Sorry to start on a downer but lowlight of the year for me personally has been having to flag so many trips, esp my planned bashing of the HOWL. Non rail related surprise of the year is to a certain extent related to the above and that was being offered a council flat on the 1st of April. Can anyone else on here stake a claim to that and if so did you believe it first time? I sure didnt!
Innovation award goes jointly to Lothian Buses andPrentice Coaches of Haddington. Lothians 104 Haddington>Edinburgh has put a much needed rocket up First Arse and whilst there not giving up yet its resulted in lower prices and a better qualitty travel experience for Lothians Pax as well as the freedom to go anywhere on LBs network for the same cost as a return. In Feb, Prentice launched commercially the X1 Raillink Haddington>Wallyford which sadly only lasted till August but was a great way of intigrating limmited stop bus with train and full creddit to Ross and the team for doing it!
Highlight of the year was an unexpected daytrip to Aberdeen on a hot sunny day in early July, returning home on the evening HST and on discovering most coaches had dodgy air con, walking down to the vestibule nearest the Buffet and standing with the window open and a cold bottle of Sider (or 3) for 2.5hrs - bliss.
Shock of the year - How totally crap the 350/4's have been. Its well known that I dont like any Diziro old or new however I had, as a regular user of the Northern end of the WCML been looking forward to them as (I hoped) a better train than the 185s and given the work out of the box introduction of previous builds I had every confidence in this one. Well here we are nearly a year on from the day I bashed the first TPE 350 working from Glasgow (and got badly delayed by flooding) and there entry to service has been almost as bad as the cursed 380s, with one result being Transport Scotland went for the bidder with a different train design idea when awarding Scotrails new franchise.
Runner up in the above award would be Serco for Sleapers - Really? Seriusly? I hope Im wrong but given what they do best i.e. Spend as little as possible and run things down, combined with the shambles they have created with there other major Scottish transport contract (Northlink Ferries, which is a Lifeline Service) we should be ready for a serious farse!
Franchising news of the year - Joint First Prize to Abellio Scotrail (very different and promising), Northerns Extention/Direct Award (one of my fave TOCs) and Virgin Trains East Coast - the group will be very, very good with it!
From what I'm told the BLS Trackers have been as superb as I remember their early ones being.
