SKY FERREY contrasts public transport in Cologne and the dreaded York to Manchester Airport Transpennine rail link.

I F you have ever had the misfortune to travel from Manchester Airport to York by train on a Sunday, I am sure you will have vowed never to do it again. If you haven't yet made this incredible journey.... don't!

My flight from Cologne landed 20 minutes early in Manchester - such a relief because, had it been on time I would have had to make the usual frenzied dash along the fluorescent blue tunnel down to the station only to see the train pulling out.

The 19.58 Arriva Transpennine train had two carriages which, with only a handful of passengers getting on at the airport, seemed adequate.

When we got to Manchester Piccadilly every student in the north of England boarded the train with all their worldly possessions. Now the two carriages were more like a "how-many-people-can-you-get into-a-mini-challenge" with students sprawled on the floor between carriages.

I smiled to myself, picturing how the drinks trolley would get through this obstacle course. I should have known better, it was Sunday - no trolley because of engineering works.

Aren't ticket sales computerised so Arriva knows how many seats they will need on any given train? Why sell more tickets if you know the train is full?

Even simpler, add another carriage! Shouldn't people be given an option - the train is full but you can sit on the floor, and travel half-price?

But then let's not forget we are travelling on Sunday and that is the day when anything goes and any delays, overcrowding, slow trains and deviations to timetables are because of "engineering works".

Where are these never-ending engineering works that seem to affect all trains on a Sunday? Is someone building a secret high-speed efficient rail system which one day will amaze us.

I wish!

And could someone tell me the route this train takes? We stopped at three Manchester stations, went into Huddersfield and then back out towards Manchester. I swear we went via Edinburgh.

But oh, how different public transport is in Cologne and why can't we take a leaf out of their book? This was my first trip to Cologne to visit my son and I was determined to see as much of the city as I could. I thought this might be tedious because my son does not have a car - and I soon realised why. He doesn't need one. The public tram system is so efficient, clean and comfortable and wherever we wanted to go there was a tram every seven minutes.

And they are always on time and, amazingly, run all night. No ticket to buy beforehand and no inspector (although occasionally they apparently do make spot checks). Everyone gets on and religiously puts their money in the ticket machine on the tram. I suspiciously eyed those who didn't, thinking they were flouting the system, but my son explained that people don't do that and they probably had a monthly ticket as he does.

My 24-hour "go-anywhere" ticket cost me the equivalent of £3.90 and it was even valid on the subway.

But this was Friday and Saturday and I was sure come Sunday all would be different. How wrong could I be - absolutely no difference whatsoever.

Obviously German engineering is such that it doesn't need to be tampered and tinkered with every Sunday - Vorsprung Durch Technik?

Ah, but what about getting from the centre of Cologne to Cologne/Bonn airport about 20 minutes away on Sunday afternoon? Might be tricky because the trams don't run to the airport.

It couldn't have been simpler: a luxury coach runs to the airport every 12 minutes.

I was so impressed with the way Germany looks after its commuters - even the cyclists have a metre-wide cycle path on every pavement and pedestrians just don't even think of stepping into that sacred area.

We are endlessly being encouraged to leave the car at home and use public transport but until we have a half-decent system where trains and buses are on time, don't break down, aren't cancelled, are comfortable, clean and welcoming, I will stick to my car.

So, after two hours and 40 minutes for a journey that usually takes one hour 36 minutes Monday to Saturday, I vowed I would never take a flight that involves having to get a train on a Sunday.

In the time it took me to get home from Manchester Airport I could have flown to Southern Spain. So much for letting the train take the strain.

Updated: 11:12 Thursday, November 20, 2003