Tuesday 15th November
Welcome to London, capital city of our blessed country and undoubtedly the city of the young. I lived there for over forty years, travelling daily on the tube, strap-hanging and crammed into overcrowded trains, and despite the addition of new lines during that time, Victoria, Jubilee and the DLR the trains are even more overcrowded. Just as building new roads simply draws more traffic onto them, so too do attempts at improving the transport in big Cities. Though in Britain, we have the added problem that everything is so London-centric; no other city comes close in size or population or overcrowding. And by the way HS2, which the new Government seems totally committed to, will only increase the volume of people commuting to London. I was brought up in Stowmarket and it was at least a two hour slog into London. The journey time now is 75 minutes and sleepy Stowmarket has become yet another commuter town, with new houses springing up like daffodils in the Spring sunshine.
This morning I am returning to blessed peaceful Eymet but have to get to Stansted by10ish. The DLR (Dockland Light Railway), which has made the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf such a success and is incidentally completely driverless, has been recently extended to South London – all the way to Lewisham. The result is that the trains are totally overcrowded; great for all those South Londoners who have suffered years of under-investment in the maze of Southern Region trains weaving their way into North London where most of the jobs are, but now it is almost impossible to get on a train at Island Gardens. I had to let 4 go before squeezing, case and coat and all, onto the fifth. No handle to hold but it didn’t matter, there was no danger of me falling over, it practically needed a crowbar and a gallon of WD40 to get me out at Bank. Then the Central Line, one stop only, was just as crowded. Of course it is November, the month when hardly anyone is on holiday so the trains are even more crowded. Even at Liverpool Street the Stansted Express was 5 minutes late and I couldn’t believe how many people were leaving the train, as again this is used by commuters.
I realize that though I used to suffer the Underground every day for over forty year I am getting too old for this malarkey.