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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2020 9:14:46 GMT
The time came for us to abandon ship and return to the house for the remainder of the year.
Curiously one of the ways the train company decided they could make us 'covid safe' was by increasing our train fares (with senior rail cards) from around £28 for us both to over £60 ... ah well I thought ... it's got to be done.
We now have to wear face coverings on the station, not just on the train, which seems slightly odd in what, in effect is an open air wind tunnel at Leamington.
Normally we get a direct train from Leamington to Sheffield ... however our considerate train company, to assist in keeping us 'covid safe' have decided to redirect some trains and change routes ... and we're one of the lucky recipients of such change.
This means we had to train into Birmingham Moor Street, walk a one way system requiring us to weave the length of four full platforms before being able to exit the station, walk through Birmingham centre to access Birmingham New Street, find our train and then wait with all the other passengers on a narrow, underground platform for twenty minutes as although the train was in and waiting, to keep us 'covid safe' it was locked and access was not permitted until 5 mins before departure.
What the hell ... we're all in masks I thought.
Once on the train I discovered I am not permitted to sit with my wife of 41 years as we all have to sit ONLY in a window seat to keep us all 'covid safe'.
However repeated public address announcements about distancing and staying 'covid safe' are regularly interupted to announce that there is a buffet car open at the end of the train selling exorbitantly priced tasteless food and drink... so I and everyone else, is free to wander up and down the train, with their purchases, but despite paying over sixty quid, I cannot sit with my wife as this would not be 'covid safe'.
I understand some people are very vulnerable to a respiratory infection, and that some people are very worried about this virus.
But these ever more absurd attempts at infection avoidance are beyond ridiculous, and there's no wonder a growing number of people seem to be resisting the nonsense.
It will be a shame if simple, sensible hygeine precautions become tainted with the bolted-on 'covid safe' idiocy to the detriment of the whole package.
After all ... what's the worry ... apparently you can only catch or spread covid after 10pm
Rog
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Post by lollygagger on Sept 26, 2020 9:25:30 GMT
In the name of being able to demonstrate a policy based on ill thought out swiftly drawn up rules, after going around in circles trying to tick those boxes this is the silly compromise you get. Boxes ticked, your safety is not the focus of the box tickers.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2020 9:43:56 GMT
Can't comment for certain on fares but if you had booked a day or two in advance you would almost certainly have saved money. I could book a ticket for Tuesday at around 20 quid and that is without a senior pass.
Looks like most trips on that route require a change at Birmingham New Street, only if you turn up at awkward times do you need to go to Moor Street.
I'm sure if you provided your passports and marriage certificate the Guard/Customer Host would have allowed you to sit together.
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Post by Clinton Cool on Sept 26, 2020 9:49:25 GMT
The time came for us to abandon ship and return to the house for the remainder of the year. Curiously one of the ways the train company decided they could make us 'covid safe' was by increasing our train fares (with senior rail cards) from around £28 for us both to over £60 ... ah well I thought ... it's got to be done. We now have to wear face coverings on the station, not just on the train, which seems slightly odd in what, in effect is an open air wind tunnel at Leamington. Normally we get a direct train from Leamington to Sheffield ... however our considerate train company, to assist in keeping us 'covid safe' have decided to redirect some trains and change routes ... and we're one of the lucky recipients of such change. This means we had to train into Birmingham Moor Street, walk a one way system requiring us to weave the length of four full platforms before being able to exit the station, walk through Birmingham centre to access Birmingham New Street, find our train and then wait with all the other passengers on a narrow, underground platform for twenty minutes as although the train was in and waiting, to keep us 'covid safe' it was locked and access was not permitted until 5 mins before departure. What the hell ... we're all in masks I thought. Once on the train I discovered I am not permitted to sit with my wife of 41 years as we all have to sit ONLY in a window seat to keep us all 'covid safe'. However repeated public address announcements about distancing and staying 'covid safe' are regularly interupted to announce that there is a buffet car open at the end of the train selling exorbitantly priced tasteless food and drink... so I and everyone else, is free to wander up and down the train, with their purchases, but despite paying over sixty quid, I cannot sit with my wife as this would not be 'covid safe'. I understand some people are very vulnerable to a respiratory infection, and that some people are very worried about this virus. But these ever more absurd attempts at infection avoidance are beyond ridiculous, and there's no wonder a growing number of people seem to be resisting the nonsense. It will be a shame if simple, sensible hygeine precautions become tainted with the bolted-on 'covid safe' idiocy to the detriment of the whole package. After all ... what's the worry ... apparently you can only catch or spread covid after 10pm Rog Indeed, total load of bollocks. All of humanity was born free, it's time to return to that.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2020 9:56:38 GMT
Booked on line days in advance ... the 1.26pm train was the cheapest ... we'd normaly travel around 10/11am but these were a hundred quid and over ... less passengers to be 'covid safe' so dearer prices.
Rail staff at Leamington advised me that our usual direct train to Sheffield has been changed for 'covid safe' reasons.
There were plans to reintroduce the direct train from 1 October ... but that may have been scrapped now.
