What a horrible week it has been.

Although quite a few services have now succumb to the article conditions, on the whole rail services have fair as well as, if not better, other forms of transport in Britain.

With rail services under constant threat from the weather, it has only been the resilience of rail job workers which has kept Britain on track (in a rail context anyway).

This hard work has been recognised in the North East with the chairman of the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority, Cllr Wood, saying: “The men and women who are out there at all times of day and night making sure public transport keeps going have emerged as the unsung heroes of the current winter weather.

“I want to say thanks to the many hundreds of drivers, engineers, cleaners and many others at bus and rail companies who are keeping the region moving.

“Of course there have been delays caused by poor road conditions, and in the worst conditions buses have not been able to reach some estates – but the big picture is that public transport has kept going and we owe our gratitude to the people who make that happen.”