The great timetable fiasco: what’s gone wrong with England’s railways?

After years of engineering upgrades, the stage was set for a vastly improved service: instead, two franchises are crippledFor hundreds of thousands of commuters, a rail timetable change will never seem innocuous again. Before the schedules were switched three weeks ago, plenty of people had predicted teething troubles: train companies had spoken of the logistical challenge ahead, and commuters were told to expect some initial disruption.At the time, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), a key commuter