Chiltern continue to promote the Business Zone: on the Silver Sets used over the past two days, Feedback forms were available along with a flyer entitled 'Your office, but on the move' which promotes the 'Chiltern Mainline Standard Business Package' for £115 return...
According to the flyer, the package includes tube travel along with free Wi-Fi, at-seat catering service, complimentary hot drinks, and newspapers.It seems to suggest that the services available are the 0619 / 0655 / 1555 from Birmingham and the 0837 / 1650 / 1807 from Marylebone and gives the web address as www.chilternrailways.co.uk/mainline
Going to this address will give no further details nor will it indicate how to book the package. If you're really persistent, you can find the package as a fare on the booking system BUT tucked away in the more expensive fares sections and available ONLY on the 0619 / 0650 and 1650 / 1807 services (as of course the 0837 & 1555 require a £10 not £20 supplement). To be fair, the seat reservations are then made for you (though from my experience I don't see there being a problem getting a seat...).
Finally, the ghost of the Wrexham & Shropshire lives on as the fares system describes the package as WSMR Family 1st - and there's me thinking that Mainline was the brand!
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
A double dose of Chiltern... day 2
Declaration of interest: this second of the two set of journeys covered in these postings was courtesy of a Chiltern Railways Free Travel Pass (food, however, was purchased by me).
On Tuesday, I was surprised to find the 10.55 service from Moor Street in reverse formation: ie loco at the back and the Business Zone carriage at the London end. No-one seemed to know why... Of course, this made the carriage even quieter but at least there was a bustle in the Expresso Bar which indicated the arrival of staff. Even better, an ex-Wrexham & Shropshire staff member was rustling up bacon sandwiches which were being sold at £3.50 including tea. Now there's a delight!
Less of a delight was the discovery that the power points in the Business Zone were not working. The on-board crew tried everything they could to rectify the situation but had to admit defeat - one for the fault book. Still Wi-Fi was working and there were copies of the Financial Times available so I settled back to enjoy my bacon roll, use laptop until the battery ran down, and then simply enjoy the ride.
As I mentioned in the previous post, departure was delayed due to a LondonMidland train getting priority but at least the loss of time was not accentuated further down the line so arrival into Marylebone was only a few minutes late. Even still, one has to wonder when Chiltern will persuade the Network Rail signallers that they are actually handling Express trains once more from Moor Street as I'm sure that Virgin's Pendolinos are treated with more respect...
Returning from London, I was expecting to pay my supplement to use the Business Zone once more on the 1807. Alas, it was the same set as worked the 10.55 and the power point issue had not been resolved. So I left the other three people in the Zone in peace and went in search of a standard table with power.
The 1807 is relatively busy in Standard but by no means crowded so finding a table further along the train proved not to be a problem. As power and WiFi was available, and the seats are the comfortable ex-W&S, one has to wonder again what I would have gained for my £20. Well there is the free tea served by a friendly host (Ex-W&S), it is quieter, and there is more room but overall I still can't see the package offering true value.
Good job I had the bacon roll on the way down as there was no hot food available on the 1807 - the paninis hadn't turned up! Still, the tea is reasonable value at £1.60.
Departure was slightly late due to earlier problems and of course we immediately ran into the pathing problems as we caught up delayed locals at Gerards Cross and High Wycombe. So despite taking Anyho Junction at line speed (first time I had experienced this benefit of Evergreen 3), we failed to keep to time to Warwick Parkway, and then lost further time post Solihull trying to get into Moor Street and Snow Hill. Things were so bad that the 1810 Stourbridge Junction service caught us up at Snow Hill despite supposedly being timed to arrive 17 minutes after us.
So Chiltern, you provide a good service from Birmingham to London at very competitive fares with stock which is a pleasure to use. BUT coming back from London is not such a happy story. Can you try harder please.
On Tuesday, I was surprised to find the 10.55 service from Moor Street in reverse formation: ie loco at the back and the Business Zone carriage at the London end. No-one seemed to know why... Of course, this made the carriage even quieter but at least there was a bustle in the Expresso Bar which indicated the arrival of staff. Even better, an ex-Wrexham & Shropshire staff member was rustling up bacon sandwiches which were being sold at £3.50 including tea. Now there's a delight!
Less of a delight was the discovery that the power points in the Business Zone were not working. The on-board crew tried everything they could to rectify the situation but had to admit defeat - one for the fault book. Still Wi-Fi was working and there were copies of the Financial Times available so I settled back to enjoy my bacon roll, use laptop until the battery ran down, and then simply enjoy the ride.
As I mentioned in the previous post, departure was delayed due to a LondonMidland train getting priority but at least the loss of time was not accentuated further down the line so arrival into Marylebone was only a few minutes late. Even still, one has to wonder when Chiltern will persuade the Network Rail signallers that they are actually handling Express trains once more from Moor Street as I'm sure that Virgin's Pendolinos are treated with more respect...
Returning from London, I was expecting to pay my supplement to use the Business Zone once more on the 1807. Alas, it was the same set as worked the 10.55 and the power point issue had not been resolved. So I left the other three people in the Zone in peace and went in search of a standard table with power.
