Train travel can be expensive, unpredictable, stressful, and
depressing. We often find ourselves delayed waiting on a cold station platform,
or crammed into carriages forced to stare at our fellow commuters with faces
only inches apart. At time of writing, there are storms and gales buffeting the
country and some trains are even being cancelled entirely. I’ll never know how
trains in Russia manage to still function, perhaps the UK is just soft?!
Well, I had a good experience at a train station recently
and I wanted to write a Compliment Corner letter about it. I’m breaking a rule
here that I should always know the name of the person I’m complimenting, but on
this occasion I didn’t catch his name – let’s call him Station Manager.
Warwick Station is a quaint stopping point for tourists
interested in visiting the castle or town. It’s an unassuming station that most
commuters never have reason to visit, and many trains simply pass through
without stopping on their way to London. Warwick Parkway station just up the
road is the main commuter station with space for hundreds of cars. I rarely
visit Warwick station but I recently had cause to walk over there to catch a
train to Birmingham.
The station manager at Warwick Town station is a polite and
efficient gentleman who obviously takes his job seriously. He is polite without
being effusive and efficient in that he wants you to have all the necessary
information for your journey. He maintains a welcoming atmosphere in the
waiting room and when I visited we were being treated to some light classical
music. The manager simply served me in a friendly manner, helped me to find the
best ticket for my journey and processed my payment. This is perhaps nothing
more than he, or any other station employee should do, and yet it evoked something
of the nostalgia of old train travel. He treated the elderly couple who came
after me with the same respect and decency. He was obviously happy with his job
and it showed in about he went about it. My letter is below.
