This blog celebrates it's first birthday tomorrow. Yep May 19th 2006 was the eventful day I posted my first entry. I won't repeat the whole post cos it went on a bit but the nuts and bolts were as follows: -

1. An explanation as to why I stated the blog -
'It's got to the point where I realise that they give not a jot about the me and the £5000 I spend with them each year. So why should I give a jot about them? Why don't I just post the reality on the web for all to see. So here it is.'

And

2. A moan about GNER's lost property service (or lack of it)-
GNER'S POLICY ON LOST PROPERTY IS THAT CUSTOMERS HAVE TO COLLECT THE ITEMS FROM THE STATION AT WHICH IT IS FOUND. I ask ya. What fucking good is that? I live in Peterborough and the boots are in Newark.

In the last 12 months we've recruited 3 new bloggers, made 313 entries to which 921 comments have been made. We've received 19233 individual visits and 68000 pages have been viewed. Visitor numbers and page views have increased every month to the point where we now average just over 100 visits per day, or about 2500 per month.

On the down side we've highlighted some appauling aspects of GNER's service (car parking charges, lost luggage, lack of season ticket compensation, ticket prices), disgraceful instances of GNER staff giving poor customer service (Rob and others), what it's like to be delayed for hours on end and have no control over your own situation.

Equally, on the plus side we've given praise were praise is due (Mick Jaques for one), acknowledged service that has been good or even exceptional, made new freinds amongst our fellow passengers and GNER's many staff, given GNER passengers a quiet but growing voice which was recently heard in the board room, learnt about GNER's service offering and why thing are the way they are.

Overall I've enjoyed writing this thing. It's evolved and continues to evolve almost monthly. If I wasn't getting any feedback or readers I'd have stopped it long ago but we have and that's made it worthwhile. So for that I thank every one who's been here. Even our freinds at CC.net who livened up a dull Friday afternoon not so long back.

Finally I'd like to take the oppotunity to thank everyone who has read or contributed to the blog and mostly to my fellow bloggers who make more sense than I do and enter posts when I have sod all to say or am too busy to post. Without you all this thing is nothing.

I have a few ideas for the next 12 months and a few people have sent a few suggestions, the details of which I'll post soon.

Cheers for now all. I'm off for a pint or 2 over lunch to celebrate.

Regards

Fentyke.

Last night I travelled home on the 11.30, having had a few but not too many. However if I had been pissed the sight of the "bright lights diesel" sitting on the platform would be enough to sober anyone up.

First to the good. I noticed a lady who is a member of the GNER catering crew sitting in the buffet area who I had not seen for a long while. Seeing her brough back memories from 1993 she helped my wife and I out big time on a journey home when we discovered my wifes purse had been stolen during an evening in London. This was in the days before mobile phones and she let us use the phone in the catering area to cancel our cards she gave us good advise and was very comforting to my wife. She really went the extra mile that night which was unusual in the old "British rail" days.

Also last night my favourite guard was on duty. Alas my eyes are not too good now days so I did not manage to spot his name. I have seen him on various trains over the years and he is, in my eyes, a top man. He has a way with the passengers that few guards have. He is always very friendly and helpful, his command of English is maybe not the best but it just adds to his charm.

Now the bad.... Fentyke has mentioned his before, but its my first experience and I have to say I did not like what I heard. Ten minutes before the 06.15 arrived into KX the guard, (not one of the normal guys that works that service) made the following announcement

"This is a message for all standard class passengers, please do not walk through the 1st class carriages to leave the train when we arrive into KX, anyone who does enter 1st class will be charged an excess fare of £15"

Can this be right? What is company policy on this? I have never done this but can understand why some people need to rush off the train, especially if it is running late. Is it really company policy to charge people, and how does it work when boarding the train late, will we be charged £15 to walk through to our standard class seats?