The one in which something really awful happens in close proximity to i-just-hide...

This evening I caught the train from Richmond as usual.  It stopped at Twickenham as usual.  I had my mp3 player on and generally, during train journeys I'm oblivious to those around me but after a little while I became aware that something was wrong.  People started walking towards the opposite side of the train to look out of the window and people outside started walking down the platform towards the station looking really distressed.  Then a member of station staff came rushing up the platform in the opposite direction followed soon afterwards by a policeman.  It became evident that a man had jumped on to the tracks on the other side of the platform to the one my train was on and was currently burning to death.  He wasn't hit by a train.  A train did come in to the station a little while afterwards but the man was right at the far end of the platform and it stopped in plenty of time.  I didn't see anything but the platform was packed so lots of people saw everything.  I certainly smelt the burning though.  It was absolutely horrible.  The power to the lines was obviously turned off as soon as it could be so my train was stuck.  We were asked to stay on the train to keep us out of the way.  Loads of police, paramedics and station staff rushed past doing their thing.  Eventually, the station manager dashed towards the station and returned carrying a blue box labelled 'Fatality Box'.  Shortly after this the guard on my train let us get out.  I didn't look back as I walked away.  I've never understood why people are keen to see scenes of gruesome incidents.  What an awful, awful thing to happen.  I feel fortunate not to have seen it and feel terrible for the many innocent commuters who did.  It's hard for me to imagine what must be going through the head of someone who throws themself to a painful death in such a public fashion.  I hope they're at peace now.

My journey home continued to be rubbish after I left the station but after that I don't think I have a right to complain really.  I walked in to Twickenham to try and catch a bus.  As the trains weren't running the buses were packed.  I didn't manage to squeeze on to the first one that went past so I decided to walk a little way and see whether the buses were a bit emptier further away from the town centre.  I managed to get on to pretty packed bus on Twickenham Green which proceeded to break down about four stops along.  I gave up and walked the rest of the way.  At least I got some excercise I guess.  All in all, not a great day.