The 1807 is relatively busy in Standard but by no means crowded so finding a table further along the train proved not to be a problem. As power and WiFi was available, and the seats are the comfortable ex-W&S, one has to wonder again what I would have gained for my £20. Well there is the free tea served by a friendly host (Ex-W&S), it is quieter, and there is more room but overall I still can't see the package offering true value.
Good job I had the bacon roll on the way down as there was no hot food available on the 1807 - the paninis hadn't turned up! Still, the tea is reasonable value at £1.60.
Departure was slightly late due to earlier problems and of course we immediately ran into the pathing problems as we caught up delayed locals at Gerards Cross and High Wycombe. So despite taking Anyho Junction at line speed (first time I had experienced this benefit of Evergreen 3), we failed to keep to time to Warwick Parkway, and then lost further time post Solihull trying to get into Moor Street and Snow Hill. Things were so bad that the 1810 Stourbridge Junction service caught us up at Snow Hill despite supposedly being timed to arrive 17 minutes after us.
So Chiltern, you provide a good service from Birmingham to London at very competitive fares with stock which is a pleasure to use. BUT coming back from London is not such a happy story. Can you try harder please.
A double dose of Chiltern... day 1
Two days of journeys to London Monday / Tuesday with timings that suited the use of my favourite train, the 10.55 Mainline Silver service from Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone.
One of the nice things about the Mainline timetable is that the xx.55 departures from Moor Street are formed of the xx.17 arrivals from Marylebone which means that the train is waiting to be boarded for up to half-an-hour before departure. So it was that I rolled up at 10.40 on Monday, bought my £25 Super Off-Peak return (what a bargain), and boarded the Business Zone of the Silver Set waiting in Platform 4.
As ever all was quiet in this carriage as most passengers passed by in search of 'standard' accommodation. However, it seemed too quiet with no sign of activity in the Expresso bar. The Train Manager didn't know if it was to be staffed so I patronised the excellent Expresso cabin before settling into my seat and getting out the laptop (Memo to Chiltern: do get your buffet car staff on board earlier!).
There is no doubt that the Business Zone is an excellent environment in which to work - power and wifi on tap and plenty of space - and is even better when free as on the 10.55 and you're not in any rush... and to be quite honest, currently the Mainline timetable is not delivering in terms of 'sharp' timing. Some of this is not Chiltern's fault - on both Monday and Tuesday, LondonMidland late running locals were allowed out in front of the 10.55 departure which naturally led to delays en-route and late arrivals into Marylebone - and some of it is (both my return journeys suffered from poor pathing!)
So let's move onto the so-called Mainline service that is the 20.37 departure from Marylebone... On Monday, this was formed of a three-car 165 set. There is no way that this set of commuter carriages, running to appalling semi-fast timings (122 minutes), can be described as Mainline and it was an insult for the departure board to suggest that it was. No tables, no wifi, no power points, no 100mph running... but at least it did eventually arrive into Moor Street - late! Chiltern, shame on you.
One of the nice things about the Mainline timetable is that the xx.55 departures from Moor Street are formed of the xx.17 arrivals from Marylebone which means that the train is waiting to be boarded for up to half-an-hour before departure. So it was that I rolled up at 10.40 on Monday, bought my £25 Super Off-Peak return (what a bargain), and boarded the Business Zone of the Silver Set waiting in Platform 4.
As ever all was quiet in this carriage as most passengers passed by in search of 'standard' accommodation. However, it seemed too quiet with no sign of activity in the Expresso bar. The Train Manager didn't know if it was to be staffed so I patronised the excellent Expresso cabin before settling into my seat and getting out the laptop (Memo to Chiltern: do get your buffet car staff on board earlier!).
There is no doubt that the Business Zone is an excellent environment in which to work - power and wifi on tap and plenty of space - and is even better when free as on the 10.55 and you're not in any rush... and to be quite honest, currently the Mainline timetable is not delivering in terms of 'sharp' timing. Some of this is not Chiltern's fault - on both Monday and Tuesday, LondonMidland late running locals were allowed out in front of the 10.55 departure which naturally led to delays en-route and late arrivals into Marylebone - and some of it is (both my return journeys suffered from poor pathing!)
So let's move onto the so-called Mainline service that is the 20.37 departure from Marylebone... On Monday, this was formed of a three-car 165 set. There is no way that this set of commuter carriages, running to appalling semi-fast timings (122 minutes), can be described as Mainline and it was an insult for the departure board to suggest that it was. No tables, no wifi, no power points, no 100mph running... but at least it did eventually arrive into Moor Street - late! Chiltern, shame on you.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Virgin Atlantic do delight... at a price
Travelling from Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic? Then make sure that your agent - should you be able to afford it - takes advantage of the Upper Class fare offer in conjunction with Virgin Trains. To quote:
Book selected Upper Class fares from London to anywhere in the world,
and Virgin Atlantic will pick up the tab for a single or return First Class ticket anywhere on the Virgin Trains network to London Euston absolutely free.
