The trip to Peterborough using bike and public transport was a dream.
I cycled to Lee railway station, folded my Brompton and caught the 8.30 service to London Bridge. After Network Rail spent five years untangling the lines south of London Bridge, the journey now takes just 10 minutes.
I duly arrived at London Bridge at 8.40, changed to the Thameslink platform and just missed the connection. No matter, they are now running 24 trains per hour each way through the central Thameslink section, and no sooner had the missed train departed than another screeched into the platform.
The rebuilt Blackfriars station is phenomenal: two stations in one, the platforms span the Thames, an exit to either bank. Farringdon hasn’t changed much, and will soon be a major interchange with the delayed Crossrail platforms deep below the charmingly dilapidated open Thameslink ones complete with buddleia blossoming from the walls.
So 9am at King’s Cross for my 9.30 train. I’d rather be 30 minutes early than 1 minute late. This was the Edinburgh train first stop Peterborough. They now run trains direct from London Bridge to Peterborough, but these are crawlers, taking an hour longer than the express - they cost significantly more too: over twice the price. So instead of the single change at London Bridge, I was changing trains twice, once at LB and once at St Pancras for King’s Cross.
I arrived in Peterborough at 10.15 for my 11am appointment and a sign helpfully directed me to the passport office, 15 minutes it said. I unfolded my Brompton an was there in 3 minutes.
Entry to the sparsely populated waiting room was barred until 10 minutes before appointment time. I’m assuming this is to keep “waiting” times down so that Mark Thompson can achieve his performance management target as Director General of Her Majesty’s Passport Office.
I waited 20 minutes and was allowed in 20 minutes early, seen within 10 minutes and all was soon complete. I had just one question. What would happen if we’d travelled on a soon to expire passport. “You’d never have been allowed out of the country with less than six months on the passport.” I protested that we were only going to France. “Brexit” was the reply. Incredulous, I left it at that.
My return reservation was for 12.30. My ticket was not valid for any other train. I snuck onto the 11.10 and sat in the unreserved buffet car, prepared to pay the excess fare if required. No one checked, and I was home before 1pm.
Now the seven anxious day wait for Ben’s Brexit blue British passport to arrive in the post.
www.gov.uk
