Eleven Minutes Late raises major questions not just about Britain’s railways but about Britain itself.
How come Britain, which invented the railways and is many ways obsessed by them, seems incapable of running them?
Why do passengers pay the highest fares in the world yet the taxpayer still hands over almost £5 billion a year in subsidy?
Why is a high-speed railway network taking shape across Europe with Britain linked by one branch line?
Why is this country incapable of taking long-term investment decisions?
Matthew Engel pins the blame primarily on nearly two centuries of bad government decisions but also fingers many other suspects – including the British people, for their refusal to complain.
Join the argument here
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April 24, 2009 at 11:09 pm |
From the first day to First Great Western, a complete cock-up. Thanks for making the point.
April 27, 2009 at 5:44 pm |
I was on a Virgin train from Carlisle to London a couple of Saturdays ago and it arrived 15 minutes early, the journey taking under 3 hours 15 minutes. The guard said it was because it was a Saturday and therefore there was no freight on the line. That’s the trouble with trains – there are others that get in the way. Is the Queen’s train ever late?
May 17, 2009 at 12:42 pm |
I enjoyed the book greatly. The Railways should be a national institution of which we could be proud, the politicians have much to answer for but I despair that what has happened over the past 200 years will still continue. The current politicians just look at the short term and seem more corrupt than their predessors.
One comment about the book, when you re print it please change all the americanised “izations” to the English “isations”
Stuart Harrison
17th. May 2009
May 17, 2009 at 5:49 pm |
Thanks for the kind words. British book publishers (unlike newspapers) insist on privatizing and nationalizing everything in deference to the American market. It’s a form of cultural cringe.
May 30, 2009 at 2:22 pm |
What a great book, now I understand. But is it just the Railways: you could have been writing about the Health Service, the Higher Education sector (I recognise so much!) local government even. The steep fares and appalling service are all too common. Why, then, are the railways of Britain so well patronised? Inter-city and commuter trains seem to be if not the local off-peak. We should, though, celebrate that BR was ‘only’ eleven minutes late when “a badger ate a junction box at …”. Today (albeit typically on the Underground) delays are mostly caused by ” a person under the train” (very inconsiderate). Any news on Umerji – is he a celebrity yet?
June 1, 2009 at 5:34 am |
Passenger numbers have gone up because the British have been (at least until the slump) more mobile than ever before. More money sloshing round, more commuting, more business meetings, more shopping, more leisure, more kids away at university.
As roads have become clogged, rail has become ever more essential as an alterntive. So the ralways’ success – if you can call it that – has been a function of economic growth and general under-investment and bad planning.
No word about Umerji yet. He’s probably got Virgin’s Employee of the Year award.
June 3, 2009 at 8:50 am |
Book was great and demonstrates how the lack of investment and planning is much older than the Major govt.
But I’m amazed at the piddling sums of money that seem to be politically sensitive in the UK. Let’s face it, the infrastructure and rolling stock probably need 100 billion or more of extra investment.
Here in Austria we are building the Koralm tunnel (5 bn Euro), the Vienna central station (with associated Lainzer tunnel etc,, several bn), have upgraded the line from Vienna to Salzburg to more or less high speed standard, and the company has blown a few billion in speculative losses. Much of it is fairly stupid, inefficient and perhaps bodering on the crimial, but the basic proposition that railways are essential infrastructure which will always need subsidies is not politically controversial. And the brits get up in arms over 5 bn for a system that hasn’t even electrified.
June 14, 2009 at 8:48 pm |
I have just read and greatly enjoyed “Eleven Minutes Late”.
I personally have had few problems with either GNER (or its successor) or FGW. My particular bete noire is with the former Thameslink who run short trains at all times other than peak – almost guaranteeing standing passengers, even though there may be things like school half term increasing traffic
I agree that Darlington and Sheffield are among the best stations (I have never been to Glasgow Central). I read that Sheffield is to install ticket barriers but there is a problem – the station is a right of way to pedestrians crossing the line. I also like Rugby which is like a less ornate Darlington (all facilities on one big island platform approached by slopes – no stairs). It has been messed around with, losing its roof and now gaining additional platforms (all in the cause of West Coast Improvements), but it is still OK. I also like Ely, an old fashioned country junction which is busy and has refreshment rooms etc.
As for bad stations Birmingham New Street is well down there. I take your point about St. Pancras. We UK rail passengers have a very long walk from our far away platforms to the front of the station, the outside world, and the tubes. It may be a reasonably pleasant walk (if you are not too offended by expensive retail outlets) but it is long.
I also agree that it is a bit unfair to blame Dr Beeching for all railway closures. His didn’t kick in until the mid 60s when most had already taken place. There is also a bit of regional bias in that closures before the 50s were very rare in the south, but in places like Durham they were taking place back in the 20s.
One error I noted: On page 190 the line from Melton Constable to Kings Lynn should be going west
June 19, 2009 at 9:06 pm |
I loved “Eleven Minutes Late”.
The biggest threat to rail travel as I now see it is the ever-increasing cost of fares. I travel as often as I can from the Scottish Borders to London, and it is much more convenient for me to catch the NXEC (now there’s a horrible acronym!) from Berwick to London.
