The wrong kind of sun

[Guest]

I see the heat on overhead cables has caused problems for National Express trains operating out of Liverpool Street. First it was the wrong kind of snow....

[Stillhomewardbound]

I'm working close to Liverpool Street and I would have to say that it is exceptionally warm.

Almost felt like passing out after my cycle in from Blackheath.

[salymap]

......then the wrong kind of leaves, now.....

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I really wish the weather forecasters would stop referring to hot sunny days as "beautiful, fine weather". They should stick to facts, rather than making judgements. If you have hay fever, there's nothing worse than a hot sunny day, unless it is so prolongued that it kills off the grass.

I must admit, the Liverpool Street debacle stretched credulity beyond reason. Can't they do anything in the south-east of England?

[Suffolkcoastal]

The Norwich to London line is just about the most appalling one in the country. Hardly a day goes by without a problem. Almost everytime I have the misfortune of having to use it the train on this line it is late. To go to London from the Norwich area, it is best to travel to Cambridge and you have two options. The Cambridge to Liverpool Street line seems to have far fewer problems as does the Cambridge to Kings Cross line.

[salymap]

I travelled to Charing Cross for many years on the really notorious Dartford loopline, which must have been in the running for the worse line ever. We either stopped at London Bridge, a dreadful junction admittedly, for what seemed like hours, or had to change trains somewhere for a variety of reasons.The trains varied between 4 and 8 carriages and running up and down the platform for a seat was the norm when it arrived late at Sidcup in the morning. Happy days.

[Dave2002]

I see the heat on overhead cables has caused problems for National Express trains operating out of Liverpool Street. First it was the wrong kind of snow....

Not sure - was it 2008 or 2009 [more likely?] where some of the lines had trains which had to run at 20mph (or less, or not at all) because the rails were bending? I recall services in and out of Birmingham, to places like Shrewsbury, being affected.

[Serial_Apologist]

I travelled to Charing Cross for many years on the really notorious Dartford loopline, which must have been in the running for the worse line ever. We either stopped at London Bridge, a dreadful junction admittedly, for what seemed like hours, or had to change trains somewhere for a variety of reasons.The trains varied between 4 and 8 carriages and running up and down the platform for a seat was the norm when it arrived late at Sidcup in the morning. Happy days.

It should have been renamed as the Loopy Loop!

[french frank]

Oh, ar! I was just going to post details of the latest train story, which are here.

You would think that this country's climate was fluctuating between extremes of cold and heat

[Panjandrum]

I really wish the weather forecasters would stop referring to hot sunny days as "beautiful, fine weather".

Well it is, isn't it? Some of us like to get the summer we've paid for!

[Norfolk Born]

The Norwich to London line is just about the most appalling one in the country. Hardly a day goes by without a problem. Almost everytime I have the misfortune of having to use it the train on this line it is late. To go to London from the Norwich area, it is best to travel to Cambridge and you have two options. The Cambridge to Liverpool Street line seems to have far fewer problems as does the Cambridge to Kings Cross line.

Unsurprisingly (or should that read 'surprisingly'?) - NXEA have not been included on the shortlist of candidates for the new franchise, which is going to run, I think, for only a year and a bit before something called the Greater Anglia set-up is introduced. I'm sure we never had these problems with dear old Anglia Railways, especially as they were in competition, over part of the route, with First Great Eastern.

[Ferretfancy]

I've just returned from a rail holiday in Spain, which was roastingly hot. Nevertheless all the trains ran to the minute, and the air conditioning was excellent. It feels much more uncomfortable in London today, because as always the humidity is so high. I say as always, but I remember the sort of pleasant English summers which seem to have largely disappeared

[BBMmk2]

I think we are experiencing a period of change of seasons, imo.

[Roehre]

I really wish the weather forecasters would stop referring to hot sunny days as "beautiful, fine weather". They should stick to facts, rather than making judgements. If you have hay fever, there's nothing worse than a hot sunny day, unless it is so prolongued that it kills off the grass.

Wholeheartedly seconded

[StephenO]

Wholeheartedly seconded

And wholeheartedly thirded. I'm off to the North Pole at the first opportunity. Plenty of Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich in the meantime.