Let the Train cause the Strain

I will put up photos and details of the Traveler's room meet in the next posting, but first I have to get this off my chest...

The journey from Bangor to Birmingham was great. It took 2hrs and 37mins, trains were clean, on time, and the sky was blue...
I needed just 2 trains, one from Virgin, the other a Central train, I changed at Crewe. Nothing to write about...


I got to Birmingham New Street and had a.... NO!!!... that is for the next blog...

When it was time to go, I had decided to get the 20:33 train, so that I could see Aros as we passed each other in the station. But, we missed each other and had to just put up with a brief chat on Steve's mobile phone.
I had coped with reduced alcohol knowing I had to drive from Bangor, to home, about a 30 or 40min drive..
The train sort of swapped platforms before I could find it, and I was acutely aware of all the late train announcements, but none, as yet for mine. I waited on platform 2b .. or not 2b.
20:33 became 20:40 and no train, no announcement either. We all waited, people started to move around the platform, one guy collared a train official and I barged in too. I explained how my change was at Shrewsbury, but that I only had 5 mins to find and get on my next train. He said he didn't know if I would make it...
The train appeared, we charged it... and it finally departed at 14mins later than it should have done..
I told the ticket guy on the train, who looked worried too, but went to see what he could do.
He returned and said that I wouldn't make it, but if I waited an hour at Shrewsbury, the next one would be fine. I didn't have a timetable for that line, so, like a fool, I believed him.

I got to Shrewsbury, only to find that I was not alone, that the same thing had also happened the previous Friday too. And possibly some of the weekdays in between. And that the new timetables done by this train company were sadly lacking. The company is called Arriva Wales. The seasoned regulars at the station showed me where to complain, where to find a complaint form and we all set to, to fill them in. Most of them found they needed extra sheets for this job, at that point, I found this difficult, as I had only missed a connection and still expected one shortly...
Arriva's trains were a bit shabbier than any I had seen from Virgin or Central and a lot more shabby than the GNER ones that I knew at Peterborough. But very similar to the WAGN trains I knew on the Cambridge/Kings Lynn line.
As I know a lot of global travel people read this blog, I would like you to realise that not all UK trains are similar.

We somehow got directed to a train that went from a different platfom to Chester, this seemed most odd as I wasn't aware how telepathy had worked amongst the regulars, so I asked the officials who said that if I got to Chester "some other transport would be arranged". I had 4 mins to get to platform 3 and find a seat, I ran... and it wasn't obvious either even where the platform was...

I was wondering whether to put a few words in about "Welsh time" as this seems to have been a popular blog, but all the places I have been in are all in England. So this is bloody English time!!!

I left Shrewsbury at 22:29 and got to Chester at 23:25 and I asked about the alternative transport. None. NONE?
I had to wait till 00:35 they said.
I could get a hot drink from those vending machines, they said.
I fumed.. I almost felt like tears at this point, I was cold, tired and had missed a good booze up with friends to wait on Chester station. (No one knew that I had spent another decisive and life changing night on a bench on Chester station about 6yrs earlier, but on a warm August night)

The staff must have felt sorry for me when I tried to ask how to get a hot drink from an empty machine, and they even offered me a coffee for 15p, which I accepted and they let me go and sit in their warm office too. Sometimes it pays to be female, especially in a station full of drunks straight from the office Christmas booze up.
I calmed down and even managed to allow myself to be chatted up by a drunk 32yr old called Paul. It passed the time..

At 00:35 a cold train was opened up and we all rushed in, the train did warm up enough for me to doze and I made one trip to the blocked up and waterless toilet.
But I got to my car in Bangor and drove home. I eventually got home at 02:10am.

Although all the staff at the stations were keen to tell me that it was not their fault, somebody wrote this disgusting and thoughtless timetable and I will be sending in my complaint form. I also think that I can see why the staff are so concerned about violence and have to show this notice...

I will be sending off my complaints form and will let you know if this makes any difference. At the moment, I hope never to travel with Arriva Wales, but we will see...(watch this space for more info)