Last Friday, I had a meeting for which I could plan ahead so decided to book ahead.
My outward journey was to be a £16 Advance First on the 7.53 LondonMidland service to Euston but alas it fell victim to the ongoing drivers' dispute. So it was a case of putting in a claim form for a refund, then a quick trot to Moor Street for the 8.15 Chiltern Clubman.
This train was delayed due to the knock-on effects of a dispute at LondonMidland's Tyseley depot so left 20 minutes. As ever, busy to Solihull and then a lessening of numbers through to Banbury but no problem getting to a table. Due to the delay, the bacon rolls were being offered on leaving Moor Street, and the trolley managed anothe two visits during the remainder of the journey.
A good run saw arrival at Marylebone only 7 minutes late, and all for a walk-on return fare of £33...
Coming back, I needed the speed of a Pendolino so had booked onto the 16.23 service from Euston. Being a peak train, the walk-on single fare would have been £74.50 so I had booked an Advance Standard at £49. Despite these fares, the train was virtually full, but then Virgin do give railcard holders 'off-peak' fares with discounts on all their trains...
One advantage of booking ahead is the guarantee of a table seat with a power socket. Another 'benefit' of travelling on Virgin is access to Wi-Fi though it does now cost £4 in standard. Wi-Fi provision continues to be not brilliant: it took 3 attempts for my payment to be accepted, and the speed of connection was barely adequate to download email...
Still, the service ran to time (saving me a necessary 30 minutes in my journey) and there was even a ticket check on board... BUT why do non-railcard holders use Virgin at peak times except when the 30 minute saving over Chiltern is all-important? Roll on Chiltern Mainline!
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