I always go to thetrainline.com first when planning a journey but recently I have been forced to go to Easyjet, shaking my head in disbelief at what the train company wants charge me.
It is now usually cheaper for me to drive to Edinburgh or Newcastle, fly to one of the London airports, and take a bus to Victoria, even with the extras like airport parking included.
Any sane government would subsidise rail travel for all sorts of good reasons, including environmental ones.
July 2, 2009 at 8:14 pm |
Enjoyed the book very much. I’ve travelled on many of the routes you covered (particularly FGW Padd-Swansea) and you capture the essence of the difference experiences very well.
However often I read about the policy incompetence in this field it never ceases to be profoundly depressing.
I was wondering whether the light might finally have dawned in a different quarter. The recent ATOC report Connecting Communties (while in no way perfect) adopted a sensible perspective, including not suggesting that the lead was going to come from the government …
“With the benefit of hindsight, many of the decisions on future
strategic infrastructure requirements have proved to be wrong.
Given the demographic changes of the last 40 years and those
likely over the next 40, an essential lesson to learn is how best to
protect the solum of former railway lines, where they may be of
future strategic significance.
We believe that this should be initiated by the rail industry, …” (p13)
July 17, 2009 at 1:41 pm |
Your book was witty and wise. It was a fantastic read.
I regularly travel from Chester to Crewe: £9.10 for the privilege at peak times. This is a journey of 18 miles…..
I hope your book gets the readership it deserves.
Best Wishes to you and your family.
July 20, 2009 at 4:33 pm |
I really enjoyed the book. What else would you expect of a descendent of the first stationmaster at Rainhill and who grew up in the village and was a “trainspotter” ! So I recognise a mistake on p229 about the Liverpool to Carlisle run : seven miles out east of Liverpool the line forks at Huyton with the northern “prong” heading past Prescot to join the West Coast line south of Wigan and up to Preston and Carlisle. The other line passes instead through Rainhill on the way east to Manchester & hence Hull or Newcastle – but not Carlisle.
I remember the waiting room at Rainhill contained part of an engine at The Trials but this has been removed to a small museum in the village – British Rail isn’t interested in history! The track is crossed by an angled sandstone bridge carrying the A57 which was rumoured to be the first of its kind.
A pat on the back for Virgin & Network Rail though : now living in Manchester I can get to London in two hours three times an hour! But in imported rolling stock because the last Conservative government destroyed all the associated railway engineering industries. What a disaster! And for a “wow” visit to the new Berlin main station – with trains visible on three levels including local equivalent of the London tubes.
July 22, 2009 at 10:02 pm |
National Express said that the reason for giving up the franchise was declining passenger numbers. I have never yet got on one of their trains at Kings Cross that was not full, but as I said in my earlier comment their ever-increasing fares were bound to lose them “customers”. It will be interesting to see how the state-run East Coast service compares.
July 24, 2009 at 3:55 pm |
Eleven Minutes Late reflects superbly my 60 years experience of the railways as both an enthusiast (boo!) and as a passenger ranging from the odiferous fishtrains on the East Coast Mainline to the Virgin Super(?) Voyagers going through Rugby at 100mph+ on the West Coast Mainline.
Three top tips for the present day must be:
1
July 24, 2009 at 4:07 pm |
Three top tips for the present day must be:
1 Travel first class and dine on The Welsh Assembly Flyer (referred to in the Book) – The food is the best on scheduled rail anywhere!
2 Use Trainline.com to get fares like £23.10 Chester-London First Class! Anyone who pays the turn up and go fare of £200+ has been mugged!
3 Use the Wrexham and Shropshire out of Marylebone to get to the West Midlands and the North West when the wires fall down on the West Coast Mainline – which they do periodically!
August 1, 2009 at 9:04 am |
I enjoyed the book greatly. A small correction – on page 221 you refer to the ‘Callendar’ and Oban line. This should be the Callander and Oban line.
Some correspondents mention using the ‘trainline’ website for booking tickets. However, it has now started charging a fee for using a credit card whereas the websites of operating companies such as NXEC and Scotrail do not and the same fares are available.
August 3, 2009 at 8:14 am |
What a super book and, for a railway book, all information but one or two bits correct. (Last steam on “Aug 1″ looks like a typo rather than a mistake.)
The first part – kippers on Wrexham and Shropshire is just like being there and tales of other journeys really ring true.
A sadness these days for those of us who “holiday” with a rover ticket is the paucity of catering now… Virgin ends up being well travelled as does W&S, and First Great Western requires a lot of detective work. A damn good fortnight though all the same.
August 3, 2009 at 9:35 pm |
I’ve just finished reading this book. It was brilliant – a decent potted history of railways that tells you what you want to know without too much confusing detail. But it does make me angry to see how this national asset was ruined by privatisation and, let’s not mince words, corruption.
At least in Wales and Scotland the governments are prepared to spend on reopening old lines – Ebbw Vale, Alloa and hopefully Galashiels to come. No such luck in good old England.
