Today, by some strange calculation of miscellaneous statistics, is the most depressing day of the year. The one on which most people are likely to be absent from work. True to form, Miseryrail has played its part.

Northern Line commuters were treated (and not for the first time) to early morning cancellations because weekend maintenance work had over-run.
Strictly speaking this is the responsibility of Network Rail who look after track, a now all-consuming obsession since The Cracked Rail Incident In Compo Land (see under 'Fat Controller's Worst Nightmare').
So no wonder Merseyrail wishes to take complete responsibility for its network, including the track engineering, to avoid this sort of planning fiasco.
Meanwhile, what about a day's credit on our Trio tickets at the next renewal?
Some chance.
* "I was shocked by both the work itself and the response of many people. Far more disturbing was the number of young families visiting the exihbition."
The words of a blue-rinsed Tory matron or a born-again evangelist?
No.
The response of playwright Mark Ravenhill - he wrote Shopping and F****ing - to the Jake and Dino Chapman exhibition at Tate Liverpool.
How the mightily radical appear to have fallen.

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