The Disgusting State Of Our trains

One of the biggest complaints about our trains is the disgusting state that most of them seem to find themselves in. There are repeated assurances that they are regularly cleaned but you have to wonder if perhaps the hoovers are set to blow rather than suck.

So, yes it's easy to blame the cleaning regime, and the age of the trains. But unfortunately some of the blame must rest with certain passengers. It is almost the norm now for some people to put their feet on the seat opposite, with no regard to the state of their shoes. Interesting, sort of, to note that airline style seating where nobody sits opposite, doesn’t fray nearly so quickly. And then litter rarely seems to find its way into the bin with half eaten sandwiches left lying around. Half finished drinks abandoned on a seat can often be found, leaking everywhere – more often then not next to an empty bin.

And this isn't behaviour that is limited to a particular age group either. People of an age that you would expect to know better are equally guilty of this. Last week a lady well past retirement age had both feet firmly planted on the seat opposite. When she got off, the remains of her partly eaten snack were evenly distributed everywhere but the bin, the wrappers strewn across the floor.  Having said that I remember a time when a train pulled into Colchester and the chap in front of me got on to see a young lad with his feet on the seats. He politely asked the lad if the leather jacket in the rack was his. When told that it was, he calmly took it down, wiped the seat with it and then put it back in the rack. This was met with an open mouthed look of amazement from said youth and a round of applause from other passengers. Now I can't really recommend this approach as sadly not all will see the error of their ways quite so calmly and fisticuffs may ensue. I've seen that too.

But to return to my original point.  No amount of cleaning, even with the hoovers on the correct setting, will remove the stains from chewing gum that has become part of the fabric.  Yes the seat edges are frayed but could that be down to a regular visit from a pair of size 9s last seen tramping across a building site / office / playing field? (Delete as appropriate)....

Published in The Gazette 'On The Rails' 5th February 2015

So Who's Fault Is It?

The recent severe disruption to services again saw Twitter come alive with the usual abuse aimed at the train operator, Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA).  And last week we learned that since Abellio took over the franchise in 2012 there have been 36,000 cancellations.  So, it’s all their fault obviously.  Well, yes and no.  5,808 cancellations were due to train failures that may have been due to poor maintenance on their part, or may have had something to do with the trains being ‘mature’ and past their sell by date.  But then AGA don’t actually own any trains but lease them, so should the leasing companies who own the trains bear some responsibility?  Now don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty that we commuters are all agreed on that AGA are responsible for that can be improved but that is for another time.

So, more than 30,000 cancellations were down to infrastructure failures and fatalities.  Sadly there has been a significant increase in the number of people who choose to end their lives in front of trains.  But can the train company be blamed for these sad events?  Similarly it is Network Rail who are responsible for the infrastructure and AGA are simply a customer of theirs, so points failures, signal failures, overhead wire problems and the like, actually prevent AGA from providing a service. 

So, it’s Network Rail’s fault then.  Well, yes and no.

Yes, you have to sometimes question Network Rail’s project management abilities when engineering works again overrun, or relatively new infrastructure fails.  But Network Rail are generally working with an infrastructure that has endured decades of under investment in this region – some of the overhead wires date from the 1940s.

So it’s the government’s fault then.  Well yes and no.  Railways are expensive things to run and there are only two ways to fund them – via the taxpayer and from fares.  We have the most expensive fares in Europe and the price of commuting is becoming increasingly prohibitive for many.  And let’s be honest, there are not many who regularly use the railway who would consider it value for money.   Unfortunately successive administrations have never really regarded rail as key national infrastructure in the same way as perhaps they do with roads, or as their opposite numbers do in the rest of Europe.

So, was privatisation the way to go with the railways?  Well yes and no. It is accepted by many that the UK railways have seen more investment as a consequence of privatisation (although how much has been in East Anglia is debateable).  But is it really very efficient to split up the infrastructure, train ownership and day-to-day operations so much? Well, yes and no…

Published in The Gazette "On The Rails" 5th December 2014

Ever Thought The Trains Ran For Your Benefit...?

Do you ever wonder when travelling by train that perhaps you’re something of an inconvenience getting in the way of the railway being run efficiently?  Any early birds commuting from Manningtree as I do will be familiar with the sometimes-cancelled 05:54. (Currently 05:53 to account for the autumn leaf fall timetable, which mysteriously sees the train run more on time anyway, so why not stick to that time all year round?) I digress.

There is sometimes an announcement, usually on a cold morning, that the 05:54 has been cancelled due to something or other.  We are then resigned to catch a slower service that is due to leave some 15 minutes later calling everywhere, but more importantly, with uncomfortable seats.  Often though, before this slow lumbering service arrives, the ‘cancelled’ 05:54 speeds through the station with its tail on fire.  Not only does it not stop at Manningtree but it usually skips Colchester too.

