I can’t remember the last time I travelled to or from London by train and there wasn’t a delay of some description. It seems like the only time recently that the trains ran perfectly was when David Cameron came to Ipswich. I wonder why. (Although a couple of days later the Transport minister visited and got caught in delays!)

For commuters who rely on trains every day it must be a source of constant, and rising, frustration. The first working day of the New Year was no exception with delays of up to an hour. Commuters’ blood pressure can’t have been improved by the massive fare increases – nearly 6% - imposed at the start of the year.

I don’t think that the Government realise just how difficult people are finding it to make ends meet. Many workers haven’t had a pay rise for years yet the cost of living is going up and up. They can’t afford another £300 a year for a season ticket.

The excuse given by the Government for increasing fares this much is to pay for additional investment in railways. But how much extra investment is National Express going to put in? Its franchise only lasts for another month. It would have been a nice gesture – and to be honest the very least the Government could have done to compensate long-suffering travellers – if they had postponed the fares increase until the new operator takes over in February.