The rail strikes could be the end of the line for Boris

Here I go again, in my occasional role as your intrepid transport correspondent. Last week I reported on airport chaos, last month on the opening of the Elizabeth line. Now here I am boldly defying the rail strike on a Grand Central train from York to King’s Cross.

To be honest, on a perfect sunny morning, it feels less stressful than my regular journeys on this crowded and often disrupted line. The RMT pickets at the station entrance were less aggressive than the pigeons on the platform trying to steal a bite of my bacon roll. Grand Central – ultimately owned by German taxpayers, though I don’t suppose that explains why its trains are still running – is maintaining welcome Tannoy silence, while no doubt praying that striking signalmen won’t halt us north of the capital. And the onboard wifi is working better than usual because so few passengers have been brave enough to travel.