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Probably not for this thread but all very familiar - I'm planning to retire in 2 to 4 years and it won't come soon enough! (32 years at DWP, most of that freelance or private sector supplier so I've observed all this as an outsider).

That stopped at DWP many years ago, which combined with the bizarre and outdated approach of ‘promotion boards’ means there are thousands of good staff who have seen their pay eroded by below-inflation pay rises and freezes over many years. You might ask why they don’t just get another job...

I live in Blackpool and I'm sick to the back teeth of the cheap jibes I see repeatedly on this forum. Yes, it has its problems, the area around the station in particular, and I won't argue with the reputation of Blackpool North's staff. But the Fylde as a whole is NOT a ****hole as one of you...

I travelled out and back from Blackpool North today for the first time in a while - I can't put my finger on it but there was something different. - All barriers were open, something I've never known before. Having witnessed queues for barriers, platform 1 and taxis all intermingling I hope...

Bitterne to St Denys. My student house in the 80s was almost next to Bitterne station, and the pub was next to St Denys - so this was a regular trip. Station staff at St Denys didn't like selling us six railcard returns for a journey that short and thought we were taking the mickey - the route...

I take these surveys with a pinch of salt unless the original questions and responses are provided, as the wording used in the media report can be very carefully used to give the message the sponsor is looking for. It doesn't say 'cross when lights are flashing or barriers are down', it simply...

I live in Blackpool. My sister lives in Milton Keynes. My grown-up kids and grandkids live around Hinckley & Nuneaton. I have no further comment to make....Thank-you ORR and GNWR!!

You have missed my point - the BBC chose to report on those changes as if they came as a surprise, while the growing chaos in the North was ignored. I have every sympathy with London commuters even when things are going well, but there is a huge amount of unplanned disruption that's happening...

Particularly annoying for me is that most of the complaints on the BBC haven't been about cancellations - it's people complaining because of the changes themselves and the impact on their lives. They should try commuting from a town the size of Blackpool that's had no train service, or one that...

It's a long story, the travel is frequent but individuals don't travel frequently if you get my drift. Add the fact that our provider's journey planner isn't the best - I always check elsewhere but most don't.

Colleagues frequently travel between Blackpool or Preston and Leeds, and I've lost count of the number of times they've gone via Manchester because it often comes up as a faster journey - when most would far rather sit on the same train all the way and the difference is only a few minutes. When...

It works at Blackpool North, what's the problem? Irony intended..... Ok, it's harder to do than I thought, but doesn't change the point that conflict between opposing flows is a problem.

Keep it simple! Announce the platform earlier, wait by the doors until the train is ready. Or did the Euston management train at Blackpool North? The only problem I can see with that is conflict between arriving and departing passengers - so look for ways of keeping arrivals separate instead of...

My employer recently opened a shiny new office in the centre of Manchester near Oxford Road, moving many of the staff from Blackpool - so the tales of woe are never-ending. We also have a big office in Leeds, and word's just getting round that there won't be any Blackpool - Leeds trains until...

If only Blackpool could have the same off peak restrictions as Lancaster....the service would make a lot more sense then!

Reservations are the thing I find most stressful about rail travel - simply because they're so unreliable. I hate getting on a train and finding that the reservations aren't working, it just creates tension because passengers are left to sort it out amongst themselves. The Cross-Country...

Definitely prefer travelling backwards, and on a Pendolino I like the seats at the end of the carriage with no view as I'm often using a laptop for work - no problems with glare on the screen, no worries about security from people looking over my shoulder, and if it's raining or dark there's...

Probably coincidence but the way Blackpool's platforms are managed and the fact it's a terminus means it's pretty unlikely anyone could fall under a train without being noticed and the chances of that happening under a moving train are negligible - no commuters jumping on as the doors close here!

That's Easter weekend you're talking about - unless the weather's a complete washout it's when the season kicks off again. (There'll likely be a lull before May, but nevertheless Blackpool opens up from Easter - and to be honest it's not completely shut in the winter these days).

Didn't think the Blackpools were stopping at Stafford? (My vote would be Nuneaton by the way, but for purely selfish reasons). I see the Blackpool - Eustons are timed to leave Preston 3 minutes after the via-Birmingham trains - that's going to be fun even if they're on time, never mind when...