Trains & Snow, Just Don’t Go!

Woke up this morning to find the world had been covered in snow. In most normal countries this wouldn’t be a problem, but Britain likes to be different and so whenever the weather turns a bit cold everything goes to pot!

After managing to make it to the train station without falling over (just!) the predictable happened. All trains into London were delayed or cancelled! Luckily, a slow train starting from my station crawled in from the depot and I jumped on it. At least I was on my way in!

Over two and a quarter hours later I eventually made it to my desk!

The train crawled all the way into London, but the next hurdle was getting from Victoria over to Holborn, which should take about 15 minutes. Needless to say it didn’t this time as i joined the thousands of other commuters struggle to make it on to one of the many tubes that passed through.

Keeping track of train activity through the day, all of Southeastern’s trains were subject to delays and cancellations throughout the day, and people posting on news sites about how everything falls to pieces in the snow! But there was to be some joy, Southeastern, in a bid to relieve pressure on the mainline network, allowed regular tickets to be used on the new High Speed trains, and as I work close to St Pancras, decided it may be quicker to get home this way. And I was right!

Door to door was only one and a half hours. Which bizzarely is quicker than my normal commute! This now means I have a dilemma, do I pay the extra on my season ticket in the New Year to use the new trains and save myself about fifteen to twenty minutes a day, or do I go for the regular ticket and put up with delayed, short-formed, cramped commuter trains? Hmmm…?