Seen Around: Part 1

Thursday 30th April 2026

A bumper bundle of miscellany this month so I’m spreading it over two blogs and beginning this, Part One, in Scotland. And, more precisely in Cumbernauld. The New Town from the late 1950s, early 1960s. And goodness me, I’m pleased to report I’ve aged much better than the town’s shopping centre.

Cumbernauld Ageing Town

As you approach the shopping centre which stradlles across North Carbrain Road you get the idea it’s going to be a bit dingy…

… finding the bus stops are located either side of the dual carriageway in what is a short tunnel under the elevated shopping area. But nothing prepared me for the awful state of the waiting area at the northbound bus stops on the left hand side of the road in the above photo.

It was simply awful. A desolate and unclean seating area …

… with a complete lack of any information.

I ventured into the shopping area through a deserted corridor alongside the multi-storey car park…

… only to find shop after shop was closed. Even the ‘Cop Shop’ and Charity Shop had both shut up shop.

If you could see through the gloom, there were two shops open – both Specsavers and Boots Opticians ironically sited opposite each other.

As I made my way back to the bus waiting area… I noticed North Lanarkshire Council must appreciate it’s not a good look…

… with plans for regenerating the town centre “to create a lively modern town”. But my problem was how to cross over to the southbound bus stops. There was no way across the dual carriageway at ground level with a barrier down the middle of the road and I couldn’t see any stairs so after asking a passer by I ventured into the lift full of foreboding.

Thankfully it delivered me up to the floor above the road and there I did find some shops open and a few brighter lights.

Back down at ground level I found the bus waiting area…

… and watched the many buses and coaches picking up…

… and where at least there is an electronic departure sign.

For bus passengers it’s a rather tortuous walk to access the huge Tesco store right next to the shopping centre…

… but you do get to marvel at the architecture of the site.

… and I at last found a shopping area…

… that actually looked alive and more in keeping with “a modern town”.

I just hope the New Towns being created in the next few years survive better than the last 60 years has treated Cumbernauld’s town centre.

The remnants of Glasgow Central’s fire

Back in Glasgow it was a sad and sorry sight to see the charred remains where shops and offices once stood alongside Glasgow Central Station before last month’s devastating fire. As you can see the area was still cordoned off with no access when I visited although the station was back open again.

The wrong direction

Over at Glasgow Airport I was confused by the signage as you exit the baggage area at ‘Arrivals’ to see the posters wrapped round a pillar on the left pointing you to the right to catch First’s Airport Express route 500 into the city centre. Thinking it may have moved stances I wandered right past the Onward Travel Information point along with a ScotRail ticket machine…

… only to find that the bus still departs from its long standing stance which is to the left of that pillar.

Arriva has a go back at Go

Back in January I reported on the spat in Kent arising from ‘go bus’ (formerly known as Go-Coach) introducing a new competitive off-peak route 4 running hourly just in front of Arriva’s long established half hourly route 402 between Sevenoaks and Tonbridge (the latter continuing on to Tunbridge Wells).

The latest development has seen Arriva hit back from mid April by upping the 402 frequency to every 20 minutes with departures from Sevenoaks at 03, 23 and 43 minutes past the hour – pitched nicely to get ahead of the upstart go-bus route 4 departure at 45 minutes past the hour. Returning from Tonbridge, go-bus leaves at 15 minutes past the hour with Arriva following behind at 20, 40 and 00.

It’s part of a rehash of the timetable which has seen the route extended in Tunbridge Wells to Sainbsury’s along with its route 7 (from Maidstone) which also now runs every 20 minutes providing a combined 10 minute frequency between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.

I travelled on the go-bus 09:45 departure from Sevenoaks on route 4 on Monday morning. Arriva’s 402 had left at 09:43 with one passenger but two passengers had hung back for the 4 along with another who rocked up as we were about to leave. Ail three travelled throuugh to Tonbridge with no other custom, and where we caught up the 402.

I travelled back on the Arriva 10:20 route 402 having seen the go-bus 10:15 departure leave with one passenger. The 402 arrived from Tunbridge Wells with eight on, three of whom alighted and five continued on board with one alighting to the north of Tonbridge and the other four travelled through to Sevenoaks. I was the only passenger boarding and no-one else travelled, with our arrival into Sevenoaks bus station just before the go-bus 10:45 route 4 departed with one on board.

Seeing three of the other Arriva’s buses pass by on the route, these loadings were typical for last Monday morning.

It hardly seems worth fighting over.

Back in Sevenoaks bus station I noticed a fleet line up of Go2 DRT minibuses. Not much demand for these either, then?

Cheltenham’s historic murals

After my journey on Pulham’s X52 earlier in the month I arrived at Cheltenham Spa station and marvelled at the rather fine mosaic decorating the wall opposite the station building.

