Is This the Age of the Train?

Yesterday I had to go down to North London for a work thing. With only a weeks' notice, not only was it cheaper by train but it allowed a slightly shorter day - woohoo! So I booked the return journey for £135 and collected my tickets at the little machine in the station, which was really easy.

But... The train was delayed and there were two platform changes involving the bridge... Then a dirty huge goods wagon came in and sat there. And sat. The departure time came and went. I made enough of the inaudible announcements to understand that our train had been delayed north of Carlisle - This was why . Great eh?

Then the platform was changed back to 4 so back over the bridge again.
When the train finally arrived, it was 30 minutes late but I had a pleasant surprise - the cheap seat I'd booked was in first class! No idea how I managed that one.

The driver announced they would make up the time before we got to Lancaster - so he put his foot down!! These Pendolinos can surely fly!

After doing so much driving, it's good to see the countryside from a different perspective. We whizzed past Kemp Howe (I was on the wrong side of the train to see it, though)

For the next surprise, I got coffee, orange juice and breakfast! Now call me innocent, but I didn't realise that this was the major difference with first class... It made me feel really special, and regretted I had no-one to share it with me today, so I took a photo!



So anyway, the train whizzed me to Watford Junction, I did my day's work (!) and then awaited my return journey at 6pm. While waiting on the platform, 3 or 4 Pendolinos whizzed past at 90mph and I was contemplating the fact that the Hatfield train had been travelling at full tilt when the accident happened.

So I climbed aboard with the commuters and headed up to Crewe for my change, then on another link to Carlisle. It was during this last leg that the novelty had completely worn off - may have had something to do with sharing the place with a crowd of burping teenage girls running around in their socks. Just what I wanted to do with my Friday night!!!


Update 17/5/06: Network Rail offer reward cash to trap rail thieves