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--- lesson 37 The westhaven Express |
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--- Listen to the tape then answer the question below. |
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--- What was the mistake the author made? |
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We have learnt to expect that trains will be punctual. |
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After years of conditioning, most of us have developed an unshakable faith in railway timetables. |
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Ships may be delayed by storms; |
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flights may be cancelled because of bad weather, but trains must be on time. |
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Only an exceptionally heavy snowfall might temporarily dislocate railway services. |
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It is all too easy to blame the railway authorities when something does go wrong. |
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The truth is that when mistakes occur, they are more likely to be ours than theirs. |
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After consulting my railway timetable, I noted with satisfaction that there was an express train to Westhaven. |
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It went direct from my local station and the journey lasted a mere hour and seventeen minutes. |
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When I boarded the train, I could not help noticing that a great many local people got on as well. |
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At the time, this did not strike me as odd. |
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I reflected that there must be a great many people besides myself who wished to take advantage of this excellent service. |
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Neither was I surprised when the train stopped at Widley, a tiny station a few miles along the line. |
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Even a mighty express train can be held up by signals. |
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But when the train dawdled at station after station, I began to wonder. |
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It suddenly dawned on me that this express was not roaring down the line at ninety miles an hour, but barely chugging along at thirty. |
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One hour and seventeen minutes passed and we had not even covered half the distance.^1 |
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I asked a passenger if this was the Westhaven Express, but he had not even heard of it. |
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I determined to lodge a complaint as soon as we arrived. |
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Two hours later, I was talking angrily to the station master at Westhaven. |
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When he denied the train's existence, I borrowed his copy of the timetable. |
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There was a note of triumph in my voice when I told him that it was there in black and white. |
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Glancing at it briefly, he told me to look again. |
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A tiny asterisk conducted me to a footnote at the bottom of the page. |
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It said: 'This service has been suspended.' |