August 4, 2009 at 1:37 pm |
Thanks to Alex. Campbell (no relation), I not only saved the fee on the credit card transaction for my next journey, but the fare on NXEC came in at £11 cheaper than on The Trainline. So much for simplified fare structures.
August 17, 2009 at 12:06 pm |
I have really enjoyed reading ‘Eleven Minutes Late’ and found it hard to put down. A brilliant mix of travelogue, railway history and political comment, the process leading to privatisation in 1994 particularly revealing.
The book is right up to date too. It was interesting to read about the different people you met on your travels. But I can hardly believe that Umerji, the steward would address you by a crude 4 letter word beginning with C. Personally I would have prefered the F word not to have appeared in the book, but I suppose one has to be realistic and ‘say it as it is’.
Lastly, I’m a railway enthusiast but not a know-all; I think the 15 guinnea steam train ran on 11 August, not 1 August 1968. (Page 229)
September 2, 2009 at 10:03 am |
Agreed: a great read: the sort of humorous critique that we need. Being involved in the promotion of one of the lines featured (the Heart of Wales – have a look at us on http://www.heart-of-wales.co.uk) I can confirm the amazing amount of effort that it takes to achieve any sort of change or improvement, given the way the network is currently organised -even with a supportive Welsh Assembly Government. In part this is due to how much it costs to do anything associated with railways even on lightly used rural railways. The SRA’s attempts to address this issue through their Community Rail Strategy hasn’t really done the job.
A couple of nit picks – don’t know where ‘Llanwryth’ is ([page 278), but its not on the Heart of Wales line. And how come the train shown on the cover is approaching on what would normally the platform for a train to travel in the opposite direction? Artistic licence, I s’pose……..
Finally a Heart of Wales Line boast: we are probably the only line in the UK currently carrying parcels on a regulatr basis – smoked fish, produced near Broome, and sent to restaurants in Llanwrtyd by agreement with Arriva. The conductor issues a ticket to the guy despatching the package (for convenience it’s a ‘dog’ ticket and no. it’s not dogfish!).
September 17, 2009 at 10:01 am |
Thank you for crafting such a wonderful and informative read.
I felt an old well informed mate was telling me of his interesting experiences while revealing shocking government decreed failings.
September 23, 2009 at 9:36 pm |
Fantastic book, sorry it had to end. Birmingham New Street rightly gets a slating, but worse still there are the London Midland staff. A few days ago the Northampton train was cancelled with no apparent reason. When I managed to track down someone (or it!) to ask as to why this train had been cancelled, I was told “Dunno. What do yo want me to do about it?” London Midland – service with a scowl. Nice that you commented on Moor Street station, like something out of the forties as well as like a film set. Great read all round, thanks.
September 28, 2009 at 1:25 pm |
I must say I did enjoy “Eleven Minutes Late”. One minor point I would like to mention is that Bere Ferrers station (page 220) is still in operation. It is on the Plymouth to Gunnislake line which more or less follows the River Tamar up stream until it is no longer tidal. It should have been closed by Dr. Beeching because it is picturesque and only gets a few passengers, commuters to Plymouth mostly I should think. It probably was on the list of closures, but somehow got overlooked and now its too late to do anything about it. I get the idea that people keep quiet about it in case the authorities find out its still going and close it down.
October 1, 2009 at 10:01 pm |
The book definately struck a cord with me. As a Salopian I’ve heard of the old Potts Railway. I believe it’s now a cycle path. My mother remembers the Craven Arms-Bishop’s Castle line which I think was called the Daisy as you could get off, pick dasies, and still catch it up – it was that slow. I see that the lovely Wrexham and Shropshire to Marylebone service is now gong to be run by it’s majority shareholder – Deutcher Bahn! Good luck to them.
I now live in Exeter and love the Exeter-Newton Abbot section along the sea wall, but due to the economic situation I now have to commute each week to work in Godalming.; a journey which can cost anything between approx £32 (South West Trains via Woking with a Network Railcard – although quite how Exeter counts as Network South EAST I don’t know) to £183 (yes, standard class, on First Great Western via Reading – but travelling an hour later i.e. peak). The array of fares is quite stunning and it’s only because I do the journey each week that I am beginning the get the better of it.
The web sites are weird as well. Frequently South West Trains give me details of First Great Western, but not their own services. Last week I asked for times from Exeter to Godalming via Honiton (i.e. South West Trains) and was directed to take South West Trains from Exeter to Honiton (so tick the “via Honiton” box), then, would you believe, to take another South West service back to Exeter, change to First Great Western to Reading and then change for Guildford and change again for Godalming. Needless to say I caught a South West service Exeter-Honiton-Woking-Godalming
I have also worked out how South West Trains have a good punctuality record. They build into the timetable 10 (or even 11) minute holdovers at such unlikely places as Honiton and Yeovil which usually means they arrive at Waterloo on time, and as most people use South West Trains for local journeys rather than the fastest way to London this seems to go unnoticed.
The whole “system” is as mad as a box of frogs, but we’d better get used to it ’cause it ain’t going to change.
