It's strange isn't it that some people come banging on our door when they want publicity but when something goes wrong they run for cover?

For months David Da Costa, of the Better Rails Advisory Group, had the sort of high profile usually associated with soap stars and Manchester United footballers as he tried to get the spotlight put on his proposed boycott of trains.

He was all over the national press and on first name terms with transport secretary Stephen Byers.

But then suddenly, all went silent. Mr Da Costa, of Colerne, became more difficult to track down than Lord Lucan and even the group's website stopped being updated.

Back in February Mr Da Costa said the boycott would be postponed because Mr Byers was so busy and he wanted to give him more of a chance to consider his proposals.

The boycott was then planned for last Friday. But Friday came and went without travellers knowing anything of it. Now Mr Da Costa says the boycott will go ahead on April 12 and full publicity will herald the occasion.

Commuters remain mainly disillusioned with the railways but they must be growing even more impatient with Mr Da Costa and his group who say one thing one minute and something else the next.

First Great Western is trying to make improvements and the Rail Passenger Committee has acknowledged the company's efforts to get trains running on time.

Maybe Mr Da Costa should just give the boycott up as a bad job and retreat back into the shadows again.