What could possibly be the point of running a service but cut out certain stops, leaving passengers stranded at those stations and, I know for a fact, catching out passengers already on that train who want to get off!

Well there is a theory to explain all this.  Not one the train company will ever admit to of course but well accepted by us commuters as being the case anyway.  Train journeys are considered to have arrived on-time if they arrive at their destination within 5 minutes of their advertised time (10 minutes in the case of Inter City services).  Note – this only applies to the destination, not the intermediate stops.  So, if there’s a chance of getting the train to its destination ‘on time’ and therefore keeping the reliability statistics looking good then why not take steps to speed it on its way.  One way is, where possible, to get other trains to pull over out of the way but then there’s the danger of making those trains late too.  The alternative of course is to avoid making all those annoying stops that slow everything up. 

That way, the train arrives on time – albeit half empty – and the statistics look good. 

A similar tactic is sometimes employed in the evening.  My train is supposed to go to Ipswich but often lately when it has been running a bit late they decide to terminate it at Colchester.  The commuter theory is that a train that doesn’t even reach its destination somehow scores more brownie points than a late one.  And of course the return trip is less likely to be delayed to its destination, skewing the figures.

All theory, of course.  But a good one.  And you thought they were running the trains for you?

Published in The Gazette "On The Rails" 14th November 2014

One Year On...

Well, today is the first anniversary of my cancer treatment proper, starting.   I had already had a number of ops to confirm the cancer but my radiotherapy and chemotherapy started this day last year.  I had intended to write a blog of my experiences but, well, those experiences kind of took over and before you know it a year has passed.

It’s been quite a ride but the good news is that I’m in remission and slowly recovering from the treatment.  I say recovering from the treatment, as rather bizarrely I had no symptoms from my cancer.  No pain, no discomfort.  I had rather naively approached the prospect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy as the former making my hair fall out and the latter being a simple, painless process.  In the event, the chemotherapy I had – there are many different types – was not one that makes your hair fall out.  But it does make up for that in other ways, the main symptom for me being projectile vomiting which, if it was an Olympic sport would have seen me winning gold regularly, every three hours.  The actual process of administering the chemo took 14 hours.  Done overnight, it involved various plastic bottles of saline and other liquids being slowly injected into my system.  Ironically, out of the 14-hour process only one hour is for the actual chemo application.  Once it had finished I felt fine and really did wonder what all the fuss was about having heard the stories of the effects of chemo and having read the pamphlets given out on the subject.  I went for my second radiotherapy session straight afterwards and headed home for the weekend, stopping off on the way to do some grocery shopping.  Still nothing.  Got home. Had something to eat.  Still nothing.  Then, without any warning whatsoever the sickness started.  Sickness like I have never known.  Violent and relentless.  Fortunately the effects only lasted for 72 hours or so, in time for me to get on with my ongoing radiotherapy sessions, which were to be daily (Monday – Friday) for six weeks.

The actual process of radiotherapy is totally painless but as the days and weeks progress the effects begin to make themselves felt.  As my cancer was in the neck and throat region the treatment concentrated in that area.  The ability to produce saliva properly disappears fairly early on.  I was told this would probably happen but didn’t really appreciate the implications of this.  Saliva is a wonderful thing that should never be taken for granted.  Without it, it is very difficult to swallow and chewing food takes forever, as there is nothing to break it down.  Then my sense of taste and smell disappeared.  My throat succumbed to the constant barrage of radiotherapy and eventually eating became all but impossible and my diet consisted of only milk and milky energy drinks – even without any taste they weren’t pleasant!

Perhaps it’s a blokey thing but I was constantly fascinated by the technology used in the radiotherapy treatment.  For most cancers I believe patients have dots tattooed on them at the affected area for the equipment to be aligned correctly.  They don’t do this for head and neck patients but instead a mask is made up that covers your head and shoulders with holes cut out for eyes and nose.  The equipment is then aligned to marks made on the mask to ensure the same area is treated each time.  When you lie on the ‘table’ you are effectively bolted down via the mask, unable to move.  This may sound like something not for the faint hearted but not once did I feel constricted or claustrophobic.  My treatment took 15-20 minutes each time and with music always playing in the background I almost dozed off on more then one occasion.

Four weeks into my radiotherapy treatment I had my second and final dose of chemotherapy.  At this stage I was coping with the treatment ok – I felt very weak and tired but was aware of what was going on.  However, after my second dose of chemo my ability to deal with pretty much anything reduced considerably.  I was staying in London during the week, coming home at weekends.  However, starting at week 5, travelling more than the relatively short distance from the hospital to the flat I was staying in became impossible, so I stayed in London.  The last 2 weeks saw me sleeping most of the time and I remember very little.  I do remember my last radiotherapy session as I wanted to keep my mask as a souvenir so made that extra push to stay with it long enough to ask the nurses if I could.  It now sits by my desk as a reminder.  Weird perhaps, but I don’t want to forget.

