Trains that work and people that don't.

Another visit to London has been and gone. I went yesterday and returned this morning. If the rest of the country wants to see how a railway should be run, I suggest that they have a good look at Chiltern Railways. Marlylebone Station is clean and has everything you need (though 30 pence for a pee is a bit steep!), the trains are clean and run on time, the information boards on the platforms and in the trains work and the people are pleasant. More more could you want? Oh, and the fares are ridiculously low if you book in advance.

The people who travel on said trains don't, however, seem any more blessed with brains than the drivers at the tip last week. Why more don't print their tickets at home and save a fortune is beyond me. And why don't people who are told by the ticket barrier to "Seek Assistance" do just that? Rather, they continue to offer their ticket to a machine that has rejected it, often more than once. People pay £2.10 for coffee on the train, but they can buy the same coffee at Marylebone for £1.60 before they board the train..... I don't understand it.