US Bud having the slogan King of Beers suggests a good enough reason to scrap the monarchy to me.

Definitely. And open up a few new options for people who - like I sometimes do - travel out in the morning peak but return off peak. Although contactless would make that kind of thing far easier.

Indeed. They're saying that some fares will go up by a max of 20p but a majority of people will be able to save somehow. We will see.

Also the trust's brochure contains this, and well goodness knows what that's all about.

It's definitely not passenger friendly. I assume it is purely about ensuring the train company gets all the fare revenue, rather than it being split between all the operators on the route.

If you're wondering, Stockport to Manchester trains all travel the same route. But they are run by multiple companies - Northern, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express, Transport for Wales, Avanti West Coast, and East Midlands Railway. All competing for your passenger pound.

That said, looking at tickets for Stockport to Manchester for this afternoon, I see different trains priced at £2.20, £2.50, £2.70, £2.90, £3.70, £5.00, and £5.30. First class is £6.40 or £7.00. This for a ten minute journey entirely in Greater Manchester. This is totally and utterly crazy.

Yes, that definitely looks more like a scalp gained. Far more than Davie.

I guess this may, or may not, be important to the plot. I am only a third of the way through.