Hi Everyone,
I agree with you on the negative reporting that the media dish out to the railways, it has gone on for years and is the very reason the last Tory Government managed to fool the public into accepting the privatising of the network. My main grumble with the present lot is mainly with Virgin as no matter where you go, or in which direction the hold ups, delays and even cancellations are by the day and night and their overcrowded little DMU's are extremely uncomfortable for any journey over an hour long.
For great publicity, the GNER should be shouting from the treetops as their timings are very consistant and suffer mainly from overhead wire problems rather than from the trains themselves. I returned from Aberdeen via Kings Cross a few weeks back and considered the journey one of the fastest I have ever had. I caught the 07.55, which arrived in London at 14.50 and while it was a struggle getting across London by taxi, which was a real waste of time and money due to the road chaos, I managed to catch the 15.30 HST from Paddinton and arrived home (at the house) at 16.25. For a journey of well over 500 miles that was a fantastic run. When I first used this journey back in the 60's it took up to 15 hours on a very long and boring overnight train. If a 30 year old HST can give this kind of service, with electrification through to Aberdeen and some tweeking of speeds between there and Edinburgh this could be the GNER's greatest publicity that would leave Virgin behind and give any other private company that tries to run such services, a real run for their money. The historic train name 'The Flying Scotsman' would really mean something again.
Cheers.
BillEWS