Then, when your passengers arrive in London, they’ll pick them up in a
complimentary chauffeur driven car and whizz them to Heathrow,
where they’ll go from their car to the
Clubhouse in just 10 minutes, thanks to the Upper Class Wing.
Once onboard, your passengers will enjoy superb, friendly service, excellent food and drink, and one of the longest fully flat beds in business class.
Now that does sound like true delight - wonder what the experience for the rest of us in like?
Book selected Upper Class fares from London to anywhere in the world,
and Virgin Atlantic will pick up the tab for a single or return First Class ticket anywhere on the Virgin Trains network to London Euston absolutely free.
Then, when your passengers arrive in London, they’ll pick them up in a
complimentary chauffeur driven car and whizz them to Heathrow,
where they’ll go from their car to the
Clubhouse in just 10 minutes, thanks to the Upper Class Wing.
Once onboard, your passengers will enjoy superb, friendly service, excellent food and drink, and one of the longest fully flat beds in business class.
Now that does sound like true delight - wonder what the experience for the rest of us in like?
Virgin Trains First Class Seat Sale
Virgin Trains are currently running a First Class Seat Sale, offering 50,000 tickets for the period Saturday 10th December 2011 to Sunday 22nd January 2012 if booked by Tuesday 29th November. Tickets between Birmingham and London (and vice-versa) are priced at £17
Based on three journeys that I need to make in this period, it would appear that the fares are available on trains roughly around the Super Off-Peak period that Virgin sometimes employs ie from around 11am to London from Birmingham (gaps at the evening peak), and at 6.03, then from around 9.30am to 3pm and then after 8pm back from Euston (Monday to Friday).
Undoubtedly the best value fares from Birmingham are on the 10.50, 11.10, 18.50, and 19.10 services from New Street when a Hot Snack is included. From London, there is availability on the 6.03 and 9.43 which gives breakfast, and on the 3 trains between 10am and 11am which include hot snacks.
Buying the tickets online is slightly fiddly as the link from the Sale Page takes you to Virgin's Best Value Fare Finder. Here you can skip directly to the main booking engine which is far easier to use - the fares are shown as First Class Promo when available. Don't forget these are SINGLE fares so book both ways!
Having not been delighted by Virgin's Standard Class offering recently, I look forward to seeing if First Class can delight!
Based on three journeys that I need to make in this period, it would appear that the fares are available on trains roughly around the Super Off-Peak period that Virgin sometimes employs ie from around 11am to London from Birmingham (gaps at the evening peak), and at 6.03, then from around 9.30am to 3pm and then after 8pm back from Euston (Monday to Friday).
Undoubtedly the best value fares from Birmingham are on the 10.50, 11.10, 18.50, and 19.10 services from New Street when a Hot Snack is included. From London, there is availability on the 6.03 and 9.43 which gives breakfast, and on the 3 trains between 10am and 11am which include hot snacks.
Buying the tickets online is slightly fiddly as the link from the Sale Page takes you to Virgin's Best Value Fare Finder. Here you can skip directly to the main booking engine which is far easier to use - the fares are shown as First Class Promo when available. Don't forget these are SINGLE fares so book both ways!
Having not been delighted by Virgin's Standard Class offering recently, I look forward to seeing if First Class can delight!
Friday, 18 November 2011
Rail: Value for Money (Investment, Efficiency and Reform)
No, not the magazine, but an event organised by Public Service Events at the Barbican yesterday which I attended as it featured Sir Roy McNulty, Anna Walker (ORR), and Tom Smith (ATOC) as key speakers - but not politicians, the DfT, or Network Rail...
A flavour of the event as it unfolded can be had from the tweets at #rail11 and from the presentations
First up, Sir Roy McNulty who gave what presumably is his standard spiel about his eponymous Report His keys points were the existence of the 'efficiency' gap (30%?) which is 'not a cause for despair'; Rebalancing the roles of Government and Industry; and trusting the Rail Delivery Group to deliver... Naturally he denied that he had been 'nobbled' by ministers to take out anything contentious about privatisation.
The key slide from his presentation is Slide 28 - How will we know it is happening? - which takes me neatly onto Anna Walker, Chair, Office of Rail Regulation. Her surprisingly combative presentation focussed on the timetable for PR13 and the need to save £1 billion + per annum by setting the right 'incentive framework'... Interestingly, she kept referring to the need for a 'Greater transparency of information' from Network Rail and the TOCs. In the meantime, she promises three consultation documents:
* ORR’s role in relation to TOCS
* Fares and ticketing
* Localism
Wish her luck...
Perhaps the best presentation of the morning came from Douglas McCormick, MD Rail of the main sponsors Atkins. Basically he warned that companies such as his can deliver but NOT if they are seen as the easy touch in the drive to reduce costs.
