Engine Punk

Credit where credit is due - the staff at Liskeard and Plymouth railway stations did a great job of dealing with weather related problems last Friday. This is not a scene of uproar and crowds at Plymouth railway station - it is one of quiet efficiency with passengers already on the replacement coaches laid on in lieu of the cancelled trains due to weather. I had tickets from Liskeard to Andover with return tickets from Exeter to Liskeard as part of my travel plan to start in and return home from the 2014 Exeter Trial. But it wasn't to be. Lightning strikes knocked out the signalling in Cornwall during the morning so nothing was moving in Cornwall at all. At Liskeard, Jo and Sonya organised buses for us and as I was travelling beyond Plymouth I was on the first minibus. But at Plymouth it became apparent that further lightning strikes in Devon and flooding beyond Exeter meant that plans to stop services at Plymouth and redirect them eastwards wouldn't work. A...

The camera can lie - this is actually the scene of chaos outside Plymouth railway station this afternoon. All those people standing outside are First Great Western's displaced persons and the British Transport Police policeman was looking more necessary as the confused crowd grew. Well, the end of the world didn't happen and a lot of people are standing around now looking very foolish and at a bit of a loose end. Yes, I'm looking at you First Great Western because you cancelled the 15:12 to Liskeard. Like many other travellers, I knew the world wasn't going to end - not really. I'd finished work art midday today and gone into Plymouth city centre for a very good meal at Lorenzo's tapas bar with some workmates and chumrades and decided to get the 15:12 home to avoid the rush that had been predicted (accurately as it turned out). Consequently, instead of avoiding the rush, I became a part of it. The next train to Liskeard was the 15:57. It was packed wit...

The local paper grabbed my attention this week. The headline “Station parking fees are slashed by half” misses the point entirely. 12 months ago there were no parking fees at Liskeard station at all. They were imposed last year by First Great Western. This broke a gentleman’s agreement between the council and the rail operator, where the council re-surfaced the carpark at rate payer’s expense in return for an assurance that parking fees would not be introduced. Now people who refuse to pay these fees by parking on the street are being depicted as anti-social. The council are threatening to paint double yellow lines around the station to “ensure that people park responsibly”. Liskeard rail commuters are trying to do their bit for the environment by using public transport. They do not wish to antagonise people who live around Liskeard station because they travel with them on the train. It is not in their interests to park irresponsibly. But it seems entirely in the interests of First Gre...

The issue of car parking at the station made the front page of the Cornish Guardian last week and it was clear that the town councillors are unhappy about First Great Western's decision to introduce fees. Local residents who use the train were expressing concern that when the charges are introduced their driveways will be blocked in so even non-car commuters will be affected. There was a lot of huffing and puffing on the train and not because it's got a steam engine. To be honest, though, there is a great strength of feeling. It makes so much less sense for people to use the train now a lot of people I've spoken to will probably drive, especially if, like me, they have to drive into Liskeard to catch the train. FGW claimed they were charging in answer to rail user's requests. Nobody knows who these people were. They've probably stopped using the train out of personal safety, if they ever existed. I wrote to my MP, Colin Breed, and he replied to say that...

Although I am a confirmed car and bike nut, I am also an enthusiastic user of public transport. It's so agreeable to look out of the window as you fly over rivers and roll through the rolling countryside. You can talk to your fellow passengers (they are a lively and fascinating lot) or you can have a nap if the day job has been strenuous. Since, embracing rail travel between Liskeard and Plymouth, I have become something of a leisure driver and enjoy being the behind much more. I am there because I want to be, not because I have to be. Rail ticket prices rose by about 6% at the start of this year but even with petrol at about 85p a litre I still think rail travel is preferable. Punctuality has improved in the seven years I've been using the train and there's less crowding. Fewer trains than seven years ago but still less crowding, which must indicate a migration to the roads. Last week this insidious little sign appeared on the fence at Liskeard station announcing ...