October 18, 2009 at 11:20 am |
Thank you for a wonderful read. Your sense of humor is as excellent as ever and the criticism of the politicians and the TOC is very well deserved.
Oh for the days of British Rail when one could buy a ticket to anywhere on the system on a whim or just a day trip to somewhere that took ones fancy without any advanced planning involved in buying that ticket.
Thanks again
November 16, 2009 at 5:49 pm |
You’d have to be Pangloss not to find this book a little depressing, but an excellent read nonetheless. Fault-finding is always a pleasure: ‘Dumbarton Central … has globe lamps which must have once burned oil’. I am surprised that anyone should think that a late-Victorian town station was ever lit by oil, or that a globe lamp burned oil. How would that work? I imagine that Sugg Lighting are flattered that its Rochester imitation gas bowl lamp, as seen at that station and many others, could be mistaken for a real antique. In turn, I am baffled at the author’s surprise that the Forth Road Bridge should be so called and his claim that this is unique. As it is a road bridge next to but built later than the Forth Bridge what else would it be called? The Tay Bridge, his very next topic, has a younger rival called the Tay Road Bridge. Anyway, carps aside this book should be a wake-up call to government and the rail industry, though I fear it won’t be.
December 7, 2009 at 4:05 pm |
Thank you for “Eleven Minutes Late”. What a terrific book. I am a life long railway enthusiast, and work for one of the TOCs as a guard. Even so I learnt many new things from this book.
I had no Idea that nationalisation was considered as early as 1844, or that the government controlled goods rates from the late 19th century onwards.
Since reading your book I’ve done some research of my own and found that the pre-grouping railways really had very little idea of which parts of their operations were profitable, and which were not. They seem to have had very little conrol of their finances and no idea of modern business accounting. ( was this true of all Victorian industries?)
In the 1900′s this started to affect share values and they were forced to sharpen up their act a little, improving efficiency just in time for the first world war.
The Government leased the private companies for a fixed annual fee for the duration of the war, but I can find no evidence that this was ever paid, suggesting that the grouping was really a way for the government to avoid its financial obligations.
All of the Big Four were saddled with huge debts carried over from their constituent companies and this was one of the main reasons, along with road competition, that, apart from the LMS and the Southern, they never made a profit for the shareholders.
After the second world war the government once again got out of its obligations, this time by nationalising the railways. Something else that I learnt from your book was that the cost of the buyout had to be paid back by BR. Do you know if it was ever paid off? Or are we still paying it!!!
I agree with almost everything you say about BR. Its fashionable, now, to look back on BR days with nostalgia, but there were many, many mistakes made under the old system, which I don’t believe the old companies would have made if they had survived, such as continuing to build small tank engines for branch line work, and the way in which the modernisation plan was carried out.
However I think that BR in the eighties and early nineties was about the best system that it was possible to get for the money we were prepared to pay.
I don’t agree that privatisation has been an unmitigated disaster. There are far more train services now, most of them running more or less to time, and carrying far more passengers. Yes, some of this is due to population growth, prosperity and increased road congestion, but i do think that some of it is also down to better customer service, increased train frequency and better marketing.
Yes, there are still some surly railway staff, but in my experience, the majority are far more helpful and courteous than in BR days.
Also in my experience a very large number of fares represent excellent value for money. Its easy to quote First Class Open Returns, some of which are shockingly expensive ( The railway Magazine this month mentions Britain’s first £1000 fare from Newquay to Fort William, 1st Open Return) But on the other side of the coin I get many favourable comments from passengers regarding Saver and Cheap Day tickets, most of which can be purchased on the day of travel, and used on any off peak service outbound, and any train at all on the return portion.
There are problems certainly, one of them being that many people do not realise that we are all subsidising the private companies to the tune of FIVE TIMES as much as BR ever got from the taxpayer. I reckon that if BR had got that kind of money we would now have the best railway system in the world.
Finally, a comment on punctuality. Reggie Perrin’s comment about retiming his train to arrive eleven minutes later so that it was always on time seemed like a joke back in the seventies. As you rightly say in your book, it has now become reality. But isn’t this what people want? To know the time their train will arrive at its destination so that they can plan ahead?
I think that gung-ho timetables may be more important to enthusiasts than to passengers.
The Swiss, who have the best reputation in Europe for punctuality, have only acheived their reputation by having plenty of recovery time in the schedule and by allowing for long dwell times at stations.
January 5, 2010 at 6:14 pm |
Yes, I did have misgivings on first seeing the ‘artistic’ cover of this book about whether it would really be a serious book about railways. I am now pleased that I did go ahead and found an apology for the curious depiction of wrong line working. Are authors just not allowed to have any control over dust jacket design ? It frequently seems so.
Anyway, I have indeed been seriously entertained by this exposition of the policy disasters, accidental mistakes and miscalculations and general inertia of politicians.
However, I do find railways rather more interesting than politicians, and I enjoy their odd geography and the fascinating places to which they can, or could, take me. I can happily join the author as
I dream of trains to Par and Rye,
To Ash and Bow, Ayr, Ore and Lye,
To Usk, Eye, Ide, Cam, Cwm and Quy,
To Ely, Lee (and Lea) and Moy,
To Box and Wem and Hay and Hoy;
From Aby all the way to Wye.
