THANKS to the ongoing strikes affecting Arriva trains, passengers to and from Blackpool North know when they will not have a service.

Meanwhile travellers on First North Western's trains to and from Blackpool South continue to be involved in a game of railway roulette.

They got off to a losing start this Monday when the 7.26am Colne to Blackpool South train arrived in Preston more than 30 minutes late and was terminated there "due to an engine defect."

If you were hoping to board that train at stations between Preston and Blackpool South, or intended to catch it on its return trip from Blackpool South to Preston at 9.09am, you now know why it never arrived.

Oddly enough this train with an "engine defect" left Preston on time with the Preston-Colne leg of what would have been the 9.09am service from Blackpool South, having stood empty in a bay platform at Preston Station for an hour.

Passengers for stations to Blackpool South who had been "ejected" from this train were forced to pass the time on Preston Station until the next service was due to depart at 9.21am. But again they were out of luck. That train was running 34 minutes late so it eventually arrived in Preston at 9.55am.

But anyone wanting to travel to Squires Gate, Pleasure Beach and Blackpool South stations were even more unlucky because it was announced that the train would terminate at St Annes. Conveniently, this meant that it was more or less on time for its return journey to Preston and Colne.

As train companies are fined by the Rail Regulator if they do not achieve their targets for the number of services which run on time, it would seem that this is their over-riding concern. Actually getting passengers to the destinations for which they have bought tickets apparently has a much lower priority.

All of which explains why you can have a transport service that serves the public, or a privately-owned service which makes a profit. But you can't have both.

"Travelling hopelessly"

(Name and address supplied)