Travel by train and feel the strain

Many years ago the railways ran an advertisement on television exhorting people to travel by train and avoid the strain.  Nowadays travel by train induces stress.  You see it on peoples' faces at London commuter stations when 'their' train is running late or cancelled.  In the event of the latter, the likelihood is that when a train does arrive it will be crowded.  Indeed on some routes it is difficult to get a seat on any rush-hour train.  Reading to London passengers can expect to stand all the way.  Once London is reached there is the problem of negotiating the masses on London Underground. Recently I needed to travel to Stratford.  Five trains on the Victoria line arrived and departed London Bridge crammed to capacity before one arrived I managed to squeeze on.

Levels of stress rise when trains are halted as a consequence of problems: failed signalling, points, track, trains, body on the line.  Often the train is stuck in the middle of the countryside, little or no information is given to passengers about the cause of the delay or its likely duration.  When your train does reach a station you are turfed off and advised to join the dreaded substitute bus service.  Forget about an orderly queue for the bus.

Stressed about making a connection? You should be. Catch a late running train from Tunbridge Wells and you will discover connecting services at Tonbridge for Ashford and Redhill have departed. The same at Sevenoaks.  The consequence: a wait of a least 30 minutes and on some routes 60 minutes.  I have seen connecting trains set off just as passengers have reached the platform.  Customer care: forget it.

Since the introduction of domestic services on the HS1 line all trains between Tonbridge and Ashford stop at all stations. Not only that, the trains amble along and have long 'dwell' times at stations.  It is as though South Eastern is trying to make  London to Ashford via Tonbridge as unattractive a proposition as possible.