After Masterclasses and lunch, Tom Smith of ATOC gave us his presentation Alas, he failed to rise to the bait dangled by Chair Paul Clifton in his introduction to the afternoon session and stuck doggedly to his brief... which was, of course, to say that Privatisation was a great success story / everything was fine when the SRA had been in charge before the Government decided it knew better / private investors were hungry to invest - they just needed to know the long-term prognosis for the industry etc etc.
His most interesting slide (6) was entitled The Initial Industry Plan response - Costs, revenue and subsidy requirement, England & Wales to 2019 which seems to show how the industry is going to drive down the subsidy requirement to £1 billion at 2011/2012 prices by 2019...
Unfortunately he couldn't stay for the Panel session, leaving it to Edward Welsh (his Director of Corporate Affairs) to continue the positive spin in the face of some doubting questioners.
Overall, a mixed bag of a day, the value of which partly diminished due to the absence of key players in the process. One final point. Innovation (along with efficiency and transparency) seemed to be a favourite word of the speakers. Funnily enough, at an evening event which moved onto, innovation was also much to the fore in the speeches. However, here, it was innovation as practised by the late Steve Jobs at Apple: ranging widely for inspiration and refusing to be siloed.
Is there anyone in the UK rail industry who can fill the Steve Jobs role and lead the industry to providing real value for money through innovative thinking? One can only hope so...
A flavour of the event as it unfolded can be had from the tweets at #rail11 and from the presentations
First up, Sir Roy McNulty who gave what presumably is his standard spiel about his eponymous Report His keys points were the existence of the 'efficiency' gap (30%?) which is 'not a cause for despair'; Rebalancing the roles of Government and Industry; and trusting the Rail Delivery Group to deliver... Naturally he denied that he had been 'nobbled' by ministers to take out anything contentious about privatisation.
The key slide from his presentation is Slide 28 - How will we know it is happening? - which takes me neatly onto Anna Walker, Chair, Office of Rail Regulation. Her surprisingly combative presentation focussed on the timetable for PR13 and the need to save £1 billion + per annum by setting the right 'incentive framework'... Interestingly, she kept referring to the need for a 'Greater transparency of information' from Network Rail and the TOCs. In the meantime, she promises three consultation documents:
* ORR’s role in relation to TOCS
* Fares and ticketing
* Localism
Wish her luck...
Perhaps the best presentation of the morning came from Douglas McCormick, MD Rail of the main sponsors Atkins. Basically he warned that companies such as his can deliver but NOT if they are seen as the easy touch in the drive to reduce costs.
After Masterclasses and lunch, Tom Smith of ATOC gave us his presentation Alas, he failed to rise to the bait dangled by Chair Paul Clifton in his introduction to the afternoon session and stuck doggedly to his brief... which was, of course, to say that Privatisation was a great success story / everything was fine when the SRA had been in charge before the Government decided it knew better / private investors were hungry to invest - they just needed to know the long-term prognosis for the industry etc etc.
His most interesting slide (6) was entitled The Initial Industry Plan response - Costs, revenue and subsidy requirement, England & Wales to 2019 which seems to show how the industry is going to drive down the subsidy requirement to £1 billion at 2011/2012 prices by 2019...
Unfortunately he couldn't stay for the Panel session, leaving it to Edward Welsh (his Director of Corporate Affairs) to continue the positive spin in the face of some doubting questioners.
Overall, a mixed bag of a day, the value of which partly diminished due to the absence of key players in the process. One final point. Innovation (along with efficiency and transparency) seemed to be a favourite word of the speakers. Funnily enough, at an evening event which moved onto, innovation was also much to the fore in the speeches. However, here, it was innovation as practised by the late Steve Jobs at Apple: ranging widely for inspiration and refusing to be siloed.
Is there anyone in the UK rail industry who can fill the Steve Jobs role and lead the industry to providing real value for money through innovative thinking? One can only hope so...
Virgin Miscellany
Virgin Trains: First Class Seat Sale - booking opens next Wednesday (23rd) and lasts until the 29th (or until the 50,000 seats are sold). Travel dates are between Saturday 10th December 2011 and Sunday 22nd January 2012. Birmingham-London travel will cost £17 each way - child discounts available but NOT railcard discounts.
Virgin Trains: First Class refreshments - breakfast on the 23rd December will be the last First Class meal served before the Christmas break. Full First Class Meal service will resume on Tuesday 3rd January 2012.
Virgin Trains: railcard ticket validity - Barry Doe in Rail issues 681 and 683 has explained the changes that Virgin have introduced on Railcard off-peak validity on Peak period trains. The off-peak price availability remains BUT the tickets must only be for the Virgin part of the journey. So for example, a railcard holder can still travel from Euston to Wolverhampton at peak times for an off-peak fare but must re-book from Wolverhampton if s/he wants to travel say to Shrewsbury
Also from Rail issue 683 is a news piece explaining the 36 week extension to the Virgin WCML franchise...
Virgin Trains: First Class refreshments - breakfast on the 23rd December will be the last First Class meal served before the Christmas break. Full First Class Meal service will resume on Tuesday 3rd January 2012.
