Category Archives: Transport

Jul 21 2012
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger, Transport

Early morning over the Atlantic

Saturday 21st July 2012, 6.15am [UK time] (day 331)

Atlanta-Manchester flight, 21/7/12

I never sleep on planes. The flight passed relatively quickly (a decent movie helped – Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, better than I thought it would be), and there’s the odd feeling of seeing the night flit by in half the time it would normally take, but otherwise there’s no appeal to this mode of travel. Electronic devices are a big help these days, of course. I like this shot because of the light, particularly the rim-light around the head of the guy on the left.

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Jul 16 2012
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Daily Post, Landscape, Transport

Crossing Lake Pontchartrain

Sunday 15th July 2012, 7.45am (day 325)

Lake Pontchartrain, 15/7/12

This is a bit out-of-focus, but it was taken from a moving train. Specifically, a train that was crossing what Wikipedia, at least, defines as the longest railroad bridge in the USA and, at 9.3km, ‘likely to be’ the world’s longest rail bridge over water. It crosses the south-eastern end of Lake Pontchartrain and took me and a couple of hundred other passengers out of New Orleans this Sunday morning.

I got off after a six-hour journey at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where I am staying for the next five nights: some others were going as far as New Jersey and weren’t going to arrive until tomorrow lunchtime. And the train guards work all but 4 hours of the full 32-hour journey! Now there’s a group in need of a better union. Remember also that the UK government look to the US for best practice in its labour laws.

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Jun 25 2012
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Daily Post, Interior, Transport

Arrivals hall, Domodedovo airport

Sunday 24th June 2012, 8.10pm (day 304)

Arrivals hall, 24/6/12

Well, here we are, off again. To a country that may have massive political and social problems, but has at least heard of the notion that in June, it’s supposed to be summer.

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May 26 2012
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Daily Post, Transport

Carriage doors, Keighley station

Saturday 26th May 2012, 3.10pm (day 275)

Keighley station, 26/5/12

Another gorgeous, sunny day. The Keighley & Worth Valley railway is visited by members of this family about two or three times a year. I know I spend enough time on trains as it is but it’s reachable on a single bus journey from just outside our house; it keeps Joe entertained; and they serve real ale from the buffet car. That’s ticking several boxes…

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May 23 2012
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Daily Post, Interior, Transport

The new King’s Cross

Wednesday 23rd May 2012, 12.15pm (day 272)

King's Cross, 23/5/12

This is the new entrance at King’s Cross station in London, opened in March. I’m very impressed with it. Apart from looking damn good, it also has some nice cafes on the balcony which do not charge ludicrous prices for cups of tea (£1.50 for a cup, which is quite reasonable these days), and a good pub, which seems as if it has been there for decades. And there’s a Platform 9¾ sign (complete with a luggage trolley half-sticking out of a wall) to keep the Harry Potter fans happy.

Most of all though I’m impressed there are still people around who give enough of a toss about creating beautiful things in public life that things like this can still get built. May it continue to be the case.

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Apr 10 2012
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger, Transport

At Todmorden station

Tuesday 10th April 2012, 11.45am (day 229)

Tod station, 10/4/12

This photo encapsulates the weather we had today: wind, rain and sun. Taken from inside the (heated) waiting room on platform 2 of Todmorden railway station.

Another very strong candidate for photo of the day is on my Facebook page, by the way. Doubtless it will make its way into the next ‘best of the rest’ collection.

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Mar 29 2012
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Daily Post, Transport

The one decent thing about air travel

Thursday 29th March 2012, 7.20am (day 217)

Above Domodedovo, 29/3/12

Well, there’s the views and then there’s the chance to get wine 24 hours a day (and sometimes for free). Oh yeah, and the occasional decent movie. (Watched The Ides of March today. Recommended.)

This photo was taken 5 minutes after take-off from Domodedovo airport, Moscow.

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Mar 09 2012
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Daily Post, Transport

St Pancras station (the basement)

Friday 9th March 2012, 3.30pm (day 197)

St Pancras, 9/3/12
The new St Pancras station in London, terminus for the Eurostar trains, is definitely the most impressive railway station in Britain and probably ranks among the top 10 in Europe. But for those of us plebs who don’t want to catch the Eurostar, or even the cross-country services north to Sheffield, but the cross-London trains down to the South coast; we are herded down into the basement.

Still, this couple looked kinda cute. And I was only there for five minutes.

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Mar 08 2012
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Daily Post, Transport, Urban scene

The Oxford Road bus swarm

Wednesday 7th March 2012, 9.45am (day 195)

Oxford Road bus swarm, 7/3/12

It is sometimes said that Oxford Road, Manchester, is the busiest bus route in Europe. Looking at this sight – there are at least 17 buses visible on this shot and I see no reason why the unseen space behind the one in the centre of the picture is occupied by anything different – it is not only easy to believe this, but impossible not to marvel at the mentality of those who think that unregulated public transport is a good idea. Reallocating even one of these buses to the Lake District, say, or a bus-free village in the shires… don’t you think that would be a more productive use of it?

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Jan 17 2012
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Daily Post, Transport Gallery

Travelling again: at Manchester Airport

Tuesday 17th January 2012, 8.25am (day 145)

Manchester Airport, 17/1/12

Back from the Lakes yesterday afternoon – and off again today, to Bergen once more.

Yesterday I walked through Skiddaw Forest and talked to no one and had a really good time, felt at peace, part of a natural environment. Today I flew first to Copenhagen then to Bergen and talked to no one and felt isolated, cut off from the world, shuttled through the antiseptic and artificial world of the business traveller. I’m sat now in an anonymous hotel with anonymous food in my belly and while I’m looking forward to, tomorrow, getting on with the next instalment of my work here, today has just been dead time.

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