In praise of Chiltern

The Winter 2011 issue of the Chiltern Railways' onboard newsletter notes that in the period 21 August to 12 November the company received 8,254 letters / emails / phone calls of which 17 were 'praise only' (that many? I can hear disgruntled commuters muttering...).

Now I know that Chiltern aren't perfect but for me - a self-employed businessman who wants to work on his journeys and also wants to watch the pennies - the company does get many aspects of its offering right. Take yesterday's journeys as an example.

First, the fares. Travelling super off-peak, my 'turn up and walk-on' return ticket (valid for a month) from Birmingham to London cost £25.

Secondly, comfort and space. For my £25, I travelled south in the de-classified Business Zone on the 10.55 from Moor Street, and returned in a Clubman on the 20.10 from Marylebone. On both journeys, I enjoyed free WiFi and plenty of table space. On the journey south, I had a sausage bap and tea for £3.50. On the journey back, I had access to working power points...

Thirdly, the staff. Undoubtedly, the on train staff are a superb advertisement for Chiltern: friendly, helpful, and visible. They are backed up by Chiltern's wonderful Twitter team...

Of course, Chiltern don't get everything right. There appears to be an ongoing problem with power sockets in the Business Zone tripping out - glad I don't pay the supplement - and, more importantly, the services don't seem to be able to keep to time. Both journeys yesterday lost around 5 minutes for no noticeable reason.

Nevertheless, if you want to work on the journey to / from London and you are watching the pennies, then Chiltern is the way to go!