Southern Rail do not have a good reputation right now.
In fact, if you mention the words 'Southern Rail' to a certain sect of commuters, they will simultaneously start vomiting and wildly punching the air in a dual expression of disgust and hate.
Delayed trains, cancellations and overcrowded carriages do not happy travellers make. Southern Rail are often busy on Twitter, fielding angry questions from frustrated commuters, such as the following:
https://twitter.com/kelliejsmith/status/884058865528172545
It's hard to imagine that anyone at either end of this exchange is happy, which is why a few hearts sank when this tweet went out from the Southern Rail account.
https://twitter.com/SouthernRailUK/status/884769193366867968
Yep, Eddie, a young man on work experience, would be taking over the Twitter for a little while.
This... surely could not go well.
A few people had a feeling it was going to be a rough afternoon for young Eddie.
https://twitter.com/JonnoVanguard/status/884770131800444928
https://twitter.com/1N4R0551/status/884792026449022978
https://twitter.com/c_r_booth/status/884790505418231808
But even at 15 years-old, Eddie is a professional and took it all in his stride.
https://twitter.com/SouthernRailUK/status/884772364965294081
https://twitter.com/SouthernRailUK/status/884800356944891906
https://twitter.com/SouthernRailUK/status/884794905285054469
And then the daft questions started coming at Eddie, thick and fast.
https://twitter.com/adam_winstone/status/884780227628605440
https://twitter.com/Adam_W48/status/884778486690435074
https://twitter.com/robjyoung/status/884783917391380482
https://twitter.com/HairyAngus/status/884781505649807360
https://twitter.com/comtox/status/884780055947358210
Credit to Eddie, though. He went ahead and answered them.
https://twitter.com/SouthernRailUK/status/884781343699337220
https://twitter.com/SouthernRailUK/status/884779150069968899
https://twitter.com/SouthernRailUK/status/884787090759839744
https://twitter.com/SouthernRailUK/status/884783784062832641
https://twitter.com/SouthernRailUK/status/884781072906690561
There was the occasional 'real' question...
https://twitter.com/MaxFassbrause/status/884780970670530560
https://twitter.com/brianwhelanhack/status/884774337689116673
Eddie answered them, but we're not here to find out if Max could in fact break his journey at East Croydon. He could, incidentally. What a plot twist!
Sometimes it's hard not to be cynical about these things, and the same thought popped into our head: there is no Eddie, and if there is, he's not a work experience kid, he's someone from marketing trying to improve the image of Southern Rail.
Someone else on the replies thought the same thing.
https://twitter.com/SimonSFranklin/status/884782389662289921
But why? Plenty of school kids are out on work experience right now, and there's no reason why a sharp young man couldn't give charming answers to politely strange questions.
If it turns out that Eddie is a fabrication and Southern Rail gets embroiled in a fake work experience scandal, we'll just add it to the List Of Things That Actually Were Too Good To Be True, Sorry Everyone. But for now, we believe in Eddie, as did (most) everyone else on the feed.
https://twitter.com/angrychutney/status/884794222410444800
https://twitter.com/brianwhelanhack/status/884775480704077825
https://twitter.com/brownbare/status/884779786849202178
https://twitter.com/simonbattle007/status/884788219472216068
Still waiting to hear what Eddie thinks about this though:
https://twitter.com/Crashland89/status/884781325672230913
We'll be waiting.
