The 1610 from Charing Cross is normally an 8 car train. It splits at Ashford, with four going round the coast and four going to Canterbury. Today it was only one unit - a technical failure on the way up at Ashford. It happens.
Indeed, London Bridge announcers said it would only be four cars so that helped bring people back from the far end of the platform and reduce delays. That's sensible.
In fact it was only 3 cars, packed so full that people were left behind at London Bridge. I'm glad it didn't include me. It was a bitterly cold evening and I would rather be on a short train, standing all the way to Ashford (which I was), than not have a train at all. And I would rather have the connection at Ashford right at the farthest end of the platform (which it was) than not there at all.
The conductor was duly apologetic, on frequent occasions. But why did she have to say the train was normally 7 cars, when it's normally 8? And why did the SouthEastern website say the train was reduced to 4 cars when it was reduced to 3? I suppose 7 cars reduced to 4 sounds better than 8 cars reduced to 3. But these silly attempts to try and minimise problems just damage the credibility of every pronouncement.
No comments:
Post a Comment