On the morning of the first Friday of the Easter school holidays, I took the train from Lingfield to Victoria station. It was packed with young families heading for the sights of London. In the seats next to me a mother and her two small boys were eagerly planning their day. First, the London Eye and a look at Big Ben, then the Natural History Museum. I could tell that they were going to have a great day out.

It was just as well, though, that they had decided to make the journey on Friday. If they had chosen Saturday or Sunday, there would have been tears before bedtime. For reasons known only to Network Rail, the first week-end of the Easter holidays had been chosen for major repair works to the East Grinstead line.

There are fewer more depressing words in the English language than “rail replacement bus service”. Of course we all recognise that the railways need to be kept safe and in good working order; and we all understand that keeping them that way involves some disruption. It makes sense, too, to do whatever work is necessary at week-ends rather than inflict delays and buses on long-suffering commuters. Mind you, as one whose family frequently tries to use the trains at week-ends, I am getting pretty tired of the regular disruption caused by works on the line.

But why wait until the start of the Easter holidays? Why not choose a wet week-end in January or February? Have the people who fix the works schedule no common sense? Or is there some malicious bureaucrat at Network Rail who takes pleasure in scheduling work for the busiest week-ends of the year?

It’s not the train operator’s fault although, inevitably, they take the flak (and, presumably, the loss of revenue). As it happens, the South Central Franchise is currently up for renewal, and tenders for the new franchise – currently operated by Southern – are sitting on the Minister’s desk. The Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon, will decide this summer whether Southern has performed sufficiently well to hang onto its job or whether another company should be given a go.

Let’s hope that whoever wins the next franchise will start by having a robust conversation with Network Rail about the timetabling of works.

The following day, I found myself waiting at Horley station for a train which had been “delayed” (i.e. cancelled) because of “vandalism at Pulborough”. Some of the problems afflicting the railways are beyond the control of those who run them. But the travelling public has a right to expect a little more common sense before being shunted onto buses.