I was initially rather surprised too.  Waterloo Bakerloo line platforms can though be remarkably quiet at times, and mid-morning when nearly everyone was staying at home during the first phase of the pandemic undoubtedly exacerbated that.  The RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) report indicates that the platform was virtually deserted.  Add in the sharply-curved platform and I can just about understand how someone could go unnoticed in person or on CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision). 

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) article doesn't make clear that the man apparently got off the train safely, but then stumbled and fell. Without wishing to play down the particularly unpleasant nature of the fatality, the same person could have stumbled while walking by a busy road, been run over by a lorry and it would just have been regarded as one of those things that happen.

The arrangement does seem to have fallen foul of some well-intentioned but in this case counterproductive legislation, the council rep not helping by trotting out a wishy-washy statement that repeats what everyone knows already and fails to explain the reasons at all clearly.

...and as a long-time rail industry employee I'm fortunate that I can normally buy a "flexible" ticket for about the same price as a train-specific advance would be, though not always.  I don't get any reductions on those cheap advance fares, which is fair enough, and there are some barred trains/times plus an expectation that I will give up my seat if normal passengers are standing (and that's when I sometimes wish I'd bought a cheap advance instead even if it cost a bit more!). 

The National Rail site is very good at selling you a ticket for exactly what you tell it you want to do, and as long as you then do that and use the exact itinerary it tells you to, you'll be fine. What it doesn't always do nearly as well is make clear what flexibility you have if any to change your plans, what extra costs that might entail or if there is a far better option that wouldn't cost significantly more.

They're increasingly difficult to use with many ticket offices being closed. They really need to come up with a replacement system involving perhaps an account and collection from a ticket machine or loading on a smart card.

I used to use those Economy Returns a lot as they were good value for a cash-strapped teenager, particularly as I just caught the wilderness time when you became an adult for rail fares at 14, and the Student Railcard as it was then didn't apply to schoolchildren.

My understanding was that the various restrictions were an attempt to exclude people who were likely to travel anyway (standard Sat-Sat holidaymakers, short business trips, days out etc) and tempt niche travellers who might otherwise perhaps use a coach or drive.  The 21 days requirement also I think allowed BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) to keep a bit of an eye on bookings and sometimes lengthen trains they thought might be particularly busy. It was a different world!

Coming from a Congregational-style church background which strives for consensus rather than imposing top-down rules, I particularly enjoyed the bit that reads "The Highway Code will be updated to suggest that those new to horse riding, or those who have not ridden for a while, consider undertaking training".

More generally, this will all take a while to filter through but does look like a positive move.  Previous changes such as including hazard perception in the driving test have definitely made it through to real-life driving over time; I notice for instance many motorists actually slowing down ready to stop as I walk towards a zebra crossing, rather than me needing to wave a toe over the kerb before anyone would even notice me as used to be the case, and many (but not all) drivers now give cyclists a far wider berth than they used to.

Not the best thought-out explanation!  It now says the buses are delayed, not unable to run.  It's hard to see how flooding would have prevented all sections of the route being covered by buses, unless the flooding is particularly widespread or affects the bus depot, in which case why not say so? The Pier Head-Esplanade section would presumably have been a separate minibus, or even a locally-sourced 8 seater minicab, which you'd hope would have been unaffected.

...or from an electrified line onto a pier where maintaining a live third rail is distinctly challenging?

Most but not all of the hoardings have gone, the station is far roomier and the subway through to the south side which was previously the only route to the platforms still needs tidying up. Only real negative I could see is a distinct lack of protection from the weather at platform level as the canopies went some time ago and there are just a couple of small bus shelters. IanVisits has muddled the  platform numbers; 3 and 4 are the ones normally used, 1 and 2 are on the fast lines so rarely served and 5 (the old Staines branch) exists but can only be used for trains terminating from and return to London which will only happen if there are problems further west.

Meanwhile the local "yoof" have already mastered the art of pushing through the new gates with station staff powerless to stop them.

From the possibly unreliable memory of my younger days the (non-railway) pier used to be primarily for pedestrians, with just the occasional staff member's car.  Pedestrians gained access via the Esplanade station platform and I think the pier toll may even have matched the rail fare so you either walked or caught the train for the same price depending on timing. My family walked 4 abreast along the pier, excited to be arriving on the island. The gradual shift to encouraging vehicle access has resulted in pedestrians being made to feel quite unwelcome, confined to a narrow marked strip so that vehicles could drive faster, and even the seats/shelters along the pier barriered off.   This has unfortunately happened in tandem with the rail service gradually being run down so I suspect most locals now drive or are driven, a vicious circle that is likely to go round a second time if the convenience of catching the train straight to the ferry from other Island Line stations is lacking for much longer.

This might reduce the number of poor quality schemes.  What it doesn't do though is offer any incentive or encouragement to those councils who are less than enthusiastic about providing any cycle facilities at all.

These tickets were never going to be the answer to everything as they're being squeezed into what is sometimes quite a narrow gap between paying for each day separately and getting a far better deal when travelling every day.  I wouldn't ask that "only save me £7 a year" financial services commuter for money advice though; unless he never takes a holiday from work there are likely to be times when he can leave a gap between the 28-day blocks so he won't need to buy 13 over the course of a year.  Varying the commuting days at the start and end of the blocks could also allow gaps while still being in the office 2 days each week.

According to the MD of Avanti (current West Coast operator)'s owners, “This record attempt shows how effectively rail can deliver cross-Border connectivity.”   I'm not sure how much a one-off stunt shows this but it could well be latched onto by anti-HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) campaigners as further proof that a new High Speed line isn't needed.

Business cases do sometimes show that something is not cost-effective, and even if this one does prove positive the next stage will be for the government to explain where the initial funding for the necessary technology, infrastructure etc will come from before any savings are made, which could prove "interesting".  The closure of the entire Metropolitan line several times lately because of the lack of a small number of staff in the control room is incidentally a reminder that it's harder than it might seem to remove reliance on humans completely.