Virgin Trains: railcard ticket validity - Barry Doe in Rail issues 681 and 683 has explained the changes that Virgin have introduced on Railcard off-peak validity on Peak period trains. The off-peak price availability remains BUT the tickets must only be for the Virgin part of the journey. So for example, a railcard holder can still travel from Euston to Wolverhampton at peak times for an off-peak fare but must re-book from Wolverhampton if s/he wants to travel say to Shrewsbury
Also from Rail issue 683 is a news piece explaining the 36 week extension to the Virgin WCML franchise...
Virgin Trains do deliver but the company doesn't always delight
Back in the heyday of customer service, certain brands would delight in 'delighting' their customers - KwikFit is one that springs to mind. The problem that I have with Virgin Trains is that the company delivers but doesn't always delight, at least not on the Birmingham to London runs.
However, let's start with the positives. An advance single to St Alban's Abbey via Watford Junction on Wednesday using the 14.10 out of New Street set me back the princely sum of £11.50. Coming back last night on the 20.43 from London Euston cost me another £10.50. If you can book in Advance, then Virgin do delight if you can travel off-peak...
The 14.10 Pendolino arrived from Wolverhampton in good time and left promptly. My table seat was reserved in the Quiet Coach, and indeed the Quiet Coach was quiet. Usual run of announcements about tickets but as ever no attempt to check prior to Coventry (to be fair, there was then a ticket check on the run to Watford). No shop announcement but one presumes it was open. Slight delay around Milton Keynes meant arrival into Watford was around 5 mins late. Apologies given. Overall, a routine standard class Pendolino experience.
Coming back, the reservation system had failed on the 20.43 but in fact my table seat in the Quiet Coach was available. Relatively busy due to Milton Keynes commuters using the service but after MK relatively quiet. Announcements were automated which meant that the needless 'security' warning was repeated seemingly ad nauseum. No ticket checks but the train manager did appear after MK to challenge a tourist who had placed his bike in the vestibule. Apparently there were no platform staff to put the bike in the front compartment as should have occurred. Again, no shop announcement. Slightly delayed around Birmingham International so another 5 min late arrival... Nevertheless, another reasonable Pendolino journey.
So what would delight me as a Pendolino passenger? A more human touch from the train managers and perhaps more visibility? Free WiFi obviously. More (leg)room in Standard and less of a 'crowd everyone in' feeling about the carriages. Overall, Virgin just giving the feeling that the company was actually pleased that I was actually using their services...
However, let's start with the positives. An advance single to St Alban's Abbey via Watford Junction on Wednesday using the 14.10 out of New Street set me back the princely sum of £11.50. Coming back last night on the 20.43 from London Euston cost me another £10.50. If you can book in Advance, then Virgin do delight if you can travel off-peak...
The 14.10 Pendolino arrived from Wolverhampton in good time and left promptly. My table seat was reserved in the Quiet Coach, and indeed the Quiet Coach was quiet. Usual run of announcements about tickets but as ever no attempt to check prior to Coventry (to be fair, there was then a ticket check on the run to Watford). No shop announcement but one presumes it was open. Slight delay around Milton Keynes meant arrival into Watford was around 5 mins late. Apologies given. Overall, a routine standard class Pendolino experience.
Coming back, the reservation system had failed on the 20.43 but in fact my table seat in the Quiet Coach was available. Relatively busy due to Milton Keynes commuters using the service but after MK relatively quiet. Announcements were automated which meant that the needless 'security' warning was repeated seemingly ad nauseum. No ticket checks but the train manager did appear after MK to challenge a tourist who had placed his bike in the vestibule. Apparently there were no platform staff to put the bike in the front compartment as should have occurred. Again, no shop announcement. Slightly delayed around Birmingham International so another 5 min late arrival... Nevertheless, another reasonable Pendolino journey.
So what would delight me as a Pendolino passenger? A more human touch from the train managers and perhaps more visibility? Free WiFi obviously. More (leg)room in Standard and less of a 'crowd everyone in' feeling about the carriages. Overall, Virgin just giving the feeling that the company was actually pleased that I was actually using their services...
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Thank goodness for Chiltern
Every so often, to quote Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun', I feel the need for speed - especially when I am returning to Birmingham after an evening meeting and I can book ahead... Of course, Tom Cruise had the infrastructure of the US Navy behind his craving; I, alas, have to rely Virgin Trains and Network Rail for my fix...
So let us start with the good things. Virgin's First Class Lounge at Birmingham New Street is not as palatial as that at Euston but for a mid-morning's hour's office space for £3.50 (the cost of a First Class Virgin Only single to Birmingham International) it can't really be bettered. Tables at which to work, free hi-speed wi-fi, coffee and snacks on tap, the FT and Independent to take away, and, of course, a free toilet!
I had booked onto the 12.10 Pendolino yesterday for the princely single fare of £10.50 to London. (Regular readers of my blog will know that I like to travel First Class when booking in advance but Virgin have upped the minimum price to £37.50 - shame). The 12.10 starts in Wolverhampton so there was the usual scrum down to get on board, not helped by Network Rail running it into Platform 4 which was already crowded with passengers waiting for a late running CrossCountry train. Can't the Platform staff get messages to the signallers?
