What is the point...

Of National Rail's Enquiry Line?

To my endless regret, I've just called it to ask how many arms and legs my new season ticket will cost me this year.

After 20 minutes split into roughly two minutes talking to the thickest individual it has ever been my misfortune to speak to and 18 minutes listening to silence I still have no idea.

His final offering was to go and ask at Braintree Station. Probably the only sensible thing I got out of him.

I'm intrigued...

To see NXEA have begun to de-brand their trains ready for when they have to give up the franchise in February.
I've now seen a number of Class 321 EMUs with either no branding at all, or with obvious signs of having had the NXEA decals removed.
Things are beginning to move.

At Chelmsford...

And as expected, the train is now f*cking deserted after the bastards all got off.

Now we've been informed that because the Braintree train ahead still hasn't arrived, we're being sidelined for 15 minutes so every other twat and his dog can go past.

What are the odds this train gets terminated at Witham?

Despite....

The dishonest bullshit being spouted by the idiot on the tannoy at Canary Wharf tonight, there was most definitely not a "good service" on the Jubilee Line again.

Having to watch 3 packed trains together with the inevitable and pointless empty train which terminated at North Greenwich made that abundantly clear.

Coupled with that, was the shambles caused by the now weekly nutjob chucking themselves in front of a train at Romford.

I'm currently on the totally rammed 1809. As usual in these cases, it's filled to capacity with Chelmsford arseholes.

4 grand for this crap.

Another morning...

With delays.

The 0726 is currently running at least 10 minutes late and as usual there's absolutely no indication why.

Postscript to Friday

The Witham train I  caught didn't have the easy journey I was hoping for.

We spent at least half an hour waiting outside Shenfield for a platform to become available even though the train wasn't actually scheduled to stop there.

Even when a platform did become free the train pulled into it and stopped for another 40 minutes or so. It was there so long the driver got permission to open the doors to allow people off to stretch their legs.

Then while all that was going on, the station tannoy announced a Colchester train would be leaving from a different platform in a couple of minutes. Cue a mad dash by most of the passengers on our train across to the other one.

I stayed and was rewarded with a near empty train that departed a couple of minutes after the Colchester.

I finally got to Witham at about 10 past eight, and arrived home about twenty minutes later.

In all an hour and three-quarters' journey took almost 4 hours.

Woo-hoo....

On a Witham train, even got a seat.

Just leaving Stratford now

Nope..

The 1809 isn't on time.

And the next train is yet another f*cking Southend one.

Nothing going north of Shenfield has gone through since this shit began. When they do start it'll be impossible to get on any of them.

Typically...

The next train into Stratford after the Southend one left is another one going to bloody Southend.

And the next one is as well... Do these idiots not know there are other places people want to get to?

Just wandered over to platform 10A as the screens are saying the 1809 for Braintree will be on time. Yeah right.

Even if it is as it's likely to be one of the first trains to leave Liverpool St it'll be swarming with Chelmsford scum.

Still...

Stuck at Stratford.

The pillocks running things haven't a bloody clue between them.

Their only idea is to tell people to f*ck off somewhere else.

There are thousands of people with nowhere to go.

News....

Trains have just begun running again, the Southend train that was standing at platform 10 has just left.

But it's going to take hours to clear this, especially as every train from Liverpool St is going to be chocker with Chelmsford arseholes.

Absolutely the worst...

Place anywhere on the NXEA network for an incident to occur is Romford.

Every northbound service goes past there.

So it came as no surprise to arrive at Stratford this evening and discover someone had been hit by a train just there.

Absolutely nothing is moving along the entire network.

Still no idea...

What's going on, the train that was blocking platform 10 has finally left.

Waiting for info on the Clacton train... Silence.

Update:

The Clacton train has just pitched up and, as usual, it's absolutely rammed with Chelmsford arseholes. So as usual I get to stand all the way to Chelmsford.

And I pay the thick end of 4 grand for this crap.

Here we go again.

Just arrived at Stratford after having waited 3 trains to get on the Jubilee Line to find a train blocking platform 10.

As usual there's absolutely no information forthcoming from the muppet on the tannoy.

As I thought...

As soon as we got to Chelmsford all the arseholes swarmed off and I could finally sit down.

I suspect the gormless twats arrived at Liverpool St, saw their usual trains were delayed. So employing all their lemming like stupidity they swarmed across to the Braintree train which left on time thinking they'd get home a bit earlier than if they'd waited.

Only the trains the dozy toerags should have been on went sailing post while we were outside Stratford.

Another f*cking triumph.

Brilliant organisation...

By NXEA and/or National Rail now means this train which was on time is now 10 minutes late.

You couldn't make it up.

We're still...

Sitting outside Stratford, so far 3 late running trains have been allowed to overtake us.

Another...

Bolloxed nights travel. Currently sitting just outside Stratford for a poxy late-running Southend train to go past.

The Braintree train is rammed with people for I don't know where. Probably Chelmsford arseholes.

For the first time...

Since I have been travelling into London on NXEA, the 0812 is a class 360 train.

Fast, smooth, with nice comfy seats and, somewhat redundant today, air conditioning.

The 321's must all be broken. Long may it continue.

The 0812...

Is running at least 15 minutes late this morning.

I'm currently standing on the platform in a half gale with rain in the air. Not a nice day to run late.

What is it...

About Friday afternoons that causes the Jubilee Line to implode with monotonous regularity?

Once again there's been either a points and/or signal failure at Stratford that's shut the line down and as a result an entire trainload of people including me have just been slung off at North Greenwich; and with nothing running in either direction I can't even get back to Canary Wharf to get the DLR.

Update 1 @ 1719:

Another train has just pulled in and emptied out.

Update 2 @ 1722:

We've just been told there's a train due here shortly going back towards Canary Wharf.

Update 3 @ 1732: currently heading back towards Canary Wharf.

Update 4 @ 1734: back at Canary Wharf.  That's an hour to go nowhere.

Update 5 @ 1743: now on a packed DLR train with someone in terminal need of a shower and a can of deodorant.

Update last @ 1806: just departed Stratford the 1806 Ipswich train.

This will be the main route to the Olympics next year. God help us all.