Not forgetting Welsh Hook for St. Lawrence (Pembs) Halt, surely the smallest station with the longest name ?
As for Llanfairpwll etc. this is only a genuine station name when unencumbered by its long-winded etcetera, however attractive it may be with its hint of whirlpool, cave and wooded glade.
January 8, 2010 at 6:55 pm |
I agree with all the praise for the book. But what you would do about the railways if you were the Minister? Presumably you think that they are a public service and should be subsidised in some way; but I remember my father, who was an MP in the 1960′s, asking why his poor constituents in North London should subsidise better-off people who choose to commute in from outside London. or who travel on business. And do you really think that we could afford to electrify not just the main line from Paddington to Wales but the whole of the old GWR system?
January 13, 2010 at 7:29 am |
Your father’s constituents would subsidise the businessmen and commuters if they travel by road, payingthe price – financial and otherwise – for the environmental damage that causes. It make sense to encourage them not to travel by road.
After a century of pithering about, shall we just get the main line from Paddington electrified and discuss the branch lines later?
January 8, 2010 at 9:36 pm |
Matthew,
I enjoy a good argument too, but reluctantly found myself agreeing with you on most points
Thanks for putting my home station of Lancaster on your list of favourites, and for rightly slagging off the abandonment of Morecambe station (which was also formerly quite cute). I’ve not been yet, but I believe The Midland Hotel is worth a visit, though as yet Morcambe is a grotty dump – but I think it has scope for a renewal if the high quality but run down housing stock could be brought back from the dead.
I was pleased to get a name check – even if it wasn’t actually me, and I’d be pleased to be your friend too, though you might find my continually making fun of your smoking wearing
You seem to have missed a trick not doing the Settle/Carlisle route (unless I was daydreaming ?) – by all accounts it’s a magnificent sight with remarkable scenery.
I also very much enjoyed your sideswipes at Christian Wolmar and his recent book, Broken Rails, which is next on my list – and I was interested to have his status as an authority on the railways punctured! I suspect his contribution will be heavier going.
Thanks for an excellent read!
simon
January 13, 2010 at 7:25 am |
A terrifying thought: there is more than one Simon Barnes. Let me clarify two points:
1. Not sure even the other Simon, who I have known for 30 years, has ever seen me smoke.
2. Christian Wolmar is also a friend of mine. I disagreed with him on two specific points: (a) the question of whether Northampton snubbed the railway in the 1830s, which I believe to be a myth and (b) the role of John Major in privatisation, which Christian minimises. His work on privatisation in particular was vital source material for the book and will be for future scholars. I wouldn’t remotely argue with him on most railway subjects.
January 9, 2010 at 12:48 am |
Can I just point out the -ize ending is still in the Oxford English Dictionary and many supposed “Americanisms” are in fact Elizabethan Engishisms!
See Bill Bryson’s “Made in America” for more on the subject.
February 25, 2010 at 12:18 am |
After all the hard-hitting text, directed at private and nationalised railway organisation alike, the conclusion was interesting, almost “England, with all thy faults I love thee still.” It reminded me of a somewhat erudite statement I seem to remember reading in the Guardian (probably the Manchester Guardian at the time) – must have been on one of the few pages of that paper not referred to in 11 Minutes Late – when the last steam trains were running between Manchester London Road (later renamed Piccadilly, perhaps in the hope of getting it nearer the city centre) and Sheffield Victoria*
Back to this driver’s fond farewell to the steam locomotive: something to the effect that a steam engine was like a woman: you couldn’t tell why she was doing a particular thing at a particular time, but you loved her just the same.
*BR spent a lot of money on this line, which is a more direct route between the two cities than anything running today, electrifying it, building a brand new Woodhead Tunnel, and, naturally, closing it a few years later.
March 22, 2010 at 2:04 pm |
What a wonderfully depressing read! Although I have to say that the book really got into gear (perhaps got up steam is a better metaphor) in its later pages, perhaps because I identified more with that period.
I’d like to recount an anecdote about the late lamented Motorail services to Scotland. In the 80s we used them a number of times. From Bristol, we could drive to Crewe, and put our car on the train. Next morning, as the train approached Slochd summit, we would wake up and look out over the high moorland knowing that we’d avoided (most of) the M6 and all of the A9. An enormous Scottish breakfast while the car was unloaded at Inverness, and we were on the West Coast just two hours later. Or, if we wanted to visit the more southerly Highlands first, we could put the car on the train here in Bristol, to arrive in Edinburgh for breakfast.
Then, one day, I guess in the early 90s, we received a communication from the Motorail Service. It was emblazoned with the good news that Motorail services were being improved. But in order to improve the service – from Euston – all other Motorail services were being withdrawn.
