Chiltern Railways Business Zone or Virgin Trains First Class - which will First Group emulate?

In all the furore over the West Coast Franchise, it seems to be going unnoticed that Chiltern are quietly but steadily improving the Business Zone offering between Birmingham and London. I am told that the 0655 Silver Set Business Zone is packed more often than not and that alcohol flows freely on the return 1807 (presumably on Friday nights...). Alas, I cannot vouch personally for these stories but I can reveal that the company is trialling 'plated' meals on the off-peak 1055 from Moor Street and the return 1337 from Marylebone.

Yesterday, I travelled in a very quiet Business Zone on the 1055 and enjoyed Sweet and Sour Chicken with Noodles served to my seat after the Banbury stop. At £4 with 'complimentary' cold drinks and tea or coffee (actually included in the £10 BZ supplement), this seems good value and perhaps similar to what First Group may be planning for their West Coast premium standard class should they be awarded the franchise.

I am told that Chiltern are planning to introduce a range of meals over the next few weeks, which will include Chicken Tikka Masala, Chilli con Carne, and a range of jacket potato fillings. Another Silver Set is undergoing testing next week and should be in service by October, so it will be interesting to see how the meal service takes off. As a side note, I understand that the 'famous' bacon roll on the Clubmans is now joined by a sausage bap in the mornings.

Of course, the Chiltern 1055 service is available for a Super Off-peak walk-on return fare of £27.50 plus the £10 on the train supplement. Virgin don't have a comparable fare offering but I did come back on the 2103 Pendolino from Euston for £23.50 First Class advance last night.

As First Group keep pointing out, the trouble with Virgin Trains is that they don't know how to market a mid-range offering to passengers who don't want to be cramped in Standard but also don't want the full at-seat service. Last night's Pendolino was vaguely busy in First Class but one wonders why Virgin feel the need to cart empty First Class carriages around their network for most of the day and why they can't cater for an on-train upgrade...

Still to be fair to Virgin, I do think that the three trains an hour timetable is  brilliant; the staff are efficient, and the journey is fast (which is always welcome mid-evening). The light snacks and drinks were fine, and, of course, WiFi is free both on-board and in the First Class lounge. Nevertheless, I do wonder if First Group won't do better still, at least in the first five years