I fully intended to sit with my wife on point of principal, and invite them to move me ... but Jane's a gentle, kind soul unlike me, and didn't want me to antagonise the conductor who she rightly pointed out was "just doing his job ... not his rules".
How exposing us to a twenty minute walk through Birmingham city centre, and a twenty minute scrum on an undergroung platform whilst more than doubling the fare, assisted us in keeping 'covid safe' is beyond me.
Rog
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Post by kris on Sept 26, 2020 9:57:47 GMT
The time came for us to abandon ship and return to the house for the remainder of the year. Curiously one of the ways the train company decided they could make us 'covid safe' was by increasing our train fares (with senior rail cards) from around £28 for us both to over £60 ... ah well I thought ... it's got to be done. We now have to wear face coverings on the station, not just on the train, which seems slightly odd in what, in effect is an open air wind tunnel at Leamington. Normally we get a direct train from Leamington to Sheffield ... however our considerate train company, to assist in keeping us 'covid safe' have decided to redirect some trains and change routes ... and we're one of the lucky recipients of such change. This means we had to train into Birmingham Moor Street, walk a one way system requiring us to weave the length of four full platforms before being able to exit the station, walk through Birmingham centre to access Birmingham New Street, find our train and then wait with all the other passengers on a narrow, underground platform for twenty minutes as although the train was in and waiting, to keep us 'covid safe' it was locked and access was not permitted until 5 mins before departure. What the hell ... we're all in masks I thought. Once on the train I discovered I am not permitted to sit with my wife of 41 years as we all have to sit ONLY in a window seat to keep us all 'covid safe'. However repeated public address announcements about distancing and staying 'covid safe' are regularly interupted to announce that there is a buffet car open at the end of the train selling exorbitantly priced tasteless food and drink... so I and everyone else, is free to wander up and down the train, with their purchases, but despite paying over sixty quid, I cannot sit with my wife as this would not be 'covid safe'. I understand some people are very vulnerable to a respiratory infection, and that some people are very worried about this virus. But these ever more absurd attempts at infection avoidance are beyond ridiculous, and there's no wonder a growing number of people seem to be resisting the nonsense. It will be a shame if simple, sensible hygeine precautions become tainted with the bolted-on 'covid safe' idiocy to the detriment of the whole package. After all ... what's the worry ... apparently you can only catch or spread covid after 10pm Rog Indeed, total load of bollocks. All of humanity was born free, it's time to return to that. What even those of African and West Indian descent?
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Post by thebfg on Sept 27, 2020 1:03:47 GMT
They make it worse.
At work were not aloud into the warehouse until the previous shift have left. Seems logical.
Except we're crammed into the reception and stairs waiting.
What makes it worse is to get to car park you have to go over a bridge. So we pass all ye late shift on the bridge and stairs anyway.
All this covid safe malarkey just shifts the issue to away from whatever place it is. Not their problem if its outside is it.
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 27, 2020 5:06:14 GMT
Curiously one of the ways the train company decided they could make us 'covid safe' was by increasing our train fares (with senior rail cards) from around £28 for us both to over £60 ... ah well I thought ... it's got to be done. Just looked - cheapest I see Leamington Spa to Sheffield via New Street - £23 standard single for one person (that's before railcard discount). Feel free to look for yourself from www.nationalrail.co.uk
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2020 7:27:02 GMT
That's incredibly useful seeing as we were travelling last Friday ... you duck egg !
Rog
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Post by Clinton Cool on Sept 27, 2020 7:32:04 GMT
Indeed, total load of bollocks. All of humanity was born free, it's time to return to that. What even those of African and West Indian descent? They were freed 2 centuries ago. Do keep up.
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Post by kris on Sept 27, 2020 7:58:00 GMT
What even those of African and West Indian descent? They were freed 2 centuries ago. Do keep up. I was just wondering if you would extend the same freedoms to everybody?
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Post by kris on Sept 27, 2020 8:01:07 GMT
That's incredibly useful seeing as we were travelling last Friday ... you duck egg ! Rog Love it, I haven’t heard the expression “you duck egg,” for years.
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 27, 2020 8:10:49 GMT
That's incredibly useful seeing as we were travelling last Friday ... you duck egg ! Rog What about when you travel by train Sheffield to Leamington Spa? Or Leamington Spa to Sheffield in September 2021? Also, if you had looked at tickets a month ago... (duck egg?)
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 27, 2020 8:12:11 GMT
They were freed 2 centuries ago. Do keep up. I was just wondering if you would extend the same freedoms to everybody? There is no freedom. Everyone is owned by someone or something else. Freedom is an illusion, as much as 'living off grid' is.
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Post by Clinton Cool on Sept 27, 2020 8:13:22 GMT
They were freed 2 centuries ago. Do keep up. I was just wondering if you would extend the same freedoms to everybody? Yes of course. Governments should be there to make and enforce laws, enable education and healthcare, infrastructure and foreign trade agreements. It should not be micro managing people's lives, to an ever growing extent, in my opinion.
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