Does St. Pancras Station Need A Second Clock?
As I sat in Carluccio’s having my coffee yesterday, I could only see the clock behind me, with a bit of difficulty.
So I got to thinking, that St. Pancras station might need a clock at the other end.
The Downside of PFI
I found this little story tucked away on the Internet. In 1998, London Underground entered into a PFI contract with a consortium called Powerlink to provide power to the system. Although, they have no issues with the consortium, London Underground have decided to exercise a break clause, that should save them £220m over the thirty year life of the contract.
Sounds like good and sensible business to me, unless you’re a member of the consortium.
Supposedly, New Buses for London cost about £330,000 each. If you divide this into £220m, you get approximately 667 buses.
Didn’t Transport for London just buy 600 New Buses for London?
It makes you think!
Another Ipswich First
Ipswich is now believed to have the first Development Consent Order to come into force. This will allow the construction of the Ipswich Chord to take freight trains directly from the Felixstowe Branch towards Peterborough.
It doesn’t seem that the good burghers of Ipswich are bothered and that no badger-toed newts have been found on the site. But then they know a good thing when they see it. I suppose the only objectors could be truck drivers, as the scheme will cut a lot of road journeys.
Bus Pass On Rails
Modern Railways is reporting that the government is doing an experiment with First Great Western, whereby a concessionary bus-pass can effectively be used as a Senior Railcard.
I have both and it would be one less card to lose, if I had to carry just one card. The Freedom Pass also has a photograph and I have used it where a photo ID is required.
I also have to show both cards, when I go to Ipswich, by buying a ticket from the Zone 6 boundary to Ipswich, as I do the London end of the journey on my Freedom Pass.
I don’t know how many concessionary bus passes and Senior Railcards are in circulation, but abolishing the Senior Railcard and using the concessionary bus-pass wouldn’t be very affordable in these times of financial restraint.
But then the experiment may show that if those with bus-passes got rail travel with a third off, the extra revenue might pay for the scheme.
It certainly seems an idea that will eventually be implemented.
Especially, as it would be a real vote winner for the party that brought it in. Especially, if they tied up the rules, so that bus-passes worked under the same restrictions nationwide.
Paying Small Amounts In Restaurants
Yesterday, I was in Carluccio’s in St. Pancras waiting for my train north, when I realised I was running things a bit close.
I had only had a coffee, so I knew it would only be a couple of quid, but I hadn’t had the bill yet.
I was tempted to leave a tenner, with my business card on top and leave, returning when I got back from the north.
But I didn’t as the bill arrived and I paid it in the normal manner.
In some European countries, the bill is always left, so that if you have to go and are paying cash, you can just leave the money and go.
Certainly in some restaurants and cafes, where people might have to leave quickly, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Kids’ Scooters and Endless Large Cases On Public Transport
Sometimes, I get a bit fed=up with the amount of baggage people take on Underground trains and buses. I do spot it better than I used to, but for example, there seems to be innumerable people, who always seem to have all their possessions in a large suitcase in tow. Do some peo0ple change where they live every day?
The number of times, I’ve tripped over a badly stowed children’s scooter has been too numerous to count.
At the moment, I’ve only seen anger, but some people have been very so. Especially in busy times!
Boris’s Plot To Get Londoners Fit!
A few days ago, at the Angel, I came out of the Tube station and after picking up my paper, I needed any of a 30, 38 or 56 bus to get myself home.
I was crossing the road, when I became aware of people running in all directions, including down the middle of and across the road. Luckily the lights were with us, so I followed the force.
The rushing was all because a New Bus for London, running on the 38 route had appeared and was waiting to get on the stop to suck in its load of passengers.
I got on at the rear platform and sat immediately and safely in one of the rear facing seats by the platform, just as the bus moved away.
This morning returning from the Angel after a coffee and doing some shopping, I followed a rather puffing much younger man onto the bus.
I then remarked to the driver that these buses seemed to be a plot to get Londoners fit.
She laughed and didn’t disagree.
The Anonymous Widower 