Please explain this story to me

[BrilloPad]

BBC News - Northern commuters are in "cattle trucks" says Clegg

Commuters in the north of England are travelling in "cattle trucks that would be deemed unfit in other parts of the country".

Sounds fit for purpose to me. I suppose they don't spong as much as the Scots.

Independence for London.

[barrydidit]

BBC News - Northern commuters are in "cattle trucks" says Clegg

Commuters in the north of England are travelling in "cattle trucks that would be deemed unfit in other parts of the country".

Sounds fit for purpose to me. I suppose they don't spong as much as the Scots.

Independence for London.

That's so they can sluice out the whippet tulip after every journey.

Northern rail rolling stock is an utter disgrace. They must be immensely profitable - buy shares now.

[woohoo]

BBC News - Northern commuters are in "cattle trucks" says Clegg

Commuters in the north of England are travelling in "cattle trucks that would be deemed unfit in other parts of the country".

Sounds fit for purpose to me. I suppose they don't spong as much as the Scots.

Independence for London.

Trolling again.

[OwlHoot]

BBC News - Northern commuters are in "cattle trucks" says Clegg

Commuters in the north of England are travelling in "cattle trucks that would be deemed unfit in other parts of the country".

Sounds fit for purpose to me. I suppose they don't spong as much as the Scots.

Independence for London.

What's "spong" - A mixture of smell and pong?

Seems a bit harsh - I'm sure they wash occasionally

[d000hg]

When I used to commute Durham to Newcastle by train, it was awful. You'd rarely get a seat and typically end up crammed like sardines in a hot sweaty tin can.

So, remarkably like commuting in London.

[SimonMac]

BBC News - Northern commuters are in "cattle trucks" says Clegg

Commuters in the north of England are travelling in "cattle trucks that would be deemed unfit in other parts of the country".

Sounds fit for purpose to me. I suppose they don't spong as much as the Scots.

Independence for London.

Any train in the rush hour will be packed, anyone been on the Tube recently(!)

But yeah the north massivly lacks investment in public transport that London has, the Leeds Super Tram has been a pipe dream for as long as I remember

[ZARDOZ]

We have this new fangled invention called the car nowadays much more efficient than a bus on rails.

[DodgyAgent]

Any train in the rush hour will be packed, anyone been on the Tube recently(!)

But yeah the north massivly lacks investment in public transport that London has, the Leeds Super Tram has been a pipe dream for as long as I remember

Is rush hour when they all go and collect their benefits just before the pub opens?

[barrydidit]

Ah, yes, the bus on rails of which you speak:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacer_(train)

A class 142 (Pacer) appears to comprise the majority of the Northern Rail flee. The 185's you mention are indeed luxury but these are Transpennine services (along with the slightly crapper 170's), rather than Northern Rail. Despite the comparative luxury, there is no difference in price between a journey taken on a 185 and a 142.

Of course, the 185 does offer a passable contractor class in which to escape the worst of the horror of the travelling public. A 142 needs to invest in rudimentary basics like suspension, doors which actually fit together when 'closed', windows which keep out the wind/rain and seats which are held in place by something other than the weight of the poor sod sitting upon them.

[DaveB]

Is rush hour when they all go and collect their benefits just before the pub opens?

Judging by the crowd of usual suspects outside the Leeds Station Wetherspoons at 8:15 in the morning, with a pint of larger in one hand and a fag in the other, yes.