h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

it was because we were at durham which is the stop between newcastle and darlington, we wanted to go to newcastle (dumb idea i know) and couldnt work out whether the train was the right one because there was nothing written on the front and nothing written on the sides like you get on busses. and of course no one around to ask. we had to get on because it was about to leave but then the conductor came round and we had the wrong tickets, thats how we found out we were headed in the oposite direction.

later taht day, having eventually got to newcastle we tried to get off the train in durham and the door wouldnt open and the guard on the platform wouldnt help. so we had to stay on the train till darlington.

the worrying thing is that we werent charged for the four extra journies we took despite the conductor coming by every time. thay totally believed us. that would never have happened down south, they'd have charged us a fortune for getting on the train without a valid ticket. i rekon it must happen a lot, people going to darlington by mistake, i mean, there's no other reason why anyone would go there anymore so why keep the station open? answer.....it's a turning round point for people who meant to go to newcastle.

FABT

I have been on Virgin trains which were supposed to go to Poole stop at Winchester, only to announce that they had decided not to go to Poole, and were going to Glasgow instead. Just like what happened when the Fish & I travelled from Coventry.
I have even been on a Connex train which announced, after leaving the East Waterloo station, that it had just been informed that it was not going to Canterbury afterall, but was instead going to somewhere else - like Brighton? - and we would have to change at the next station.
But that's mainland trains for you. At least you know where you are going with an Islandline train. They may be the oldest rolling stock in the country, with the most modern being over 80 years old, but they have been the most reliable for 6 years in a row, and have the fewest complaints of any railway company.

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public transport is just plain evil

I wouldn't go that far - it just needs proper investment, and to be out of the influence of Government ministers who privatise or, worse still, get Dr Beachings, to destroy it.

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