I Am The Passenger

Passenger. That's a word that's rarely uttered by the cattle-crushing-carriers that currently hold the mantle of national rail companies; no, to them we are "customers" and therefore are treated as such ie given poor service and offered a token refund when something goes wrong(should the stringent criteria for reclaiming the paltry payment actually be met beyond all reasonable doubt) whereas what actually matters is getting to where you are meant to going; ie your intended passage.

So step forward and take a bow GNER. I'm not saying they run the most timely service (they don't - read on), or that they have the most reliable trains (yet more hollow laughter is starting to bubble up here) but what they do have is their corporate heads screwed on the right way since they refer to us humble travellers as passengers - and what's more when things went "slightly" tits up on my recent epic travel from London to Whitby, they knew what was important which was getting four passengers to their "final" destination. Even if not by actual train-type thing.

Late running at Northallerton meant that the connection from London to Darlington - Middlesbrough-Whitby failed at the "arrive Darlington in time to get Middlesbrough to Whitby train" - now in my experience of rail delays, the standard response is a neo-Gallic shrug and the guidance to "wait for the next". Not so GNER - annoucement on the train that passengers for intending to go to Whitby should make themselves known to station staff at Darlington. I'm sure that this wasn't just so you could be assessed for Gothness - rather more that it was to inform the huddle of would-be Whitby Wanders that usually GNER would have got us a cab to catch the train at Middlesbrough but today was rather more special. Yes, your prize is a cab from Middlesbrough to Whitby. Methinks that they have had to use this ploy a few times in the past (hence comment about not being the most timely) but seeing as I've never even had a mumbled apology from other operators when minor delays have buggered up an onward journey, I was suitable impressed. I would continue to be a passenger but in a cab.

As the cab isn't a train it has the flexibility of being able to drop people directly home - and therefore I got a free tour of the Dales as well as being taken around some of the steepest, sheep raddled tracks I've been down for a while. Ever in fact. The one business traveller in the cab was getting slightly twitchy at the added detours but even he was momentarily gobsmacked when the late sun sunk to the line of the heathers/bracken/plant like red stuff in the horizon and light my world up in a blaze of orange. My camera was in the boot.

I was rather sorry to leave the chatty cabbie - and yes, I took up his recommendations of just where to drink in Whitby - it was again energising to be in the company of someone who was clearly passionate about his local surroundings and was as good an ambassador for tourism as you'd fine - but this was no "have a nice day" glibness, this was genuine "I am proud to show you my world" enthusiasm.

In fact the whole weekend was great - even if there were delays coming back - but no need for a cab this time, just the opportunity to smoke more CICS on a platform at York - stress, what stress

So although my journey took longer, it was more enjoyable than a three change strategy and the fact that was no stressing on the part of the train company dithering about what they are meant to do helped. GNER - thank you for remembering that passengers are more important than customers when it comes to getting where you need to go - afterall, if we were true customers, we'd have a choice.