Back Home Via Bolton
I didn’t go directly home, but broke the journey to see Ipswich play Bolton at the Reebok stadium, which is very close to Horwich Parkway station. This meant changes on both legs at Preston.
I would have preferred to come home via Manchester, but because Manchester United were playing Stoke City, I couldn’t get a train ticket at a reasonable price.
This resulted in having to rush my second change at Preston, as the London train had already arrived, when my local train came into Preston a few minutes late.
But the train was in London at the scheduled time of 20:15.
I’ve talked about the problems of getting gluten-free food on Virgin at weekends, so I didn’t really bother, as they had one gluten-free ham salad sandwich in the Marks and Spencer’s at Glasgow Central station.
And of course, it’s impossible to get any gluten free food in a football ground.
If I’d gone home by Manchester, I could have eaten in Carluccio’s in Piccadilly station. And probably a couple of other places too!
Glasgow Central Station
Glasgow Central is a large impressive station, that has been refurbished quite recently.
The station has a large well-lit waiting/meeting area in front of the platforms, which is a bit like having Kings Cross Square under the station roof!
Too many stations don’t have enough space for waiting and meeting, but Glasgow Central is not one of them.
A Stop At Coatbridge Sunnyside
The train from Edinburgh to Glasgow, went by this appropriately named station.
A Stop At Coatbridge Sunnyside
The weather wasn’t very sunny!
An Improved Waverley Station
Trying to improve Waverley station in Edinburgh, must be one of those jobs that architects find challenging to say the least. The site is in a cutting and very cramped and making an attractive station with all the facilities and decent entry and exit for passengers is probably the stuff of nightmares. They had a lot of similar issues at Birmingham New Street station, but seem to have solved them, by virtually demolishing the old station and starting again. But as these pictures show, a new clean roof and escalators can bring about improvements.
One thing that I found rather strange, was that the road opposite the station seems to be reserved for tour buses, which in my view should not be blocking up access to the station. I am surprised that the new trams won’t be crossing that bridge. Surely like Kings Cross, London Bridge and Euston stations in London, interchange with the local buses, should be just a short walk. At least the escalators up to Princes Street, make one entrance to Waverley station a lot easier.
Over The Border Into Scotland
Compared to some railway journeys in the UK and Europe, the East Coast Main Line doesn’t have the best of views and give many photo opportunities. Perhaps crossing the Tweed into Scotland is one of the few.
I was on the western side of the train and in many ways the other side is best for the views, which include the cathedrals at Peterborough and Durham, the bridges of Newcastle and the sea once you’ve passed Newcastle.
Speeding Past The Hitchin Flyover
The Hitchin Flyover, is compared to HS2, a fairly miniscule piece of railway infrastructure.
According to this article, it will cost £47 million and save 30,000 minutes a year in train schedules.
I have this feeling, that engineers know of similar schemes, that would benefit UK railways all over the country. But most of them aren’t very sexy for politicians.
Over The Digswell Viaduct
As the train went over the Digswell Viaduct just north of Welwyn Garden City, I took a couple of pictures of the view. I usually do.
Over The Digswell Viaduct
But none in my opinion, are anywhere near as good, as this one, with the shadow of the viaduct on the valley floor below.
I would love to claim, I planned it all and actually booked a train north on a fine day, at the right time to get the shadow.
But it was all of course, down to luck.
I do bet though, that it’s not the first time, this picture has been taken. Perhaps with an iconic Stirling Single or a Gresley A4 Pacific blowing plumes of steam into the sky.
Kings Cross In The Morning
I started my trip to Edinburgh at Kings Cross by getting the 09:00 to the city.
Kings Cross In The Morning
I took this picture from the lift, that took me from the overbridge to the my train on Platform 1.
A guy with me, said he had been one of the engineers, who worked on the cleaning of the roof. He said, they got enough pigeon muck to power the country for several months.
Buying Tickets To Scotland
Next weekend, I’m going to Edinburgh and Glasgow and then down to Bolton to see Ipswich play.
All journeys were booked on-line in First Class and purchased using my Senior Railcard. It cost me £64.31 for the trip up using East Coast on Thursday and £57.45 for the split journey down using Virgin.
The journey down is probably cheaper, as it is effectively a typical Premium Economy journey in First Class on Saturday.
As I can now collect tickets from my local station at Dalston Junction, I was able to collect the tickets, whilst taking a constitutional walk to the pub in the evening.
Would people use the trains more, if it were easier to pick up tickets?
Does The RMT Care About Passengers?
I travel on trains a lot and I’ve never had anything but courtesy and fair treatment from railway staff in the UK. I’ve even had one or two, break the rules in my favour, when perhaps I’ve made a mistake. One actually said, that it was his company’s policy to put customers first, when the rule breaking was minor.
But today, there is a story on the BBC about the RMT protesting about the possible closure of the Underground ticket office at Whitechapel. Here’s the opening paragraph.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) are protesting at Whitechapel Tube station against the possible closure of ticket offices.
Now I’ve just returned from Palermo to London by train and I only used a ticket office once. And that was in Geneva, where I couldn’t find a machine to sell me a ticket for Paris!
i’ve only used a ticket office, once in the last three years on the Underground and that was to get a free ticket wallet.
If we’re honest, I think it is true to say that ticket offices are virtually redundant, but station staff definitely aren’t. Stand by the barrier or on the platform on any Underground station and you’ll be surprised at how many people ask questions or request help as they pass along.
Bob Crow is reported as saying this.
The threat to the ticket office at Whitechapel is a line in the sand as far as RMT is concerned and we will fight this plan tooth and nail.
I don’t think many of those on the overcrowded Dalston Omnibus on a day, when the RMT call a strike, will agree.
The RMT has also got into the stupid row about a possible third class of travel on trains. The story is reported here in the Daily Mail, who are very negative. This is in the article.
Bob Crow, left wing leader of the RMT transport union said: ‘Now we know, the door is open for the train operators to introduce third passenger class as and when it suits them.
Incidentally, I travel third class regularly on trains. It’s called Premium Economy and very good it is too, on Eurostar.
You could also argue, that First Class at the weekend, is much more of a Premium Economy class, than a true First, on many trains.
The Anonymous Widower 