I wrote and complained that this was no improvement to us, living in Bristol. To take advantage of these “improved” services meant driving 120 miles in the wrong direction, into the centre of London. I wrote that I could understand fully if financial considerations meant that the Bristol-Edinburgh and Crewe-Inverness had to be withdrawn, but that, as a valued customer, I would have appreciated a regretful apology that this was so more than an ebullient advertisement about a service that was no longer useful to us.
The reply, from a functionary whose name I no longer remember, held no hint of regret, but served up yet more enthusiasm for a service that now, sadly, no longer exists at all.
April 2, 2010 at 1:58 pm |
This book has been a delight to read. I’m taking it in sips like a good wine but getting to the end of the “bottle”. We used to get those Pacer things around here – sent from Sheffield as a rule as they have a grudge against Hull. However I think someone shot one with a bazooka and the rest of the bloody things cleared off back to South Yorkshire. I can reccommend Hull Trains as at least the staff make an effort at civility but its a good idea not to go on holiday with any luggage or else put it all in a carrier bag. Thank you Matthew, you speak eloquently for the millions of us poor buggers who can do nothing about our railways.
April 7, 2010 at 5:22 pm |
A huge THANK YOU for writing ’11 Minutes Late’ – an excellent read perfectly describing the average Briton’s love/hate relationship with the railways and explaining the background as to how this has developed since the very earliest days of rail.
One short anecdote – a number of years ago I had the effrontery to complain about a cancelled train and was told that, if I had been a ‘one off’ traveller, they would have been pleased to offer me compensation. However, unfortunately and regretfully, because I was a regular commuter, the Passenger Charter precluded them offering me any compensation for the delay to my journey.
I pointed out to them that the Passenger Charter could not possibly preclude them from doing anything of the kind, as it is a statement of the minimum service I should expect from them, not the maximum. They did not respond.
NB// I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you haven’t heard anything about Umerji – his name badge was obviously incorrect – on joining Virgin and being asked his name, I’m guessing that he replied “Ummm…errrrr….Jim” but the machine that printed his badge couldn’t cope with a name that long.
)
April 14, 2010 at 4:35 pm |
I have just finished reading Eleven Minutes Late. What a great read. My late father would have agreed with your sentiments about the state of the railways today. He worked 49 years on the railway finishing as signlaman in the station box at Ipswich (now sadly demolished). Just one other comment – to get from Melton Constable to Fakenham and King’s Lynn you need to head west and not east as written on page 190. If anyone is in the area a visit to Sheringham Station and the North Norfolk Railway is well worth while especially to see the line now reconnected to the Sheringham – Norwich Branch.
April 16, 2010 at 6:02 pm |
I worked for The Southern Region in the Permanent Way Office at Waterloo and although I was not from a ‘Railway’ family I came to love many of the older Southern Railway/ Southern region men and it was almost all men in the 50′s & 60′s. It wasn’t the men involved as we were in the hope of higher speeds and quality track that made such a mess of these railways – even your book points out – when the politico’s etc left the rlwys to themselves (Both World wars in particular) splendid results happened and the systems were kept going without much investment.
I enjoyed much of your book but thought it rather a callous view of a very badly treated industry.
Thanks – Happy in Florida – Even without Railways !
August 3, 2010 at 8:51 pm |
Just finished Eleven Minutes late whilst on holiday in the south of France – a great read. As a 12 year old I used to travel to Forres from Plymouth via London and the sleeper to Inverness; whilst an incredibly exciting thing to do then I think that even I was aware that all was not well with our railways. Yes, we were served dreadful tea and a biscuit but to pull up the blind and see the snow capped hills…… still takes my breath away thinking of it. I agree about Plymouth station being grim! But I was served my first illegal half pint there in the buffet bar on Platform 7 so it can’t be all bad.
It does make my blood boil to read confirmation of such crass incompetence by so many people over such a long period of time. Down here they are pressing ahead with a new high speed link from Perpignan into Spain and despite holdups due to finances and politics it will happen. There is also a wonderful railway that celebrates its 100th anniversary this year; le petit train jaune from Villefranche-le-conflent to Latour du Carol, a wonderful branch line that fought closure and is now, of course, a roaring success. If you fancy having a look count me in!
Very best wishes and thank you.
Richard Bullard
September 10, 2010 at 6:22 pm |
It was an excellent read. If anything, I would say you were too kind to Virgin. I used to use them but tired of the constant pretence that everything was lovely in Virgin land and we should all be so happy! I now use East Midlands and Cross Country who at least doi not try to pretend they are wonderful and are usually punctual.
October 6, 2010 at 8:39 pm |
Not a bad book for a leftie, but had to smile when one of the few people given praise in the book was Lord adonis, the architect of some much chaos during ash cloud fiasco that left me stranded in Spain without anyone contact for a week.
January 1, 2011 at 10:03 pm |
Eleven Minutes Late was my best Christmas present this year. An excellent read, confirming some of my worst suspicions of the botched history of our railway system. Fortunately the wonderful sense of humour in the book prevented me from tearing my hair out in frustration and anger.
If you ever do an update, perhaps you might like to consider the effect of privatisation on the train-building industry. Due to the gap in ordering new trains while privatisation was taking place, the train builders at York and Leeds (Hunslet) went out of business. York had been building diesel and electric trains for many years, while Hunslet had built a new erecting shop to build just 43 electric trains. It could be argued that they relied entirely on British orders, but it seemed an example of the British Government going out of its way to damage British industry.
