Eleanor Tiernan: 'I’m feeling the squeeze - a knot in my stomach at the end of the month'

I want to say to the people who haven't paid me: “What do you think I’m living on here pal? Gimme my freaking money already!!”

Eleanor Tiernan: "People are shopping around for better deals. Every supermarket has its Food Bank bin just inside the door."

I stood among the horde of passengers staring up at the expansive blackboard of numbers and letters. Which platform was the train I’d booked leaving from? It was due to leave at 14:36 but there was still no information as to where from and it was 14:28 already. That didn’t necessarily mean much though. I’ve seen privatised train services do quicker turnarounds than a Stars In Their Eyes Contestant. “Tonight Matthew, I’m going to be the London Kings Cross - Edinburgh Waverley service”.

An announcement came. It said the train would be leaving late. So what? A five-minute delay made no difference to me. I’d acres of time to kill in Edinburgh before the gig I was booked to do started. A minor annoyance. However what was five minutes became seven. Still inconsequential. However, then it got to eleven the wheels of my brain were set in motion. Two words popped into my brain that the veteran traveller loves to hear…. Delay Repay.

Delay Repay is a scheme in the UK which stipulates that train companies must compensate passengers when their services are delayed. The amount of compensation is linked to how late the train is and it starts at a half hour at which point you can claim half of the ticket fare back. I was still nineteen minutes off the threshold but if it came to fruition my trip to Edinburgh could become a lot more profitable.

I had dollar signs in my eyes. I’m feeling the squeeze, you see. That knot in my stomach at the end of the month. When all you can see are the direct debits that need to come out of your bank account on the first and how woefully insufficient your balance is to meet them. 

What’s going to happen? Will the money I’m owed land in the nick of time or will my bank account choke under the weight of unpaid bills? And all the while one must maintain a polite professional manner when all you wanna say to the people who haven't paid you is: “What do you think I’m living on here pal? Gimme my freaking money already!!”

Others are feeling it even more. People are shopping around for better deals. Every supermarket has its Food Bank bin just inside the door. Money-saving expert Martin Lewis is all over radio and TV. On the box today the grotesque story was told of an elderly lady who rides the bus around her local area during the day to save on home heating costs - the creativity of her solution only adding to the grotesqueness of her situation.

I stood among the other passengers, our eyes glued to the gigantic timetable. 14:36 came and went. Then a murmur/groan went through the crowd. No, not a platform announcement. A response to the news that “The London Edinburgh service will now leave in thirty-five minutes' time” It was a mix of relief and of course, for those affected, some anger. I was happy though because we were now well into Delay Relay territory and I might claw back some of the expense I’d laid out to make this trip.

For the five hour journey, I maintained a constant eye on the clock hoping the driver wouldn’t find a way to make up the time. An efficient driver could push the speed enough to bring us back under the threshold. It was tight. We arrived at Edinburgh Waverley just 33 minutes late though. I breathed a sigh of relief. 

Yes, I won this round but if and when the UK train companies get their shit together, then many of us who travel for work will have to get a bag of leaves to throw on the line or something to keep the direct debits flowing.