Mr Mascellani's Musings

I Don’t Hear That Train A Coming

In Australia we have a television show called The Panel Basically, it is a show that consists of four or five regular panellists, one or two guest panellists and guests. It takes a humorous (but sometimes serious) look at the current affairs of the past week.

On one show that aired recently the special guest host was Jessica Hardy from Australian Big Brother 2and Sir Bob Geldof was a guest.

Sir Bob told the story of a woman that he met on a train. A Jewish woman who had escaped the Nazis and competed as a swimmer in the Olympics, representing England, and was doing so again this year, as part of the “Golden” Olympics (i.e. the Olympic games for elderly athletes, of which I can’t remember the proper title.)

After Sir Bob had finished telling his touching story about the woman’s
bravery and courage;Jessica was looking at him, staring with wide-eyed,
opened mouth surprise like a child who was seeing fireworks for the first
time.

“Do you catch the train? She said with a mixture of delight,
disbelief, and wonderment in her voice.

The other panellists laughed. And one of them said something like

“It just shows that you’re a man of the people” And then the show
continued.

But a lot of Sydney-siders would be able to relate to Jessica’s reaction.
I mean you never hear anyone say,

“If I win the lottery, I’m going to buy me a golden train pass”, or

“Jack and Jill you have both been made partners in this law firm:here
are your yearly train passes”.


No. Regular day to day train travel and success do not go hand in
hand.

We, train travellers are seen as losers that is why, for example, after years,
years ,of regular track and maintenance work that is done on
weekends, the NSW State Rail Authority still can’t get things right.
Incorrect indicator boards, Incorrect signage, incorrect announcements,
badly organised and orchestrated replacement buses- not enough of them,
not on time, and too crowded.

And the abuse the railway stuff cops, I almost feel sorry for them.
Almost.

The psychological evaluation that underlies the entrance exam for
The State Rail Authority must indicate those members of the populace
who either don’t mind or enjoy being abused.

But weekend or weekday, I can’t see the point of abusing some hapless
railway worker, like the teenage bank clerk, it’s not his or her fault that
things are fucked with the organisation he works for.

I mean, seriously, I have seen people scream obscenity filled tirades
of abuse at the poor railway sap who is sweeping
the platform floor.

Train travel in Sydney is a very infuriating and frustrating business;
so, I appreciate and know those people’s anger. But what do they
expect the poor cunt with the broom to do? Unlike Mussolini, (s)he
who sweeps the platform does not have the have the power to make
the trains run on time.

Like one lad said to me after an announcement was made that our
train would be late-ten minutes after the fact,

“This is our life”.

This has been whinge, a whine, a gripe, a moan, and bitch session,
so I won’t offer up any solution.

I guess, one thing to be grateful for is the fact that our (Sydney’s)
incompetent railwaysystem is a constant reminder that we do not
live under a fascist regime.

Laugh, cry, think;don’t jump in front of a train.