Scotrail getting it right

I travel into work by bus generally, and go home by train. There is of course something of the mundane about a daily commute. It's very much a means to an end, and your mode of public transport not turning up, arriving late, being dirty, having no seats - or in some cases, all of the above - and it's turned from mundane to daily dread, and generally into a bit of a 'mare.

And so it is with many journeys and was with me. But something changed, not overnight but over a period. The homeward part of my journey got good. The trains leave on time, they are generally clean and get from A to B on time. Yes, of course this should always be the case, it should be the norm not the exception, but I am grateful for small mercies. The views are still of Glasgow's Southside - it'd be nice to see the Florentine countryside, the Swiss Alps or the Med on the south coast of France of course, but it is what it is.

And so to the brand identity. It's cracking. When I grew up, the trains were blue, there was then a garish orange phase and a drab, insignificant cream phase, but we're now on track (I know). It's First Scotrail, it's Scottish so it's gone all saltire, and the new rolling stock adds to the impression that this is a company getting it together.

Disclaimer: I'm a geeky trainspotter. I love travelling by train, and have done so all over western Europe. I love the Stella Artois ad bars on French trains, the efficiency of German trains, and have been on many others too. I love trains, love train stations. I therefore want my 'local' trains to get it right, to be up there. Maybe not yet, but I like where Scotrail's going.