I'll be booking my test soon which will mean a lot less travel by train!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

makes no sense to travel by car. takes twice as long, costs relatively the same in fuel as rail fares do, plus you’ve got parking and congestion charges while you’re here.

Four hours and thirty quid in diesel there and back (that's from Derby to London). I can't see it's that much more from Manchester, and therefore not that much more from Bolton either. And then you've got the freedom to do it when you want, and without the rest of humanity nicking your seat making it impossible to grab a sandwich or have a piss - as you pointed out yourself. Drive the car better by far.

[bobo the clown]

.... except going into central London, the slowness there, congestion charge, parking fees for a week.

Almost anywhere else I'd agree with you Spotty, not sure about that London.

[Bruce Rioja]

.... except going into central London, the slowness there, congestion charge, parking fees for a week.

Almost anywhere else I'd agree with you Spotty, not sure about that London.

I generally dump the car in Chiswick and get the tube in. Works for me.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

.... except going into central London, the slowness there, congestion charge, parking fees for a week.

Almost anywhere else I'd agree with you Spotty, not sure about that London.

Are we talking central Central London. If so I'll retract. It takes two fxclun hours just to get there from Hammersmith. If we are talking Finchley or Hendon or Kew etc. I still think it's worth it. And if we are talking central central central, then get a friend in the outer reaches, park up for free, and get the tube in. Job's a good'un.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Oops Bruce got there first.

[bwfcdan94]

If you get a season ticket or book in advance train will be cheaper 85% of the time and you don't have to pay all these extra charges that you do with a car (road tax, license, the cost of learning to drive in the first place, the cost of the car, insurance, etc etc), car users only ever think of the cost of fuel and think its cheaper. You can also relax/work/sleep/eat/read something on the train which you cant do when your driving and unless your going to go in a bottle you are going to have to stop for a p*ss every now and then, the train is also quicker in fact I challenge people to come up with scenarios when it wouldn't be. Then you have to look at the stress involved and the concentration of being on the road and in traffic jams, there is the fact that you don't get to talk to anybody when driving (everytime I am going to a football match I will speak to at least 10 if not 20 fellow football fans going on away days). There is the risk of a crash and the fact that per a year the number of people who die due to traveling on the train is 1% of the number of people who die in car accidents or being hit by a car (that includes suicides for the trains btw). Infact it bewilders me why anybody would want to drive to me it is just antisocial selfishness with a bit of look at my car its mine I own it. I honestly believe if we got rid of al roads and built a load of new railway lines then then this country would be a much happier and better place. For starters we wouldn't have a humongous amount of people whop cant walk more than a few hundred yards because they are used to going everywhere in their cars. On the train I see everything in terms of landscape Britain has to offer in the car all you really see halve the time is over cars,service stations and motorways.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Bullshit Dan. When, for example was the last time you did a forty mile walk devoid of footpaths (in one day)?
Mine was a few weeks ago. I could do that because I could drive up to where I needed to be in order to start the walk. It might have been possible by public transport, but would have been impossible by train. The journey time to the nearest town where a train could get was, also, at least ten hours slower than the drive up.