You have to admire the gall of the Wellington Rail Network, Trans Rail, Kiwi Rail, On Track, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, or whatever they’re called now that they’ve been bought and sold and bought back and sold again more time than a Christmas gift on Trade Me.

Recently they increased rail fares by twenty percent. Proportionately, they have decreased service by the same amount.

This morning, after running to catch the train, a train pulled up to the station and was so full of people, so packed to the gunnells, that people were becoming very familiar with one another’s body odour, underarms and morning breath. The train was so full when it pulled up that those of us standing on the station looked at the doors as they opened, realised that to actually board the train would mean that we would be squished by the doors when they closed, and so stayed on the platform as those on the train looked at us in quiet desperation and we looked at them in quiet delight. The doors closed and the train departed.

Not a minute later another train came to the station, but did not stop. This train, I kid you not, was empty. There were no people on this train. There was enough space to seat a small village of people, their pets and all their worldly belongings, but the train did not stop. Those of us on the platform looked at the train as it whizzed past us with bemusement.

And then a third train came along, not quite as full as the first train but, like the second train, didn’t stop but kept on going. We began looking for signs that said “this station is now closed. Do not board here.”

And then, about five minutes later, as quite a crowd was gathering on the station, a fourth train arrived, slowed down, stopped and opened its doors. It was not empty, but nor was it so full that we would be so close to one another that we’d start breeding. And so we boarded the train and we went on our journey.

And I spent at least ten minutes of my life this morning looking at trains going past and wondered whether that whoever owns the railways now should perhaps spend less time finding a new owner for tomorrow and putting the prices up on tickets and more time ensuring that trains stop on time, where they should and with enough room to at least sit down and not become too familiar with the man next door.

Meditations | No Comments »