CLASSES OF TRAIN
Struggled from Middlesex to Berkshire via London a couple of days ago with very heavy luggage. It occurred to me that, whereas other countries may have First, Second and Third-class compartments on trains, here in South-East England we have separate First, Second and Third-class trains. That’ll make sure the rich don’t have noisy proles ruining their journey! Consider it: you need to travel from Central London to Heathrow airport, say. If you are poor or on a limited budget, you would get the bus or struggle down the escalators onto the Piccadilly Line and take the tube to the appropriate Heathrow terminal (remembering to allow about two hours for signal failures, broken-down trains, etc). Not quick or comfortable but (relatively) cheap. Then there’s a mainline ‘overground’ option that leaves from two or three big, interchange stations (Victoria, Waterloo and possibly Charing Cross). Again - not expensive nor particularly swift (this train would stop about three times between embarkation and destination, against the tube’s handier twenty stops). But then, for the ‘cash-rich, time-poor’ there is the Heathrow Express which doesn’t stop at all between Paddington and Heathrow but is more than twice the price of any other option. I wonder how prone the HE is to signal failures, defective track and points failures? I suppose transport ministers would pretend this is about empowering people with ‘choice’, but if you can’t afford £20 for the Heathrow Express then of course there is no choice and, priced out, you have to go for the less convenient option. Perhaps this explains why First/Second/Third class compartments are less obvious on trains – all these people are actually overtaking you on a different train.
Struggled from Middlesex to Berkshire via London a couple of days ago with very heavy luggage. It occurred to me that, whereas other countries may have First, Second and Third-class compartments on trains, here in South-East England we have separate First, Second and Third-class trains. That’ll make sure the rich don’t have noisy proles ruining their journey! Consider it: you need to travel from Central London to Heathrow airport, say. If you are poor or on a limited budget, you would get the bus or struggle down the escalators onto the Piccadilly Line and take the tube to the appropriate Heathrow terminal (remembering to allow about two hours for signal failures, broken-down trains, etc). Not quick or comfortable but (relatively) cheap. Then there’s a mainline ‘overground’ option that leaves from two or three big, interchange stations (Victoria, Waterloo and possibly Charing Cross). Again - not expensive nor particularly swift (this train would stop about three times between embarkation and destination, against the tube’s handier twenty stops). But then, for the ‘cash-rich, time-poor’ there is the Heathrow Express which doesn’t stop at all between Paddington and Heathrow but is more than twice the price of any other option. I wonder how prone the HE is to signal failures, defective track and points failures? I suppose transport ministers would pretend this is about empowering people with ‘choice’, but if you can’t afford £20 for the Heathrow Express then of course there is no choice and, priced out, you have to go for the less convenient option. Perhaps this explains why First/Second/Third class compartments are less obvious on trains – all these people are actually overtaking you on a different train.
