Britain | Commuter hell

Going south

Passengers fume at useless train firms. They should blame the government too

Letting off steam

FOR months Jamie Rickers has regularly crammed like a sardine into his Southern Rail train from Sanderstead to London Victoria; for months delays have made him late for work; and for months he has questioned the value of paying £2,724 ($3,590) a year for a “shit” service. “The only way it would change,” he says, “is if everyone on this train turned around and said: ‘I’m not paying any more’.” Alas Mr Rickers, who checks his watch as the train crawls along, lacks the time to start a revolution.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Going south”

The new political divide

From the July 30th 2016 edition

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