As well as the historic steam locomotives, in the long term the orange tickets will also be a nostalgic throw back to a time when we all paid for travel in that way.

And on a similar theme as I wandered along the footpath that takes you from Sheffield’s railway station to the grandly called “Interchange” (ie bus station)…

… I noticed more murals with a nostalgic take on tickets.

And in good news, the toilets in the Interchange are now free to use.

Which is always good to see. But what a shame the only printed literature available to pick up is for anything but buses.

Walthamstow bus station overflows

Back in London I visited Walthamstow’s bus station earlier in the month to see how the changes to stand allocation introduced in February were going.

In particular this has seen busy routes 34 and Superloop SL1, which head west along the North Circular Road after the Crooked Billet roundabout, banished from the bus station…

… to a bus stop in nearby Selborne Road.

It’s not far to walk to the stop…

… but what a great shame TfL couldn’t have provided a bus shelter from day one, as I’m assuming one is on order to give passengers some protection from adverse weather.

It’s also a shame route 58, which enjoys the luxury of terminating inside the bus station, sets down its passengers at this stop…

… thereby, on occasions, blocking it for passengers wanting their bus on the 34…

… and SL1.

I took another ride on the SL1 including a nostalgic drive past the old Walthamstow bus garage and its rather lovely office building from the days of Wathamstow Corporation Tramways.

Arriving at Walthamstow on the Victoria line I took the stairs up to the bus station and reminded myself what a shame an escalator wasn’t included when this access was built. It must be one of the steepest climbs on the Underground without one.

On my journey there, I noticed just how worn some of the seat backs in the Victoria line trains have become…

… through intense usage and made all the more prominent when the cushions you sit on are replaced. I took that photo at 10:15 on 8th April, then, two days later at 08:09 on 10th April I made another journey on the Victoria line and spotted the same seat again …. what are the chancecs of that? Or is there more than one faded back seat and replaced cushion at the end of a carriage out there?

I think there is, as that brown stain on the left hand side isn’t there in the second photo.

Hazelwell station is in the system but Willenhall isn’t

The new Pineapple Road station in Birmingham was called Hazelwell back in the days before it closed in 1941 but whereas Moseley Village and Kings Heath have retained their original names, Hazelwell has been renamed in a fruity makeover. Except that the day I visited, the electronic departure signs weren’t working properly and interestingly, were welcoming us back to HAZEWLL station….

… meanwhile at Birmingham New Street on 10th April, I attempted to buy a ticket to the new station at WiIlenhall which opened on 19th March but the Ticket Vending Machines outside the Avanti West Coast ticket office hadn’t yet been programmed to allow this, over three weeks later. The only station in the database beginning WILLE was Willesden Junction.

Uncomfortable destinations served

Travelling on a GWR IET train recently my eye was caught by a map showing “Destinations served by our Intercity express Trains (IET)” which made me wonder whether a clearer map of the whole network wouldn’t be more useful for passengers, who in the main, don’t really worry what an IET train is.

Although I suppose it does show those routes to avoid if you want a comfortable seat!

Seat Frog sticks in the throat

The opaqueness of the SeatFrog App continues to mystify me. I was travelling on a Standard Class off-peak flexible ticket from Hassocks to Newcastle earlier this month wanting to take the 09:30 from Kings Cross. Checking out SeatFrog for an upgrade to First Class I noticed I could “Upgrade instantly” for £45 yet if I placed a bid, the minimum bid was £47. Doh. That just doesn’t make sense.

Except when I tried to “Upgrade Instantly” a bit later, the App told me I couldn’t.

And try reserving a seat on LNER’s App with a flexible ticket. You don’t have a reference number to enter so it doesn’t work.

I know LNER don’t like passengers having flexibility, but come on guys make it easier for the few of us allegedly are out there.

And the above photo shows the popularity of unreserved seating.

Confusion to Platforms 9 and 10 at KGX

Back at King”s Cross I notice the prominent sign above the connection between Platform 8 and the old ‘suburban platforms’ 9 and 10 but confusingly the ‘no-entry’ sign on the ground seems to contradict it.

Up escalator update at STP

I’m delighted to confirm the three month maintenance of the up escalator from the northbound Thameslink platform at St Pancras has been completed on tiime and all the hoardings have been removed. Hopefully, in a few weeks the ribbon will be cut and we can all enjoy a ride on the refurbished escalator to exit the platform rather than use the stairs. And in other news, passengers with luggage, wheelchairs and prams aren’t going to be happy …. from Monday 15th June for three months, Thameslink at St Pancras will become non accessible. That’s going to be a big deal for many people.

And that’s probably enough for one round up blog, so I’ll leave it there for now. Part Two featuring more miscellany from the past month, including contributions from readers, follows on Saturday.

Roger French

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