Mystic Wolmar sails on

Mystic Wolmar’s predictions for 2018 were uncharacteristically modest and rather tepid, but yet again the calamitous Cassandra managed to get several things wrong. Here is what his rather opaque crystal ball foresaw:

1: The dip in passenger numbers will continue as season ticket sales fall and the benefits of flexible working become more widely accepted.

2: The Southern rail dispute, and the associated second person rows around the country, will be resolved with RMT giving ground (though not admitting it).

3: The Government will be forced to step in on at least one other franchise contract.

4: There will be a big fuss about the new IEP Hitachi trains malfunctioning. And on the political front:

5: Brexit will become more unpopular, and pressure for a second referendum will become impossible to resist.

6: There will not be a General Election this year, but Theresa May will not be in Downing Street.

7: As for QPR, neither relegation nor promotion will be in the offing.

Well, the first one is sort of right, although there were recent signs of a bit of an upturn - so let’s say ¾ of a mark there.

The Southern Rail dispute has not been resolved, and indeed has spread. But with the collapse of East Coast, number 3 was spot on, as was number 4 - indeed, there have been numerous malfunctions.

The Brexit prediction is right, but we do not yet know about the second referendum, so another ¾ there. And obviously (at least as I write) Theresa May is still there, so just ½ for that one. And good old QPR are still in mid-table.

So, by playing safe, Mystic has scored four out of seven. See RAIL 870 for the glorious predictions for 2019 - and do please make any suggestions to me: @christianwolmar on Twitter or Christian.wolmar@gmail.com