So it’s a New Year. Happy New Year. People with synesthesia everywhere got excited when it struck 12am and became 01.01.11. (or perhaps the lack of variety made it less exciting…) Last week was quite busy:
If I start with the reports that rail fares will rise by 6.2% then finish with a light hearted piece that’ll keep you loving trains like I do – do you promise to keep riding the rails with me? Anyways, this is the news the average price of rail is going up 6.2%. The Guardian pointed out that motorists would share the financial pain as the price of filling a tank rose by £1.75. There’s argument too that the attention on rail network improvements is always centered around wealthier London commuters who will be paying 12% more. The best advice I can give you is to check out train times and book train tickets well in advance. On quno.com. *coughs.* I’m planning out all my journeys for this year as we speak. The Telegraph had more tips in their article on the subject.
Around 1,000 conductors went on strike last week, the day after Boxing Day. They wanted double pay on the extra public holidays – something anyone who’s worked in retail can identify with, especially as so many more institutions used to pay double. The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union said while Bank Holiday double pay had been traded for benefits such as higher salaries a few years ago, nothing had been agreed in respect of public holidays Boxing Day and the day after. The BBC reported that “Many trains between Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Leeds and Newcastle did not run.”
So finally, Obama, bless his cottons, wants to spread high-speed rail across the States. Master builder Robert Moses is quoted in TIME Magazine ; “Once you sink that first stake… they’ll never make you pull it up.” Fitting, seeing as Obama has $10.5 billion of the potential $1 trillion needed to have bullet trains traversing the country.