Inadequate information

This morning it's raining (not a lot, but enough to get wet waiting on the platform).   Most people waiting for the 07:00 therefore sheltered under the platform awning.

The 06:53 slow train from Milton Keynes to London Euston comes and goes on time.  At 06:59 we get the announcement that the 07:00 is the next train on platform 4, so we leave the shelter and walk out to take up our usual positions on the platform.  We wait, and we wait...

At 07:03 I use my phone to check the National Rail Live Departure & Arrival Boards and find that they don't have the train listed for Bletchley, but it is showing as due to arrive 2 minutes late arriving at London Euston (This isn't unusual, the 'system' appearing to assume that a train has passed through the station if the departure time has been exceeded and there has been no positive report of a delay).

At around 07:07 we get an announcement that the 07:00 has been delayed and the next train onto platform 4 will be the 07:05 Southern service.  In the distance we can see a couple of workmen in orange high-vis jackets on thge track, and two trains are pulled into the passing loop.

At 07:10 a London Midland 8-car Desiro pulls onto Platform 4.  There's no announcement, and the train looks to be 80% empty.   After departure, the onboard announcement says that it's the delayed 07:00.  We pull onto the fast-line immediately (unusual for the 07:00) and when we get to Leighton Buzzard the usual crowd are waiting on platform 2 (so they had had an announcement to tell them about the platform change).

The train makes up time, arriving at London Euston at 07:46, only three minutes later than usual.  As we pull in we get an apology for the late arrival which "was due to a signalling problem outside Bletchley".


If this were an isolated incident then I wouldn't bother mentioning it, but unfortunately it isn't.

• YET AGAIN Network Rail have had a signalling problem which has impacted on the London Midland service.

• YET AGAIN London Midland have either not know what's happening or if they do know then either can't be bothered or are to disorganised to tell us.

• YET AGAIN we have evidence of the amount of slack that London Midland and Network Rail have built into the timetable.  The 07:00 which is scheduled to arrive at 07:43 in London Euston frequently gets in around 07:37/38.  Here they had a ten minute delay at the departure station but managed to cut that back to three minutes at the destination.

Please can we have the level of service that we pay for?