Each day I take the Northern Line from Balham to Old Street Tube stations. The commute takes me twenty minutes from the moment I step onto the train to the moment I step off. That is if there are no delays. Now delays can come in many forms. Something as minor as someone’s bag stuck in the door. The train conductor either makes a lude comment or the beeping noise that the train makes when the doors are about to close sound over and over again until that person gets off or squeezes themselves in tighter to release their bag.

Other side tracks, excuse the pun, could be the train signal is down, someone threw themselves on the train tracks (this is more common than you would think.) or even bad weather conditions can keep the train from moving, or keep one waiting on the platform for what seems like an eternity. Especially when one doesn’t have anything to read.

Today however I got to the large interchange of Bank Station. You can catch about 5 other trains  from this stop. There are alot of people going in and out of this station regularly. I was standing in the aisle in front of people seated on the train. It wasn’t too cramped today. It was bearable. Just before the train was about to take off I hear an announcement “Due to an emergency call. Everyone is to evacuate the station” No one seemed alarmed. Again, “Due to an emergency call. Everyone is to evacuate the station”and again, no one seemed alarmed. No one on the trained moved- non- the less flinched. Many people had head phones on so they never hear a thing. Most people were still engrossed in their book or free nightly newspaper. I said to the lady next to me should we get off the train? The train wasn’t making a move but it hadn’t been that long of a wait yet. Poeple outside the train carried on waiting as well. Some people scurried to get on the train. Most were trying to figure- at least it looked like- if they should get on stay underground or brave going up the stairs to see what was going on at the surface.

Then the train beeped indicating it was about to take off, eventually the doors shut and we carried on down the tracks like nothing had just happened. So interesting. I have no idea what happened. I am however very happy I made it home safely.

I am forever impressed with the calm demeanour of the English. Their stiff-upper-lip attitude towards life probably saves many of them from what many others would suffer from, a variety of anxiety ridden ailments. I also admire their ability to just get on with it despite bad weather, failing train systems, and loads of foreigners like me scrutinizing their every move!

Long live the Queen.