I was interested to see on page 268 that the government subsidy has gone up fivefold in the last 20 years. It would be interesting to have an estimate of the millions which have extracted from the railways into the pockets of directors of privatised companies.
Ah well – back to the dreadful 142s that we have suffered for the last 20 years on the Harrogate line (and 141s before that).
Congratulations on a brilliant book!
January 2, 2011 at 4:28 pm |
I’ve just finished reading 11 Minutes Late and would like to thank you for an entertaining and thought provoking book.
As I read I was amazed at the number of incidents and places it bought back to me.
The most recent was that we only moved from the village where David Nobbs lives in North Yorkshire about a year ago and I had the pleasure of knowing David and even organised a great ‘Bit of a Do with David Nobbs’ in aid of village hall funds. He was brilliant.
Way back in 1989 or so I spent a large number of weekend days at Quainton helping in the final phases of the restoration of GWR Express locomotive 6024 King Edward 1 and the piece about the Brill Tramway etc reminded me of a happy time. It also chimed because in the last few days my wife has traced my maternal grandfather’s family back to Brill, several generations ago.
I was also reminded of a night I spent staying at a hotel near Swindon back around 1993/4. The hotel wasn’t very busy but I recall there were a group of men in casual gear that were obviously on some sort of business course. From eavesdropping over a pre-dinner drink I gathered they were trying to work out the practicalities of selecting qualified bidders for rail franchises/businesses under the requirements that had been published. From their comments it was very obvious that they and their tutor/master were virtually making it up as they went along and were quite incredulous at the lack of planning/forethought. Definitely seat of the pants.
Between 2000 and 2006 I spent a lot of time travelling by rail from North Yorkshire to Edinburgh, Newcastle, Bristol, London and various other towns, mainly in the north. I went through some absolutely awful journeys during the post-Hatfield rail saga. I recall one from Bristol to which should’ve reached York about 8pm but eventually arrived after midnight and the station staff had to lay on taxis for the final 25 miles back home. After checking it was OK with VirginXC control first of course.
I really appreciated GNER in their prime and found Virgin XC to be quite good once they got new rolling stock (apart from the stench from some loos).
From what I understand I was lucky to miss the National Express era on the ECML and the new Cross Country franchise as well.
Now I’m living just within earshot of the WCML, a few miles south of Crewe, and wondering what they might propose with the northern extension of HS2. I still can’t work out why the southern part of HS2 has to head out so far west when the obvious route is to follow the WCML/M1 corridor?
Thanks once again. It would be nice to think that the Coalition have read ’11 minutes’ and resolved to actually sort matters once and for all. I think some bacon just fluttered past the study window……
February 9, 2011 at 2:36 pm |
Sad to see the Wrexham & Shropshire railway (as featured in the book) close down – great service, plenty of customers, scenic route, reasonable fares, but sadly it didn’t stack up financially. I would hope that someone covers this route again in the near future, perhaps when the franchises are re-tendered. The engineering work on the Chiltern line between Marylebone and Birmingham (through which W&S travelled) will after all reduce journey times in a few months time.
February 13, 2011 at 8:12 am |
Sadly Tom I doubt if anyone else will pick up the W&S baton unless the economics of the route change drastically. W&S was an ‘open access’ service, so not part of the government’s franchising ystem. Effectively ‘open access’ means that a company comes up with a route that’s not covered by anyone else. They then jump through all sorts of regulatory hoops and are allowed to run the service. Some seem to succeed, regrettably W$S failed. That’s the nature of the beast. Mind you they weren’t helped by Virgin using their franchise contract clauses to stop them picking up passengers at Wolverhampton. If that had been allowed things might have been different.
February 13, 2011 at 8:23 am |
Frankly, I’m amazed it lasted as long as it did. Deprived of passengers to and from the main population centres en route, the trains could not possibly be competitive. It’s yet another disaster for passengers because it will entrench the view among the train operators and the government that they can keep ratcheting up fares and reducing the service for ever without fear of a backlash from passengers. And the joy of eating properly on a train recedes ever further into memory… Matthew
June 14, 2011 at 9:17 am |
What an interesting read this was.
Your analysis of the plight of our railway system is unfortunately very accurate and will not change for the better any time soon.
I am from a ‘Railway’ family being Glasgow based and the utter demise of the industry there is shocking, due mainly to the lack of vision and enterprise shown by buiders of locos and BR policy towards new methods of propulsion. Remember North British and their deisel teamed with Voith? ‘The Springburn Story’ is worth a read.
I agree with many of your readers that the same observations can be applied to the NHS, MOD, DTI, Aircraft Industry,County Councils and Government Planning (or lack of it). I have many scars from dealing with these organizations.
Britain does not do planning very well for some reason, and continually confuse strategy with short term expediency. This results in muddle and confusion from Government which discourages longer term investment from competent businesses..
