Firms still using Covid as excuse for lower standards

‘Despite the desire to “level up”, London remains the centre of business, politics, culture and perceived importance’

Straight-talking common sense from the front line of management

Q

I have just experienced one of the most traumatic months of my business career. I’m based in the North West, but attend a fortnightly management meeting in London. Three weeks ago my train was cancelled and I arrived two hours late. Last week was even worse, as there was a rail strike so I went by car the night before. The meeting was on a Friday so I was caught in the weekend traffic and took nearly seven hours to get home. Is London becoming a no-go area? Are we heading for a life totally lived on Zoom?

A

Your question comes as no surprise. Since the end of lockdown, I dread the thought of travelling to London. Covid briefly provided the rare joy of driving along empty motorways unhindered by lengthy roadworks. Rail travel was a revelation – we wore masks in empty carriages, with second-class seats providing as much privacy as first class or the quiet coach. But, in the last six months a combination of strikes and cancelled trains has stripped any pleasure of traveling from Crewe to Euston. Perhaps Sir Richard Branson and Virgin knew more than we realised about running a railroad. Avanti have inherited the same trains, rolling stock, colleagues and timetable, but find it difficult to deliver the same level of customer service.

Despite the desire to “level up”, London remains the centre of business, politics, culture and perceived importance. Perhaps that’s why we “go up” to London, but on a map, Mancunians are clearly going down. However, with more traffic jams, higher fuel prices and the recent patchy performance on the trains there is a danger that we will all stay cocooned up north and only contact London on Zoom. Motorways and railways provide the vital link between parliament, the City and every region of the country.

I have regularly made the northsouth journey since the 1970s and despite high-speed rail, motorways, smart motorways and sophisticated satnav systems, my fastest journey was recorded nearly 50 years ago. In those days I was living in Wilmslow, just three minutes’ drive from the station car park. Ten minutes after leaving home I was on the platform, packed with lawyers, accountants and entrepreneurs, waiting for the Manchester Pullman, which delivered us to Euston punctually at 10am having enjoyed porridge, cornflakes, kippers, kidneys, freshly cooked eggs and crispy bacon for breakfast. The same standard of silver service was provided on the journey home.

The opening of the M1 and M6 didn’t bring the North much nearer to London. In the 1970s, I was already leaving Cheshire at 5am to avoid the congestion that happened every morning at Hilton Park Services. The train was always a better bet.

The Pullman wasn’t as quick as today’s high-speed trains but it was more fun and seldom arrived behind schedule. But my record time to central London was via Manchester Airport, not by private jet (a rarity in 1983) but by the shuttle service, available to anyone who turned up within 10 minutes of departure. I did Hough Lane, Wilmslow to Marble Arch in two hours 10 minutes!

A car picked me up at 7am and as long as I was in the airport before 7.20am a seat on the 7.30am shuttle was guaranteed – no booking, no ticket, no security – you paid by credit card on the flight. From Heathrow I got the Piccadilly Line to Hyde Park Corner, took a bus down Park Lane and walked the last 300 yards to arrive at 9.10am. These days the journey isn’t so easy.

Thankfully I live fairly close to Crewe, which, according to the timetable, is 95 minutes away from Euston. But the strikes, delayed journeys and crowded trains, with some passengers having to stand, are tempting me to reschedule meetings onto Zoom and join those lockdown lovers who have abandoned face-to-face meetings and always work from home.

The planners are providing a possible solution with HS2 (which, after his mini-budget, must now count as one of Kwasi Kwarteng’s lower-priced projects). The service is expected to cut the Crewe to Euston trip from 95 to 56 minutes – hardly enough time to tackle the cryptic crossword. But I don’t need speed: I want trains that arrive on time.

Did something happen during lockdown to lower our expectations?

Covid quickly became a reason for lower standards – for example, “Our helpline has been suspended due to Covid”. Now “short of staff ” is the reason for anything from pubs being closed on Mondays to scrapping trains from Runcorn.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a modern Bradshaw’s guide listing trains that always run on time?