Of course, a large part of the problem is the local flows to Birmingham International and Coventry - once past Coventry the train was relatively quiet. Ironic that Chiltern should have crowding problems in London whilst Virgin suffer them in Birmingham. Doubly ironic that due to lack of ticket checks at New Street / Birmingham International / Coventry many of this flow could well be travelling for free... (at least Chiltern have gates at Marylebone).
Yesterday, Virgin had reserved a table seat for me in the quiet zone as I has requested so I was able to settle down to work on my laptop. Power point and WiFi working too. Usual guff on departure about the type of tickets not valid on the service. As yet again no ticket check took place why does the train manager bother? Presumably, lost revenue from people travelling free or on invaild tickets is built into Virgin's business plan to the end of the franchise - what a joke!
Having had my rant, I'll grant that the Pendolinos do do a great job in getting people from Birmingham to London in round 84 minutes - most of the time.
Arriving back at Euston in good time for the 20.23 return Pendolino, I discovered the news about the disruption so dashed over to Marylebone (thank you Tfl!) and arrived in time for the 20.10 Mainline to Kidderminster. Fortunately, Chiltern were accepting Virgin tickets so had no problem getting on the train (thank you Chiltern). The 20.10 is a four-carriage Clubman but wasn't full as I had expected so I was able to settle at a table, plug in my laptop, and use the FREE wifi. Aren't Clubmans spacious compared to Pendolinos Standard Class!!!
Running to time got me back by 10pm.Now if Chiltern would only delete the Bicester stops on their evening Mainline services and re-introduce the trolley service, I would never be tempted by speed alone again (well hardly ever)
So let us start with the good things. Virgin's First Class Lounge at Birmingham New Street is not as palatial as that at Euston but for a mid-morning's hour's office space for £3.50 (the cost of a First Class Virgin Only single to Birmingham International) it can't really be bettered. Tables at which to work, free hi-speed wi-fi, coffee and snacks on tap, the FT and Independent to take away, and, of course, a free toilet!
I had booked onto the 12.10 Pendolino yesterday for the princely single fare of £10.50 to London. (Regular readers of my blog will know that I like to travel First Class when booking in advance but Virgin have upped the minimum price to £37.50 - shame). The 12.10 starts in Wolverhampton so there was the usual scrum down to get on board, not helped by Network Rail running it into Platform 4 which was already crowded with passengers waiting for a late running CrossCountry train. Can't the Platform staff get messages to the signallers?
Of course, a large part of the problem is the local flows to Birmingham International and Coventry - once past Coventry the train was relatively quiet. Ironic that Chiltern should have crowding problems in London whilst Virgin suffer them in Birmingham. Doubly ironic that due to lack of ticket checks at New Street / Birmingham International / Coventry many of this flow could well be travelling for free... (at least Chiltern have gates at Marylebone).
Yesterday, Virgin had reserved a table seat for me in the quiet zone as I has requested so I was able to settle down to work on my laptop. Power point and WiFi working too. Usual guff on departure about the type of tickets not valid on the service. As yet again no ticket check took place why does the train manager bother? Presumably, lost revenue from people travelling free or on invaild tickets is built into Virgin's business plan to the end of the franchise - what a joke!
Having had my rant, I'll grant that the Pendolinos do do a great job in getting people from Birmingham to London in round 84 minutes - most of the time.
Arriving back at Euston in good time for the 20.23 return Pendolino, I discovered the news about the disruption so dashed over to Marylebone (thank you Tfl!) and arrived in time for the 20.10 Mainline to Kidderminster. Fortunately, Chiltern were accepting Virgin tickets so had no problem getting on the train (thank you Chiltern). The 20.10 is a four-carriage Clubman but wasn't full as I had expected so I was able to settle at a table, plug in my laptop, and use the FREE wifi. Aren't Clubmans spacious compared to Pendolinos Standard Class!!!
Running to time got me back by 10pm.Now if Chiltern would only delete the Bicester stops on their evening Mainline services and re-introduce the trolley service, I would never be tempted by speed alone again (well hardly ever)
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Magazine miscellany
Regular readers of my blog will already know that November's issue of Modern Railways carries the text of the speech by Adrian Shooter to September's 4th Friday Club. Also in the issue is:
- news of LondonMidland's test runs of the Class 350 Desiros at 110mph and the planned changes that the company will seek in its WCML timetables starting in December 2012...
- Roger Ford's despair at the 'procurement follies' of LondonMidland in relation to the Class 350/3 Desiro order
- news on the December 2011 timetable changes which sees only tweaks in the three companies timings... Chiltern's here; LondonMidland and Virgin not yet formally published...
- trackwatch details the work commissioned for Chiltern's Evergreen 3 project
Issue 682 of Rail (November 2-15) has The Fare Dealer (Barry Doe) still insisting that Chiltern's Business Zone is 'First Class' in all but name. Also noted is the impressive reliability of LondonMidland's Class 350/2 Desiros which work the Birmingham New Street - London Euston services intensively.
