I haven't travelled today due to yet another bout of sickness. Anyway I'm feeling a lot better this evening so I decided i'd look for something to blog and found this little nuggett.

Now I know many passengers feel like GNER continually shit on us from a great hight but the next time that thought enters your head, consider if you will, the poor unfortunate track side workers upon whom you, I and GNER are indeed litterally shitting on whenever you or I are using the on board toilet faciliteis, on a bend, at the exact same time we pass them.

Click the link to read the full story.
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=190402007

Whilst it did make me appreciate my nice cosy office job it also amused me. I couldn't help picturing myself finishing my business and flushing the lav of a GNER on board toilet at the exact same moment the train goes round a bend at which there just happens to be a dozen brick shithouse trackside workers. If I understand this correctly the idea is that because the train is leaning into the bend, the bottom of the opposite side to the direction of lean is aiming directly at the side of the track instead of at the floor. If the trackside workers are stood facing the train and a passenger flushes the toilet at the same time as it passes them, there's a good chance they get covered

You could not make up this mornings shambles, and although the weather played its part it was a total lack of organisation and coordination from GNER that exasperated the situation.

I arrived for the 06.15 as normal only to be advised that the train would not be arriving in from London until 06.31 due to overhead line problems. Knowing that it would then take 10mins to turn this train around, I and most other 06.15 users walked over to platform 3 to join the 06.23 fast FCC service which was already on the platform. However at the scheduled departure time we were told by the driver that due to overhead line problems all trains would be held at Peterborough until further notice. He repeated several times that it would be a substantial delay, so when a GNER train pulled in from London on plafrom 2 to form the 06.15 all of the GNER customers deserted the FCC and boarded the GNER....big mistake....

It was much busier than normal with 06.15 and 06.40 passengers boarding, it was as I sat down that I realised there was NO HEATING, it's -4 outside and there is no heating, then the guard asks if there are "any Bounds Green engineers on board". Oh dear, this does not sound good!! minutes later we all watch the FCC train leave from platfrom 3, oh well at least things are on the move. Then the announcment we did not want to hear.."this train has a mechanical fault and will not be departing for some considerable time please leave the train and wait for another service"... Bloody great.

Being in the middle of a carriage I was one of the last to leave, and by the time I got onto the platform the announcement had been made that the delayed 06.40 was arriving onto platform 3. Its nearly 7.00 by now so the 06.15, 06.40 and 07.00 passengers all surged over the bridge to try and squeeze onto it. Being at the back of this surge I just stood on platform 2 in a daze, listening to the GNER staff on the platform telling people that they had no more idea what was going on than the passengers. (well call someone and find out).

Then it happened. They announced, to a by now near empty, platform 2 that the 06.15 on platform 2 was about to depart. (can this be true? we were only turfed off of it 5 minutes ago). Anyway I and a few dozen more got back on and took our seats. The 06.40 was still standing on platform 3 and its was packed, there must have been over 100 people standing. Can you imagine their faces when BOTH trains pull out at the same time. One is dangerously full the other is virtually empty. Someone(signalman?)at least had the sense to let the packed 06.40 take the lead once outside of the station, with the 06.15 following close behind.

The only problem was we still had no heating, did anyone apologise or tell us why??? DID THEY F_CK