Turning to transport,

I have zero interest in any egg and spoon racing no matter what type
of milk bottle tops are won by each land; I would have preferred to
have fled the country for the entire period, but was not allowed to do
so as I was required to maintain running certain transport assets
through the Stratford area. Because of that, I had to commute into
London every day to normal sites [i.e. not Stratford]. since I can
work flexi time I used peak shoulder and off peak trains whereever,
and avoid normal commuter peaks and egg and spoon created peaks.


On Thameslink, apart from the first Monday morning, every FCC train
was much fuller than usual. For some reason the first Monday was near
deserted - this was the day the media made much of this and they
painted a false picture for the rest of the period. On all other days
morning and evening, off peak trains where I could reasonably have
expected a 319 bay to myself almost all seats were occupied, on peak
shoulder trains where the norm is people sat 2+1 in the 3+2 layout
trains were full and standing. All of Farringdon, SPILL *and* West
Hampstead were very busy, queues to enter and queues to exit; those at
WHP to exit Thameslink caused me to twice miss "connections" on
Overground that in the past 2 years have always made (except when FCC
is late). Off peak 378s on Overground were also standing room where
normally you'd fin a seat if you walked through.

Hammersmith & City Hammersmith branch, north side of Circle, and
Met.City south of Finchley Road full and standing most days, found
crush loads every day. Bakler Street was a nightmare crush and queues
just getting off EB Circle to NB Met or SB Jubilee to WB Bakerloo
every day I had to use that route, and I made sure I avoided the peak
Wembley Park events. Did not myself have to use Paddington only pass
through it but platforms crush and train loading east of there
horrendous all trips.

So my experiences then, apart from just one morning, were not of empty
trains but full trains where part empty ones are the norm, crowded
trains where part full trains were the norm, and all 4 interchanges
used normally crowded slow and extending overall journey time.


--
Nick