Post by Chris W on Nov 25, 2005 14:23:07 GMT
Do you want to know about my journey to work this morning... no... ok... but I’ll tell you anyway ;D ;D ;D
It started innocently enough with myself buying today’s Times newspaper, using my Oyster card through the gates and travelling down the escalator, before bounding onto the northbound South Wombledon platform at 8.25am. The, as always, highly informative electronic train indicator boards, reassuringly advised that I was on the NORTHERN LINE, but there was no information of expected train times
oh dear (it seemed that there hadn’t been a train for a few minutes as there was already a significant number of people waiting)
I had noticed on this mornings BBC Breakfast programme that there were problems to the northern end of the line, but this had obviously this had transferred to the southern section
After 10 minutes reading my newspaper on the platform I looked up noticing that the training indicator board was bursting into life with a series of ‘CORRECTION’ notices and a variety of expected train times ranging from
1. NOT IN SERVICE 1MIN
1. HIGH BARNET via BANK 14MINS
(for those of you who use the Northern Line the expected train times and destinations are notoriously inaccurate)
As the changes continued on the train indicator board a large succession of southbound trains passed through the opposite platform (I don’t know where they were storing them down at Mordor as there are only 3 platforms there last time I heard). Eventually the train indicator board re-announced
1. NOT IN SERVICE 1MIN
Amazingly this appeared on cue from the tunnel with a cameraman and observer in the cab; the cameraman pointing at the driver - if the camera had pointed at the ever thickening crowd on the platform, the image would have consisted of a frustrated gaggle of cursing cattle – I assume that they are filming another series of THE TUBE at the moment
The train was FULL… and I mean FULL and proving that the indicator board had returned to its normal level of accuracy the train stopped and opened its doors;so much for being ‘NOT IN SERVICE'. With hardly any space to stand, let alone get a seat, I elected to wait for “2. GOLDERS GREEN 2 MINS”, which arrived soon after. Gratefully I found a seat and we started our journey but true to form we didn’t get far… not even as far as Colliers Wood (the next station for those of you who aren’t familiar with this line). We stopped in the tunnel and at this point the T/OP announced that we should have allowed for extra time this morning…. then after more than 5 minutes of waiting he announced that the first train had become defective and that we would have to crawl behind it (you couldn’t make this up could you ;D ;D ;D) – we eventually pulled into Colliers Wood to a full platform edge of platform to back wall) , the first train having tipped the cattle out (distance travelled so far <1 mile: time taken 35mins it was 9am).
The remainder of the journey, although crammed and slow reached Bank by 9.40am... that’s 1 hour 15 mins... not too bad for what should be a 35 minute journey... at least I got to read my paper from beginning to end ;D ;D ;D
It started innocently enough with myself buying today’s Times newspaper, using my Oyster card through the gates and travelling down the escalator, before bounding onto the northbound South Wombledon platform at 8.25am. The, as always, highly informative electronic train indicator boards, reassuringly advised that I was on the NORTHERN LINE, but there was no information of expected train times
oh dear (it seemed that there hadn’t been a train for a few minutes as there was already a significant number of people waiting)I had noticed on this mornings BBC Breakfast programme that there were problems to the northern end of the line, but this had obviously this had transferred to the southern section
After 10 minutes reading my newspaper on the platform I looked up noticing that the training indicator board was bursting into life with a series of ‘CORRECTION’ notices and a variety of expected train times ranging from
1. NOT IN SERVICE 1MIN
1. HIGH BARNET via BANK 14MINS
(for those of you who use the Northern Line the expected train times and destinations are notoriously inaccurate)
As the changes continued on the train indicator board a large succession of southbound trains passed through the opposite platform (I don’t know where they were storing them down at Mordor as there are only 3 platforms there last time I heard). Eventually the train indicator board re-announced
1. NOT IN SERVICE 1MIN
Amazingly this appeared on cue from the tunnel with a cameraman and observer in the cab; the cameraman pointing at the driver - if the camera had pointed at the ever thickening crowd on the platform, the image would have consisted of a frustrated gaggle of cursing cattle – I assume that they are filming another series of THE TUBE at the moment
The train was FULL… and I mean FULL and proving that the indicator board had returned to its normal level of accuracy the train stopped and opened its doors;so much for being ‘NOT IN SERVICE'. With hardly any space to stand, let alone get a seat, I elected to wait for “2. GOLDERS GREEN 2 MINS”, which arrived soon after. Gratefully I found a seat and we started our journey but true to form we didn’t get far… not even as far as Colliers Wood (the next station for those of you who aren’t familiar with this line). We stopped in the tunnel and at this point the T/OP announced that we should have allowed for extra time this morning…. then after more than 5 minutes of waiting he announced that the first train had become defective and that we would have to crawl behind it (you couldn’t make this up could you ;D ;D ;D) – we eventually pulled into Colliers Wood to a full platform edge of platform to back wall) , the first train having tipped the cattle out (distance travelled so far <1 mile: time taken 35mins it was 9am).
The remainder of the journey, although crammed and slow reached Bank by 9.40am... that’s 1 hour 15 mins... not too bad for what should be a 35 minute journey... at least I got to read my paper from beginning to end ;D ;D ;D
;D ;D
