The Binscombe Express beats covid!

The closure of the Binscombe Express due to covid restrictions was not widely reported in the national press, but has been keenly felt by the children of Godalming who have been faced with the forlorn sight of a barren train track in consulting room 3, devoid of any trains, for the past 20 months.

At last, after securing a grant for major capital investment in the railway, the Binscombe Express Board is delighted to announce that a solution has been found, with the construction of a brand new, covid-secure cleaning shed. After use, trains can now be placed in the shed for a period of quarantine and subsequent cleaning, prior to being recycled for their next journey.

The new build has not been without controversy, however. Eyebrows were raised when it emerged that such a significant contract was awarded to a construction company that had only begun operating during lockdown, and further questions were asked when it emerged that the company had only one part-time employee, who also had a second job as a health care worker. The Board defended their position, stating that the contract was awarded after a diligent procurement process, and that the winning contractor's design was noted 'for its elegant aesthetic and innovative conceptualisation.' The Board also commented on the contractor's 'extensive portfolio', although some argued that the company's prior output to date of one garden bench, a wooden mallet and a handful of coasters could hardly be called extensive.

As with so many grand public projects, the construction was delivered late (the excuse given for this was that 'healthcare has been quite busy recently and our employee had to prioritise their other job for a while) but, remarkably, the project was delivered within its budget of £15, and the construction itself has been well received. The BInscombe Express is back in action!