Queen Travels in Style but It Certainly Isn’t Royal

LONDON —  British Rail said today it has apologized to Queen Elizabeth II for a train ride that was a royal pain--eight breakdowns, a delayed breakfast and late arrival at both ends of the trip.

The queen’s troubles began on Tuesday’s 7:50 a.m. from King’s Lynn, near her Sandringham estate in eastern England, and continued to plague the 100-mile trip to Liverpool Street Station in London.

When it came time for breakfast, stewards found they could not open the door between the breakfast car and the queen’s carriage because it was locked for security reasons and nobody had a key.

They managed to serve her breakfast--an hour late--when the train stopped in Ely. Travelers were surprised to see stewards on the platform carrying platters of kipper, bacon, eggs, toast and coffee to the queen’s carriage.

The queen had plenty of time to eat. After leaving Ely, the train suffered eight breakdowns, which British Rail said were caused by locomotive failure. The engine was finally changed at Bishop’s Stortford.

She arrived in London 43 minutes late but her troubles were not over. On the return trip to King’s Lynn later in the day her train arrived 18 minutes behind schedule.