Get to the train at 18:10, 4 minutes before its departure, and for only the third time in 3 months I don’t get a seat. I’m immediately relegated to third class status, as like a tramp looking for food out of a bin, I scan the train for a seat.
For the next 45 minutes, as the train speeds through the Hertfordshire countryside from King’s Cross to Cambridge my backside will be parked on an uncomfortable luggage rack. Then when 90% of the passengers on this train get off, I’ll take my pick of the seats, like a tourist in front of an all-inclusive buffet.
Fortunately for me this is not a regular occurrence but the reality is that this fate is shared by millions of commuters every year across the country. With that in mind train companies should perhaps make their luggage racks more comfortable, however they will of course never do this, as doing so would be to admit that their trains are overcrowded.
Perhaps all commuters should carry their own portable seat as part of an emergency kit that would cover all elements of travelling on a train in Britain in the 21st Century. Also included would be alcohol gel, wet wipes and tissues (in case you have to go anywhere near one of the train’s toilets), an inflatable pillow (because even if you manage to get a seat they are often very uncomfortable) and earplugs (to block out the noise from neighbouring passengers headphones).
Britain’s trains should be a pleasure to travel on. However, for me and countless others they are often a pain in the arse.
