Thursday, July 07, 2005

The journey home

Tubes not running, only a limited service on the buses and travel to London on the train being discouraged on every tannoy and electronic sign. A few reflections on the way back to Wimbledon...

Having not been there today I'm not in the best position to comment but I've picked up an overwhelming sense of how well the 'authorities' have dealt with today's events, with the possible exception of communication on the trains involved but no change there.

People have been evacuated quickly, police and emergency services on the scene and in the sky in abundance. To give the general public their due there seems have been an impressive level of calm: a sense of shock but not surprise.

The nightmare scenario that's been painted for the capital since 9/11 is that we wouldn't be able to cope. Though today may be no 9/11 whoever's done the emergency procedures and has been managing today's events has done the capital proud. The only confusion was this morning as events were still unfolding i.e. when no-one knew what had actually happened and hearsay rant rampant online.

This evening I noticed the station clear plastic rubbish bags that replaced the litter bins at the height of the IRA bombing campaign have quietly gone. Information about what services were working was clear and available. At every station I passed there were local police at the exits to record any eyewitness accounts from people returning from the City.

There was a somber silence from fellow passengers: no tinny iPods, no raucous laughter, no screaming into mobile phones. Everyone was thinking about the same thing. In adversity comes unity and that's why attacks like this won't succeed.

As I boarded my train the heavens opened.

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