Radiotherapy is a cumulative thing insomuch as it continues to work after the treatment stops.  So much so that you actually feel the worst about 2 weeks after the treatment actually finishes.  So really I remember very little over a 5 or 6 week period – out for the count completely.

So, since the end of last May I have been slowly recovering.  My taste is slowly coming back, as is my ability to make saliva.  It may never come back fully but it will be another year or so before I’ll know for sure.  Eating is still a chore and will be a while before I regain the 2 stone I lost.  Actually I’m not sure I want to put the weight back on although I do now have a wardrobe of clothes that don’t fit.  My dental regime has changed forever as I cannot afford to lose any teeth.  As my jaw is effectively dead(!) the hole left by a tooth is unlikely to heal leading to a significant risk of infection.  Worst case would see bone from my leg being used to plug the hole!  So I have two different toothpastes I have to use twice a day together with mouthwash after meals.  Never a moment goes by when I’m not minty!

The support I received before my treatment has only increased and I have been truly humbled by the good wishes from family, friends and even people I don’t know.  I have seen a side to people that really does restore your faith in the kindness of people.  And that from a cynic such as me!

To the staff at The Royal Marsden, what can I say?  A more professional, friendly bunch I could not have hoped to meet.  Without exception they made me feel I was their number one priority all the way through.  Something they do with all their patients of course.  I shall forever be grateful for their care.

Cancer treatment is a very variable thing in the way it affects people.  I was told of a couple of chaps who had the same radiotherapy treatment as me who breezed through it with very few symptoms.  Others, I know, suffer in ways different to me.  We’re all unique and we react in different ways, so to anyone about to start treatment my message is simple – it’s worth it.  Believe me, it’s worth it.

An eventful start to the year....

Sometime around Christmas - I can't remember for sure exactly when - I noticed a lump on my neck.  As you do I assumed it was a temporary thing and ignored it.  Into January it hadn't gone and I actually began to see it in the mirror so I decided to visit my GP simply so he could say "it's perfectly ok - nothing to worry about" or words to that effect.  Unfortunately his opening question was "is there a history of cancer in your family?"

Two months on and three operations later I am about to start my treatment proper to get shot of a tumour I have somewhere at the back of my tongue.  I will be having radiotherapy 5 days a week for six weeks and a dose of chemo on the first day and another sometime towards the end.  To say I am apprehensive would be putting it mildly but I take comfort from being treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London - the specialists in cancer care in the UK.  The preparatory work that I have been through so far at the Royal Marsden together with treatment at The Essex County Hospital and The Oaks Hospital in Colchester has shown me that healthcare in the UK is alive and well and I could not have been better looked after thus far.

Also, if good wishes alone were a cure for this thing then I would be home and dry already.  I have been truly humbled by the good wishes of friends and family and from people I barely know.  Actually, from people I don't know, as well!  I have seen human nature at its absolute best.

Anyway, tomorrow I start my journey and I am conscious that today is the last day of normality for me with nothing ever being quite the same again.  Having said that, a positive mental attitude is being adopted here so let battle commence!

OH BRITAIN, where did we go wrong?

Been sent this. Shocking if true

We're "broke" and can't help our own Seniors, Veterans, Orphans, Homeless etc.,??????

The British Government provides the following financial assistance:

BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER Weekly allowance £100
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS / REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN Weekly allowance £250

BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER Weekly Spouse allowance £25
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS / REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN Weekly Spouse allowance £25

BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER Additional weekly hardship allowance £0.00
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS / REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN Additional weekly hardship allowance £100

BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT £6,000
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS / REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN Total Yearly Benefit £29,90

After all, the average pensioner has paid taxes and contributed to the growth of this country for the last 40 to 60 years.

Sad isn't it?

Should Capello Go?

To be honest I don't know, but I do have concerns as to his suitability. Firstly let me say I don't really have an issue with an non English manager - it's a shame that homegrown talent isn't thought up to the job but well, there you are.

Let us also for a moment consider the history of England as an international team. In the history of the game England has only won one competition worth talking about - for those of you from Mars it was the World Cup in 1966 (A tournament where every game for England was a home tie played at Wembley, so ours to lose really). Whatever the media say before each tournament about this one being the one, England have never succeeded as promised. So to blame Capello for this latest failure would seem wrong - he is just the latest in a long and distinguished line of managers who has failed to deliver for whatever reason.

So I don't think that he as manager is necessarily bad at the job - far from it. However I do have one major concern over his appointment. After a period of time in the job he still requires a translator to help him out at press conferences. How can you possibly effectively manage anything, but especially a football team that requires quick communication in the heat of the moment, if you don't even share the same language as those you are managing?

So, a message to the FA. If you do decide to replace Capello, perhaps a pre-requisite of his successor should be the ability to speak English?