Trouble with the Knitting

7th May, 2026. “Pint after work?” Someone said.

“Better not, theres disruption on the trains so I gonna scoot early.”

I had seen an alert on my phone warning me about the travel chaos so I’d taken the executive decision to leave the office and get the earlier train.

There was no Earlier train. There were no trains at all. The wires were down, the knitting, as its affectionately known on the railways, on account of how complex it can appear to be.

Trains were getting cancelled left, right, and centre, but it wasn’t looking good. I spent some time on the platform waiting for news that one of the Scotland trains would run, chatting with other passengers and staff, but we watched the Manchester train being boarded to fill capacity, and then being emptied as that too was being cancelled.

The platform staff could not advise us what to do, but I really didn’t fancy another night in the capital, so I headed to King’s Cross where I could get a train to Leeds, and in the worst case scenario, get a hotel in Leeds.

I arrived at King’s Cross a few minutes before six and the very helpful staff told me that the 18:02 was about to depart for Leeds, so I headed to the platform to find it. I found it, and it wasn’t even standing room only, it was cling to the outside only, so I had no choice but to let it go.

How much more pleasant is Kings Cross than Euston? Cavernous glass roof, clean, bright and airy, compared to Euston’s grot and oppressive low concrete ceiling.

There was a train at 18:39, and I returned to the ticket gate to see what else I could learn. At the gate, a group of primary school children were heading back up north after a day trip. I recognised them from Euston, and from their hoodies, I could see that they were from a school near me. They were heading the same way, and I got the sense that the teacher was on the ball. If I listened to her instructions, I wouldn’t go far wrong either.

The train arrived. A modern 800 series Intercity express. Truth be told I had been looking for an excuse to travel the Leeds way and try out the new LNER fleet, or even better, travel one last time on one of the Intercity 225s, but my ticket doesn’t ordinarily cover that route. It would require some major disruption so that my ticket would be accepted by LNER. And as if by magic…

On the west coast route, there is always at least one unreserved carriage, sometimes three. I have no idea what the method is on the East Coast, so I just looked for an available seat.

What I did not realise, nor could I have anticipated, was that on LNER, when you find a seat that says available, someone else can reserve it after you have sat there. I find this unfathomable and disgraceful. And I only learned this after that school from Cumbria reserved every seat in the carriage, after I had sat down.

Luckily for me, the children were just told to find a seat and sit in it, and they all did find seats. But many other passengers did not. There were people on board trying to get to places like Liverpool, Carlisle, Blackpool and Glasgow.

When we departed, the train ran non stop except for pick up only at Stevenage, and then at Retford, Doncaster, Wakefield and Leeds.

I know Doncaster station so well, but I’ve been there just once in 25 years, and that was to collect a car.

It wasn’t an uncomfortable journey, but it was stressful. We had just minutes to connect with a Preston train at Leeds, and that train too had just minutes to connect with a Barrow in Furness train at Preston.

I made it home in the end, and in one piece. Meeting each connection with just minutes to spare. And I finally made it home just before midnight, where a glass of wine was waiting for me. Very long day.

Before arriving home, as always, the Follow Me Bridge, in the dark, and alone, stands between the me and the glass of wine every time I travel. Click here for the short ghost story.