This is the Age of the Train

When travelling between Edinburgh and London, I like to do as the British Rail advert used to say and ”let the train take the strain”. However, it is usually a forgone conclusion, that if I arrive at the train even only a couple of minutes after the departure platform has been announced, there will invariably be someone already sitting pretty in the seat which I have reserved in advance, ignoring the world and concentrating hard with their head buried in a newspaper or a laptop.

 

But I have reserved a particular seat for a reason as I am now a bit set in my ways and like a window, table, charging point and to be facing in the direction of travel! I then have to politely inform them of the error of their ways and ask them to move which they do, but often with mild indignance, making a show of the trouble I am putting them to and some quiet “huffing”.

 

On one occasion recently at Kings Cross, on a late Sunday afternoon, with the Edinburgh bound train heaving with the weekenders heading home, my wife and I arrived at our seats to find a much younger couple happily sitting in them. The guy was half my age, shaved head, twice my size and looked like he did weight training in the gym…every day…all day. I started to explain to him his mistake but he was having none of it and became quite irate. My wife was gently nudging me in the back, encouraging me to just leave it, as she was worried the man might just decide to pulverise me if I pushed him too far.

 

But the train was so busy I knew we would probably not find seats until halfway up the track, probably around York. So, I persisted. Eventually on examining both sets of tickets it turned out he and his partner were booked on a later train. Duh! No apologies though, but he ungraciously gave up the seats and I kept clear of any left hooks that might come way as he departed.

 

The moral of this story is, when travelling the East Coast mainline, or indeed any long distance train journey, get there in advance and leg it from the departure board to your seat on the train as soon as the platform is announced to avoid the most likely and tiresome “ousting someone from your seat” farce.

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