One of the countless ways in which humanity is divided is evident at any railway station, viz, between those who turn up for their journey nice and early and those who, try as they may, end up running for the train. I am one of the bad ‘uns; try as I always do to leave home in good time, you could put a bet on me having to run up the escalator at the station Tube and throwing myself at the train as it’s about to leave. Part of this terrifying process is the last minute swift scan of the departure boards...I normally know the departure time, but where, where is the train? At the big stations, there are at least 12 platforms and the split second viewing of the board is the crucial bit of the endeavour.
And now, King’s Cross has had the genius idea of actually removing train departure times from the big boards three minutes before departure. Look, three minutes before departure is when I have often turned up. If a desperate glance at the board did not yield my platform this would not be the end of the story. Oh no. It would be cue for me to pounce on the nearest individual in a uniform and demand a platform number in a tone of rising hysteria. If he was already talking to someone else, it is possible I would forget my convent manners and thrust him or her to one side. But this would take time, whole seconds of time. Otherwise I might go to the platform barrier and beg whoever is manning it for help. If all this failed to yield a platform number in time, I can tell you what would happen: I would burst into tears. Is that what Sir Andrew Haines, chairman of Network Rail, really wants? To make me cry?
