An ordinary commute

Over the last few weeks I've done a few days commuting on the train from Southampton to Waterloo, enough to make me realise I'd never want to do this although some poor souls, do it every day for years.

You can recognise the daily commuters, they know exactly where to stand on the platform so that they can be first at the door when the train arrives. At Southampton Central there are still seats but at later stations, position is everything because the train is full and the late arrivals or newcomers end up standing for an hour.

At this time of year it's still dark at 7:30am as we stand waiting and a schoolboy drags himself up the platform, rumpled from sleep with his bag slung low on his shoulders and his tie scrunched in his pocket, to be put on at the last minute. It's raining and the wind sweeps the damp in under the platform roof.

The train arrives bright with light and all the regulars in their normal seats distracting themselves from the tedium of their long daily journey. I choose the quiet carriage where mobiles are forbidden, a good idea but on the way home it regularly causes tension when someone who doesn't realise starts to chat. As a nation we're not good at complaining and by the time people have managed to find the confidence to say something, they're in a rage and often there are confrontational moments. But today the carriage is quiet and gradually sleeps overtake the majority.

When we awake we're on the outskirts of London and glide in towards the landmarks, past the developments of luxury flats overlooking the river or the train line. Battersea Power Station stark against the skyline, New Covent Garden Market well through its working day and then further in the London Eye. And today there are no hold ups, no need for the experts to discuss which line we've been put on and we arrive ready to start our day.