The announcement that Avanti are about to launch a new direct train service from London to Bangor reminds me that during my adult lifetime the train service from London to Bangor has got consistently much worse. In the 1990s, it was still possible to get a train at Euston at 5.20 (or was it 6.20 ?) on a Friday evening and arrive in Bangor three hours later, having had dinner overlooking the sea. Ten years ago, it was still possible to travel from London to Bangor and back again in a day. Now, you nearly invariably have to change at either Chester or Crewe, sometimes both. The line from Chester to Bangor is served by two carriages which bump along, stopping at every stop and filled with mountain climbers. This is progress ! The glories of privatisation. Twelve years of conservative government. No wonder we need levelling up.