Pointless arse-covering, too late, by a government minister

[muriel_volestrangler]

Easter in London: 'Think twice' before taking the train out of the capital, warns Transport Secretary

Hundreds of thousands of Londoners heading off for an Easter break were today urged to “think twice” before taking the train because of major works on the network.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin warned that there would be “frustrations” on rail services over the Easter weekend given the scale of the “big dig” mainly focused on lines serving London.

He stressed that there would be no mainline trains from Paddington or Euston, with disruptions on lines from Liverpool Street and London Bridge.
...
“But if you are travelling between Friday and Monday night please check your journey first, it may be that you’ll think twice about how you travel.
...
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/easter-in-london-think-twice-before-taking-the-train-out-of-the-capital-warns-transport-secretary-10151177.html

What's the ****ing point in saying that on Thursday morning - one day before the holiday weekend starts? Practically anyone expecting to travel by train will have booked their tickets long before that, because they are exorbitant if you don't. This looks like (a) a Transport Secretary who has no idea how the British transport system works these days, not knowing about rail ticket purchases, and assuming loads of people make a last-minute decision whether to use rail or road, and (b) a politician who has been informed it's going to be a nightmare travelling by train over a holiday weekend, again, and thinks he can get away with a "well, we did warn you" excuse if he puts out BS like this at the last minute.