Wednesday, November 16, 2005
18.08 Fifteen Minutes Late
The most galling thing is, I shouldn't even be on the 'delayed' 18.08.
I should've been at home by now but, foolishly, ninety minutes ago, I rang National Rail Enquiries to find out why their web site (I won't be linking to it) was showing "No Report" of the 17.12.
The first adviser I spoke to asked me "why" I wanted to know if the train was on time.
Once I'd established that it was because I would quite like to catch it, she agreed to look up some information for me. "It's thirty minutes late" She said.
Then I made my second mistake.
Ten minutes later, I rang back.
Not that I didn't believe the first adviser you understand, but just because I didn't, well, trust her. This time the train was thirty-nine minutes late.
I asked Adviser Two if there was a problem on the line, she didn't have any information but suggested I checked back in a little while.
Twenty minutes later. Third mistake: third call to National Rail Enquiries.
Still no information on what the hold up was, but Adviser Three suggested I call the operating company and ask them. He even provided me with a number.
Seconds later I was connected with Natalie at Northern Trains, who blithely informed me that the 17.12 had just left Preston, only seven minutes late. And, no, it had never been reported as running any more than five minutes late anywhere.
I could describe the twenty five minutes I spent trying to convey my contempt to a couple of National Rail Enquiry supervisors, but if you want to empathise you'd be better reading a couple of chapters of Kafka.
Remember - Air
Public Park - Ballboy
Love Becomes A Savage - The Lilac Time
Asleep On A Sunbeam - Belle & Sebastian
Into The Fire - Thirteen Senses
Sao Paulo Rain - Tom McRae
Hesitating Beauty - Billy Bragg & Wilco
It's The Past That Suits You Best - The Delgados
First Thing - Four Tet
The most galling thing is, I shouldn't even be on the 'delayed' 18.08.
I should've been at home by now but, foolishly, ninety minutes ago, I rang National Rail Enquiries to find out why their web site (I won't be linking to it) was showing "No Report" of the 17.12.
The first adviser I spoke to asked me "why" I wanted to know if the train was on time.
Once I'd established that it was because I would quite like to catch it, she agreed to look up some information for me. "It's thirty minutes late" She said.
Then I made my second mistake.
Ten minutes later, I rang back.
Not that I didn't believe the first adviser you understand, but just because I didn't, well, trust her. This time the train was thirty-nine minutes late.
I asked Adviser Two if there was a problem on the line, she didn't have any information but suggested I checked back in a little while.
Twenty minutes later. Third mistake: third call to National Rail Enquiries.
Still no information on what the hold up was, but Adviser Three suggested I call the operating company and ask them. He even provided me with a number.
Seconds later I was connected with Natalie at Northern Trains, who blithely informed me that the 17.12 had just left Preston, only seven minutes late. And, no, it had never been reported as running any more than five minutes late anywhere.
I could describe the twenty five minutes I spent trying to convey my contempt to a couple of National Rail Enquiry supervisors, but if you want to empathise you'd be better reading a couple of chapters of Kafka.
Remember - Air
Public Park - Ballboy
Love Becomes A Savage - The Lilac Time
Asleep On A Sunbeam - Belle & Sebastian
Into The Fire - Thirteen Senses
Sao Paulo Rain - Tom McRae
Hesitating Beauty - Billy Bragg & Wilco
It's The Past That Suits You Best - The Delgados
First Thing - Four Tet
Labels: train
