I live on the Northern line, which brings with it a fair degree of morning travel misery. I choose to live there – so I guess I have to live with it. It would appear too much for TFL to make it work properly.
However it’s not all bad – the randomness of the Northern line does make the morning commute more of a lottery. And this morning I hit the jackpot.
Having arrived at the station to the sight of five-deep crowds, I was resigned to a slow journey in. How many full trains would pass before I could get on? Would it be a Charring Cross branch train or would I have to change? Oh the excitement.
Having watched one train leave, filled to the brim, the next one up on the board was “out of service”. So imagine the surprise when the empty train pulled up, opened the doors, and explained that it was back in service! The fickle tube god had blessed me and my journey.
There is often discussion in the metro about the lack of smiling on the underground – but believe me, people were smiling this morning. There was a palpable sense of celebration.
I figure I probably have more chance of winning the lottery than an empty train ever pulling up in the morning rush hour again.