Recent content by Bishopstone

When I was in Brighton at lunch time there were arrivals from, and departures for, Three Bridges only (calling all stations), listed on the boards as ‘Bucket and Spade Special’. I assume crowds were expected given the fine weather, and driver resource was available, noting the overtime ban has...

And that’s why you shouldn’t take-up smoking.

First Class will be more expensive now, because there are fewer seats to fill: 0.5 or 1.5 coaches, compared to 2.5 or 3.5 before Standard Premium was introduced. In taxpayer mode rather than passenger mode, loss-leading first class fares never made sense, and I prefer the new set-up where...

Not a train driver, but a current (awaiting day surgery) and former hernia patient. You say your hernia causes you no pain, but are you confident that will remain the case over long hours in the classroom, and then in the driver’s seat? Mine makes me ache and feel stiff when sat for extended...

Easyjet know who's flying with them. The railway often doesn't know who's travelling with them on flexible fares, season tickets, rovers etc.

That would require a member of staff to issue the vouchers, a second member of staff to audit/account for the issuance of the vouchers, and someone else to negotiate and oversee contracts with the third party catering outlets who'd be accepting these vouchers. This is a disproportionate way to...

Maybe. I'm not a huge admirer of the Mayor, but I have some respect for decision-makers who crack-on and deliver schemes like Superloop at pace, versus appointing committees or consultants to agonise for months/years over ten alternative ways of spending the money. And if the objective is to...

Leytonstone to the Rainham area via Eastern Avenue (A12) and Upper Rainham Road would be relatively swift. A promising proposal, albeit with quite a lot of abstraction from the existing route 66, I expect. Stratford to Barnet sounds like a long journey, whichever routing is chosen - I hope the...

I think people should be careful what they wish for. If you get offered nothing on the Highland Chieftain, end-to-end, and you've paid £400, then I think a claim is in order. If you get biscuits instead of an advertised cheese sandwich on TPE between Manchester and Huddersfield, and you've...

The judgement sounds fair in the circumstances, but I hope the complainants didn’t expect the consequences to include an extension of first class catering facilities.

Towards the rear of the old concourse, where the First Class lounge used to be (briefly), is a gallery-style chronological history of the Gatwick area and the various stations in the vicinity, including Racecourse and Tinsley Green. Plus content about the development of the airport. The posters...

My default is to pass on the inside, and waft along the nearside lane encountering very little stress, and often little traffic. The speed differential between the Honda Jazz in the middle lane (constant 53mph) and the Audi S3 in the outside lane (119mph) means it's got to be safer to pass the...

My era of vagueness is the 80s, around the time of tendering but before the 346 route number was established. I recall routes heading to Corbets Tey and/or Cranham (via St Mary's Lane), from the station, with numbers 248A, 246/246A and 446, at various times. EnsignBus had some of these contracts...

Took a ride on the revised 346 on Saturday, which subsumed the prior (and short) 346 routing (Upminster Station - Upminster Park Estate) and that of the demised 497 (Harold Wood station - Harold Hill), in March. As a matter of trivia, Upminster Station rearcourt no longer has a TfL bus...

Whenever I travel on Greater Anglia (the three weekends each year when the main line is open in its entirety), I comment to myself how excellent the entirely new fleet of rolling stock is. It always feels a pleasure to do a Liverpool Street - Norwich - Ely - Cambridge - Liverpool Street circuit...