Hey Deisel, Tall Un et al. Have you got your watch yet and does it have Mickey Mouse on the face because this just has to be some kinda joke?

Click this link before reading on
http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1958444

Do GNER really believe staff with acurate watches will have any affect on train punctuality. I guess they do and I hope they're right but I don't think they are. If staff punctuality is delaying services to a large extent, the simplest and most cost effective solution I can think of is to instruct staff to turn up no later than 5 minutes prior to departure. That way it doesn't matter if an individuals watch is 90 seconds off the pace. They'll still be there before departure time. I don't expect GNER staff will like this sugestion but if they're late, fine em or give them a 3 strikes and your fined. Whatever penalty is in place, if it is to be an adequate deterant, it has to be enforced.

Any of our GNER friends care to enlighten us as to what the current regulations are and what penalties may or may not be implace or enforced?

One other thing on the subject. Why only Yowrkshire? Is it that Yorkies are worse time keepers? Are we to assume GNER don't trust their yorkshire based staff? Or have they simply chosen Yorkshire because they're the most pliable or gullible or whatever.

I've not travelled today thanks to a visit to the Doctors and lunchtime meeting here in Peterborough. Hope all was well on the ECML for the poor sods who had no choice but to endure them.

Happy new year folks, its that time of year when we all do too much thinking I guess, and following Fentykes comments the other day about selling points I have been thinking long and hard about the service we get now compared to "the old days". I spent the first 10 years of my commuting life on the Fenchurch Street "misery" line, so for me things certainly improved in 1988 when I moved to Peterborough.

I believe that privatisation has improved the overall service but, boy, do we pay for it. The trains are cleaner, and customer service has improved dramatically, delays I feel are about the same as they always were, I guess that they are just part of life without vast expenditure on the whole infastructure.

However I think that I get more frustrated/angry with things like fare increases nowdays because they feel like they are just going to line the pockets of the franchise holder and the government. Back in the 1980's the general feeling was that BR could not afford to spend the required money beacuse they did not make a profit and therefore did not have it to spend, and the government had many more important things to spend money on like the health service, education etc. Where as today the government seems to receive a vast amount of money to let someone else run the trains, what happens to this money they receive? maybe if they charged the franchise holders less, more money could be spent on train improvements and dare I say "ticket prices could be lower".

I am the first to admit that I do not understand the structure of network rail, maybe the money goes to them? But after "Liar Byers" and the Railtrack debacal I dont really trust anything this government tells us.

I would be interested to know what other commuters and particularly the GNER boys think of privatisation from their perspective. Prehaps one of you could also enlighten me about where the money goes that the government receives from GNER etc.