GNER, soon to lose its franchise for the East Coast line has been performing well recently-dead on the minute stuff. Today however it was not on is new sparkling form, stopping about a mile out of Waverley Street, Embra.Up to that point it had been a minute or so early and we awaited the usual explanation about ' a platform will shortly be available-'the train before is behind, besides' as the Norn Iron tannoy announcements used to say. But no. It was something to do with the giblets contracted in the cab-I thought I heard. The driver was dealing with the problem and we would be kept 'appraised' Ten minutes the train slowly got under way but then subsided with a shuddering screech. WE feared the worst and 100 cellphones burst into life as the passengers appraised partners, bosses,secretaries, colleagues mistresses, call girls, mothers etc of likely horrific delays. Then with no further explanation the train smoothly smooched into Waverley Street amid another flurry of mobiler corrective activity.
I saw the driver as he left his cab. Clutching a copy of the SUN and not his giblets. He was in a hurry.
Later I remembered the train was due to terminate until Inverness. So why the driver was descending at Embra I have no idea.
I may have been wrong about the giblets.