Finally, readers of my blog on Adrian Shooter's valedictory speech in September may have noted his admiration of the (LMS) Derby engineers. In fact, he lauded diesels 10000 and 10001 in particular. Thus I was intrigued today to come across this article by O S Nock in June 1961's issue of The Railway Magazine which shows that Adrian's praise was well-founded. Pity we lost the plot as an engineering country so badly subsequently...
Chiltern Railways / Virgin Trains / LondonMidland iPhone Apps comparison
Comparison chart loaded http://bit.ly/snXAy2
LondonMidland's App would be the best for information if the decision hadn't been taken to impose a LondonMidland restriction on the Journey Planner and on the Live Departures and Arrivals - apparently this was a deliberate decision.
As it is, Chiltern's is the must download as it has many good information features AND allows tickets to be booked.
As for Virgin... let's hope that the Olympics extension to their franchise will sput them on to improve their App!
Best action, as all 3 are free, download them all to take advantage of their various strengths
LondonMidland's App would be the best for information if the decision hadn't been taken to impose a LondonMidland restriction on the Journey Planner and on the Live Departures and Arrivals - apparently this was a deliberate decision.
As it is, Chiltern's is the must download as it has many good information features AND allows tickets to be booked.
As for Virgin... let's hope that the Olympics extension to their franchise will sput them on to improve their App!
Best action, as all 3 are free, download them all to take advantage of their various strengths
iPhone Apps: Virgin Trains
Virgin's App is very similar to that of Chiltern's (not surprisingly as they have developers in common) but for some reason has failed to develop beyond its basic functionality.
The App page on the Virgin web site states:
Buy tickets on your iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Nokia or Sony Ericsson anytime, anywhere, with just a few taps. Thanks to our free app. Search times and fares or buy tickets for any UK route up to 10 minutes before departure - without card charges or booking fees. Then collect them from a FastTicket machine at the station. That's what we call handy.
So the good things....
The not so good...
Just look at what LondonMidland and Chiltern have managed to offer on their Apps!
The App page on the Virgin web site states:
Buy tickets on your iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Nokia or Sony Ericsson anytime, anywhere, with just a few taps. Thanks to our free app. Search times and fares or buy tickets for any UK route up to 10 minutes before departure - without card charges or booking fees. Then collect them from a FastTicket machine at the station. That's what we call handy.
So the good things....
- Very clear train times finder with the ability to buy tickets easily
The not so good...
- Support is via a 0844 number
- External links are all web based
- Times for Birmingham to London show only Virgin and Chiltern services (though some LondonMidland services are shown by searching for Birmingham New Street to London Euston)
- Cannot add Virgin Flying Club number to purchase account
Just look at what LondonMidland and Chiltern have managed to offer on their Apps!
Friday, 4 November 2011
iPhone Apps: Chiltern Railways
The iPhone App from Chiltern Railways has been available for a year now, and has developed into an online ticket buying and real-time information application. Indeed, the App won Most Effective ticketing solution at the Mobile Marketing Awards held on 3 November.
The Chiltern information page on the App states:
The Chiltern information page on the App states:
- Quick tickets sent to your phone
- No account login required
- No booking or card fees
- Save favourite journeys
- View train times
- Buy tickets to anywhere in the UK
What it doesn't mention (tut tut Chiltern - how about keeping your web site bang up-to-date?) is that the latest iteration, V1.07.62, also offers live train arrival / departure times for any station in the UK.
So, the good things...
- Very clear train times finder with the ability to buy tickets easily
- mTickets available for certain Chiltern journeys making it easy to travel without hassle
- Live departure and arrivals
The not so good...
- Support is via a 0845 number
- External links are all web based
- mTickets availability very limited a present
And the missing..
- Just look at what LondonMidland have managed to offer on their App!
iPhone Apps: LondonMidland
So now we have a full set of iPhone Apps from the Birmingham to London route operators. How do they compare.
LondonMidland
This is the new kid on the block, having been launched on Tuesday (1 November). Naturally it is free and its description page claims it offers:
LondonMidland
This is the new kid on the block, having been launched on Tuesday (1 November). Naturally it is free and its description page claims it offers:
- Plan your London Midland journey with the journey planner
- Add multiple station favourites, making it easier to plan frequent journeys
- Email, SMS or print your journey plan details
- Disruption information giving you alternative journey options if required
- One touch access to live departures and arrival at all London Midland stations, with platform information (where available) and live train progress
- ‘Next Train Home’ feature automatically finds the nearest train station and searches trains times to get you home
- View timetables even without an Internet connection, specifically designed to fit your mobile screen
- View our @LondonMidland Twitter feed without leaving the app, whether you follow us or not
- Purchase car parking directly from the app via SMS or phone (where available)
- Submit your ‘Delay Repay’ form directly from the app
- Contact Customer Services directly from the app
As with most iPhone Apps, it works best with either 3G or WiFi enabled. It's opening screen displays a top banner, a Live Departures and arrivals panel, the Journey Planner, an Info panel, a Contact us panel, and a Settings panel.This last panel allows a 'home station' to be set, features in the Journey Planner to be changed, the Interface to be set at 'Start at home screen', distance to be set in either miles or kilometres, and Help and Support to be contacted.