In the past we were able to get by as the rest of the world was playing catch up, but our international competitors are equal or ahead of us in attitude, investment and technology. The urgency to vastly improve our performance seems to be lacking and I fear for the wealth of our nation as a result. As you say we are to blame for allowing the polititians to get away with it, and we can only hope that they will one day look to the national interest instead of their own short term greedy interests.
August 18, 2011 at 3:42 pm |
Like most of your message posters, I very much enjoyed the book.
What is interesting, is that most of the examples of applied stupidity you mention, I have also been highlighting, over the last couple of years in a series of slide presentations, based on the aftermath of the ‘Modernisation Plaln’ so was not too surprised in your backing up my assessments of the appallingly poor management of BR. Yes Minister may have been a comedy show, but it sums up all that is ‘best’ in the way we run the country – ‘But Minister, don’t you realise that if we do something, we can be blamed for it?’, sums it up a treat.
You are quite correct in your assessment of the weakness of the ‘adoption of diesel vs avoidance of electrification’ argument. In his book ‘The Last Steam Locomotive Engineer – R. A. Riddles’, Col H.C.B. Rogers quotes Riddles’ assessment of cost/horsepower’ in 1950, for steam, diesel, electric and gas turbines as: £13-6-0; £65-0-0; £17-12-10 and £69-7-0 respectively (pre-decimal coinage) which explains why he was so keen to hang on to steam, prior the full electrification. Was he listened to?
One aspect that the railway signally ignored, from day one, in 1948, was the banging of heads together, to get rid of the parochialism left over from the ‘Big Four’ and getting across, as we had to in private sector industry, that we might not like our new circumstances, but you had to bite the bullet and accept it, forgetting the past – it’s gone.
That this resulted in poor management and waste and is illustrated in the often total non-acceptance of change. A classic example is the continuation of running ‘side-by-side’ stations (Leamington Spa General and Avenue is a perfect example of this) running up cost and ignoring each other.
That this poor cost control led to Marples/Beeching ought to come as no surprise, but even this opportunity was handled appallingly badly. I recently listened to a recording of Beeching attempting to justify his actions. One total blind spot he seemed to have, was that you couldn’t serve one place with two routes (eg London – Exeter or Birmingham). In terms of flying, this is completely sensible, as you only have contact at the two terminals. The rail situation is totally different in that each route served different places and actually helped pay its way.
Finally, perhaps the only bit you didn’t major on, in terms of cost and waste was what I have now re-named Health and Stupidity. That we have let this legislation run riot, not due to any increase in danger, but to an idiotic fear of litigation, not aided by the legal system, yet again does little credit to government or management.
If the Germans, Swiss and Austrians, who are, in real terms, far more safety conscious than we are, can re-lay track, even in tunnels (I’ve seen it being done) without closing down the entire system, why can’t we?
Also, the day after Hatfield, I was told by a senior manager of one the infrastructure companies,that the cause was a broken rail, so why was the railway then closed for twelve weeks for an investigation, when the answer was known?
Not a pretty sight, is it?
September 8, 2011 at 6:57 pm |
Have just finished your book. Despite being a depressing tale largely, I really enjoyed it. I’m glad you recorded some of the better quirkiness of the railways. My best experience of that was a few years ago at a little station in Cambridgeshire. I was due to visit a local school and had half-an-hour to spare. Once I’d got off the train I therefore decided to eat my sandwiches on the platform in the sun. No sooner had I opened the packet and unscrewed the bottle than the stationmaster (yes, it still had one!) appeared with a plate for my sandwiches and a glass for the water. “Never let it be said that we at ************ (name redacted as I’m sure he broke any number of by-laws) Station do not know how to treat visitors,” he explained. Once I’d finished my meal he returned with a mug of coffee. “I believe it is appropriate to conclude a meal with a Cognac but, alas, I can only offer you coffee.”
October 3, 2011 at 8:17 pm |
Hello im the little gem from Arriva called Paul that is not really a Paul best kept secret. Pleased some chivalry still exists in Cambridge. If you get on my train I will try to duplicate your exp.
Happy Easter and will look forward to selling you some Squirrels on Sticks.
October 27, 2011 at 8:56 pm |
as an earlier correspondent posted i’m reading the book in short breaks “like sipping a fine glass of wine”. i still believe our railways should be nationalised as many people in historical context and further to the right than me equally believed and believe. it is not nostalgia to reflect on the pre- beeching joy of the meandering journey of my youth from liverpool to bala for family holidays. the final journey from the junction through to bala to be greeted by auntie ida with the comment “ach look at your lovely white shirt ruined” and the ever wide grin on my face. we are all familiar with the history and presence of the system and can laugh while raging at the good!doctor and the loathsome marples.privatisation has enraged and given us much guinness filled amusement such as the lorry that has, to my knowledge alone, crashed into the bridge between warrington and manchester THREE times and delayed our arrival at oxford road. it is often commented that the british are only happy when they have something to complain about but i do believe that if we had a rail system as the rest of europe enjoys someone somewhere would be heard reflecting “but it’s not like the old days!”
thank you matthew for some very enjoyable BUS trips home from work!