I AM on an early morning train coming back to York from London.

At King’s Cross I was handed a leaflet by Action for Rail campaigning for keeping the East Coast train operating company from being sold by the Government. I was heading for the Grand Central 7.52am train.

I like to travel by Grand Central rather than East Coast because the atmosphere is more relaxed and pleasant. I also like passing through the cattle gates at King’s Cross without having to dig in my pockets to find a ticket while carrying heavy bags. “I’m on the Grand Central” gets me through.

It’s possible to get though these irritating without the bother of scrabbling to find a ticket because it is possible to pay on the train when travelling by Grand Central.

When it came time to pay this morning, I had two options: to upgrade a return half of a “super saver” ticket; the upgrade would have been more than £90. Option two was to buy a Grand Central one-way ticket. This is what I chose and it cost me £35.40p. I have an old person’s card.

I expect the Government is fattening up East Coast in order to get a good price if it is sold but does this experience tell us something about the way our railways are run?

Geoff Beacon, Belle Vue Street, York