End of an era

So, that's it. As of Monday, Blackrod's 19 trains a day direct to Piccadilly become two. Two crumbs from the mighty table of Northern Rail and the subservient GMPTE. Presumably these two trains are timetabled in some sort of meaningful way to allow commuters some sort of choice? Err, no. One train is at 0721 and the next 0740. We then wait 23 hours and 41 minutes until the next service to the main Manchester stations. I'm not making this up.

So, the final day of services. Surely the excellent Northern Rail machine would have arranged an unending stream of razzmatazz to celebrate? A jazz band, perhaps. The staff in fancy dress. Garlands for all the happy commuters? Well, a more fitting tribute. The train was 50 minutes late and we had the pleasure of sitting on those terrible carriages with the bus doors. What are they? 30 years old.

The backdrop to this is that the City Council lost its Congestion Charge plebiscite by a landslide. Personally, I voted 'Yes'. The offer of £3 billion to restructure public transport in our region seemed like a gift we should not refuse; an opportunity of a lifetime. But that debate is for another time. The GMPTE is already sanctioning severe cuts to local services and forcing people onto the roads. Pathetic.