Wednesday 18 February 2009

A good service

My patience was tried beyond endurance this evening as I reached North Greenwich and the tannoy announced "This is the Control Room at North Greenwich, a good service is operating on the Jubilee Line this evening". As I had spent fifteen minutes (two entire sudoku puzzles) sitting on an unmoving train at Bermondsey (yes, it is always Bermondsey) whilst the driver repeatly (and sincerely) apologised for the delays I really had to take issue with the "good service". I will accept "operating normally" because as far as I am concerned delays and disruption are normal; I will accept "no reported delays" because maybe nobody told them. I will not accept good service when the driver has admitted to "only one platform at Stratford" and "delays Westrbound which aren't helping".

In other news the whole of Greenwich seems to have become a no-go area for traffic with the closure of Blackheath hill. The 129 and 188 are reporting delays of 30 minutes at North Greenwich - which when you consider the journey from Greenwich to North Greenwich, well - you might as well walk.