Declaration of interest: I used a Chiltern Free Travel pass for the two journeys described in this post, and a Chiltern promotional voucher for the Business Zone upgrade.
On Wednesday, I had an opportunity to use the 6.55 Silver train service from Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone, and to take advantage of the Business Zone that this service conveys.
Arriving at Moor Street at 645 gave me plenty of opportunity to settle into my seat, set up my laptop before departure, and then sympathize with the passengers off the 610 connecting service from Kidderminster who just made it across the footbridge in time (roll on Platform 4 at Snow Hill - the sooner the Metro gets out of the way, the better).
Alas, WiFi wasn't working! It stayed that way for the journey, despite the efforts of the train manager to reset it. Another alas... Chiltern still don't take credit cards for food purchases in Business Zone so I had to forgo the anticipated bacon roll (that'll teach me not to rely on the Moor Street Cash Machine).
Other than the above, and the five minute late arrival into Marylebone (held outside awaiting a platform), the journey was pleasant and productive. Tea / coffee was offered soon after departure, and served in proper pots with real milk; the Financial Times was available as was inBusiness (though rather dated, but then it was the issue with a strong Chiltern influence); and the carriage wasn't overly busy (with some passengers were actually paying for the upgrade...).
Coming back was another matter. I had hoped to use the 1807 Silver train but finishing late meant that I ended up on the 1840 Clubman instead. In theory, this train is restricted to holders of Off-Peak (as opposed to Super Off-Peak) and Family (as opposed to Family Travelcard) tickets. But, of course, there are no barrier checks currently at Marylebone and, as I suspect is well known, none on the train until at least Banbury...
Thus, on joining the train 10 minutes before departure, I found it virtually full with many tables occupied by families with young / very young children. Although I managed to get a table seat, there were many adult standing passengers on departure - a situation which lasted until Banbury. Of course, this week has been half-term and Chiltern have been promoting 2 for 1 attractions in London. Nevertheless, it would be nice if the company considered the needs of its business and commuting customers too!
My disappointment at the travelling environment was compounded by the lack of WiFi once more.
Not too bad a run, though surely the timing should be better than 107 minutes. Like LondonMidland, Chiltern's evening service fails to offer fast runs back to Birmingham despite the fact that the off-peak daytime runs can do so.
Overall, not what I expected from Chiltern!
*** Chiltern tell me that they hope to be taking credit card payments for food in the Business Zone, Expresso Bar, and Trolley services in the not too distant future.
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