Earlswood Station Rain storm...

...it's just absolutely horrible at the moment (last couple of communting days exactly the same)...today the early train was completely cancelled thanks to flooding at Christ's hospital...this can't have been a surprise can it?  Could they not have started it from Horsham on this occasion?  What about tomorrow?

Freezing Fog and Jubilee Line Fire

Ah well, here we go, the proper proper cold weather starts here...Well actually to be more precise, it started on Friday night when I was attempting to get home...got down to the Jubilee line (having dashed through the torrential downpour between One Canada Square and the tube entrance) only to be met with reduced gate entry and a huge queue...not a good sign...when I got down to platform level things were even worse, 3/4 of the space was taken up with people trying to get back west, so I hopped on a waiting eastbound service (thinking I could cunningly switch back after one stop and skip the wait, maybe even get a seat if I were very lucky)...when the train pulled away the driver came on over the tannoy system - "Just a quick announcement, if any of you happen to have friends or colleagues following on the train behind, they are stopped at Canada Water with reports of a strange smell, so they might be delayed a while"...

At the O2 I flew across to the westbound platform and jumped onto the waiting train which, two minutes of uncomfortable waiting later, my worst fears were confirmed "Sorry folks, the Jubilee line is now suspended in both directions due to a track-side fire at Canada Water"...wonderful...so everyone on both the trains headed upstairs, into the freezing rain, to try and figure out which bus to get...as I was checking signs I missed a bus that said it was going to Waterloo (argh!), but when the next one pulled in, no-one seemed interested in getting on, checking the front it said it was going to Greenwich (which I had a hunch had a DLR stop and a mainline station), so I hopped on, really just to get out of the rain (but there were also enough grumpy commuters waiting to fill two double deckers, so it could have been a bit of a wait)...

About 15 stops later, at Greenwhich high street, lots of people hopped off, so I followed suit, asking as I trudged, getting more and more drenched, which way the station was, and finally found it...but not before I was freezing cold and absolutely soaked...I got up onto the (extremely windy) platform and found that a London Bridge train was due in 10 minutes (delayed), so finally made it to London Bridge about an hour and a half later, and much colder than I should have been...

Today it's freezing fog (which had me walking up and down the platform to stay warm) but at least it isn't pouring with rain...

There and Back again - Earlswood to Canary Wharf

So last night wasn't too bad, with a bit of digging around I discovered that they have put on an extra (what they call) "semi fast" train (i.e. not "fast" meaning direct, but not a "stopping service" either) at just past six from London Victoria...

I zoomed from the office on the dot of close of business and legged it down to the Jubilee line (platform couldn't have been much busier, but when the train came we all managed to pile on somehow), changed at Westminster for the Circle and District line and arrived with about 5 minutes to spare - looking at the ravening hoard on the main concourse I decided to take a gamble and went for the mini display near the platforms where Redhill trains normally depart, as it's that much closer (so more chance of a seat)...as I waited, so a couple of business men were taking bets on whether it would leave from 18 or 19 ("It's got to be platform 19") and of course (as always happens at Victoria, and I had honestly forgotten) everyone broke into a run towards Platform 15 when it popped up, causing our friend who was poised to run through the crowd to the right to be left standing...I got my seat (phew) just starting to get comfortable when an announcement blared out "Apologies Ladies and Gentlemen, but there has been a mistake" (Oh No!) "this service will now not be calling at Purley"...queue a load of gasps and swear words and about a third of the people on my carriage got off again, making space for the desperate folks running up the train looking for space to clamber aboard...

Anyway, got to Redhill and they have actually got things rather well arranged there - from the plentiful "Here to help" staff in HVJs to the proliferation of very clear signs to the replacement buses -

- which didn't stop zooming past as I was waiting for Flyingpops to buy her ticket to Birmingham for her meeting today...

This morning we awoke to find that snow/hail had fallen overnight (the first time this has happened in October, in the London area since 1934), so it was a bit of a mad dash to get the car scraped and defrosted, then of course the *only* train I can get into London from Earlswood in the morning had a technical fault (probably the same one the car had) and was about ten minutes late (and totally packed when it arrived - managed to score a seat at East Croydon though), got into Victoria at about 0825 (pretty good!) - District and Circle was fine (took the secret entrance at Victoria to miss the crowds - shhh!) and then had to wait for about 12 minutes at Westminster for a Jubilee line train...

I *just* made my desk before 9am...

Certainly not loving it, but thus far I have *just* managed to keep to semi-normal commuting times (thanks only to these sparce semi-fast trains though)...anyway, only 5 more journeys to go before things should return to normal (wish me luck)...

TFL - Refunds and free SMS service updates

So, I'm doing things from now on -

1) If my tube journey is delayed by over 15 minutes per day, I'm filling out this form, done it twice now, and each time been refunded my £4 tube fare (nice), just wish the mainline train companies would offer that, however, they say they won't help you unless the delay is in excess of an *hour*...which only happens once in a blue moon...

2) I'm also having a go at the free automatic SMS travel alerts service, it texts you whenever you like to let you know how your *exact* tube journey is looking (so for me it's London Bridge to Canary Wharf, morning and evening) just 5 or 10 minutes before you are due to actually do it and inform you of any delays, so in theory, if the tube is mucking up I will now never ever have to go down the escalator to find out that fact...I'll just be able to walk straight to the boat and then submit my complaint form! Result!

Jubilee Line this morning...

...seems to be full of problems, just lucky I missed them! All around me are tales of delays and woe - "Yeah, everything is delayed", "Just had some woman faint on me! Landed right on my legs where I was sat" - so seems like I had a lucky escape! Might be something to do with the distinctly "jafakan" announcer at London Bridge who was urging everyone "If you see any space in de carriage just push right on, go raiight far it, that way we alll gettin' where we want much quick, aiiri?"...