All the panels seem to work fine.
- The Live Departures and arrivals, and the journey planner are not LondonMidland specific though the 'Nearest' / Favourite / Recent buttons will presumably have that effect for regular LM travellers.
- The Info panel as a 'Disruption information' live feed as well as live feeds from London Underground (actually TfL) and the @londonmidland Twitter feed. Alas, the TfL feed takes you out of the App and into Safari. Timetables can be downloaded. Car parking can be purchased through a web link (a nice feature is to show which stations offer FREE parking), and a Delay Repay form can be completed and sent to LM via email (again, a nice touch is the ability to add a photo of the ticket).
- Contact us gives an email option BUT more usefully the landline number (0121 634 2040) for LM's Customer Relations Team (definite brownie point for NOT hiding behind a 0845 number).
So, all good stuff, but you can't book tickets! V2 beckons I reckon
Chiltern Mainline on a Clubman
In all the 'excitement' about the Business Zone provision and future Silver Set deployment, it is easy to forget that the bulk of the Chiltern Mainline timetable is run day-in day-out by the highly successful Class 168 Clubman DMUs. As regular readers of this blog will know, I am a fan of the Clubmans (see Thursday 18th Nov 2010 et passim...) but for various reasons I haven't actually used them for sometime. However, a trip to London on Wednesday allowed me to rectify this omission.
Thanks to the timings of my trip, I was able to buy a £25 super off-peak return from Birmingham Moor Street, and join the 11.55 Mainline service which was sitting waiting in Platform 4 having worked the 9.37 down from London Marylebone. This walk-on fare is a veritable bargain when you consider the timings now available (97 mins) along with the availability of tables, power points, and FREE WiFi. Just a pity that Chiltern can't make the timetable work to allow the service to start at Birmingham Snow Hill and tap the business market more effectively.
The loading of the train was only reasonable on departure from Moor Street but of course this meant that obtaining a table to myself and laptop proved no problem. In fact, I wasn't joined at my table until the final stop at Banbury, though the train had filled nicely at the previous stops.
As I have said many times, Chiltern simply deliver... the catering trolley came round, tickets were checked after Leamington, WiFi and power points worked, the toilets were clean and worked, and I had an hour-and-a-half of uninterrupted working time. What more could Chiltern offer me???
Well, an better return evening service would be a start. The first train back from London Marylebone for Super Off-Peak ticket holders is the 19.15 which for some reason has a stop at Bicester North with a consequent 109 minute scheduled journey time. Further, as has been detailed on Chiltern's Twitter feed ad nauseum it is a very busy train. On Wednesday, it left Marylebone full and standing to Bicester.
The problems above are compounded by the fact that the Mainline timetable NORTH doesn't work. As I had experienced before, a late running High Wycombe train brought the 19.15 to a dead halt at Gerrard's Cross and then slow running ensued until the train in front cleared at High Wycombe. The consequence: at Aynho Junction we lost our path to a FREIGHT train (Network Rail come on...), and then at Dorridge were looped to allow a CrossCountry to overtake. 'Mainline' - I don't think so as we limped into Moor Street 16 minutes late (would Virgin put up with such behaviour by Network Rail signallers?). AND, of course, Chiltern don't offer catering on Clubman evening services back to Birmingham...
So although the fare is amazing value and Clubman's are great trains on which to travel - WiFi etc all fine on the 19.15 - Chiltern clearly have a long way to go before they can convince the powers that be that they do actually offer a MAINLINE service to Birmingham. Pity...
Thanks to the timings of my trip, I was able to buy a £25 super off-peak return from Birmingham Moor Street, and join the 11.55 Mainline service which was sitting waiting in Platform 4 having worked the 9.37 down from London Marylebone. This walk-on fare is a veritable bargain when you consider the timings now available (97 mins) along with the availability of tables, power points, and FREE WiFi. Just a pity that Chiltern can't make the timetable work to allow the service to start at Birmingham Snow Hill and tap the business market more effectively.
The loading of the train was only reasonable on departure from Moor Street but of course this meant that obtaining a table to myself and laptop proved no problem. In fact, I wasn't joined at my table until the final stop at Banbury, though the train had filled nicely at the previous stops.
As I have said many times, Chiltern simply deliver... the catering trolley came round, tickets were checked after Leamington, WiFi and power points worked, the toilets were clean and worked, and I had an hour-and-a-half of uninterrupted working time. What more could Chiltern offer me???
Well, an better return evening service would be a start. The first train back from London Marylebone for Super Off-Peak ticket holders is the 19.15 which for some reason has a stop at Bicester North with a consequent 109 minute scheduled journey time. Further, as has been detailed on Chiltern's Twitter feed ad nauseum it is a very busy train. On Wednesday, it left Marylebone full and standing to Bicester.
The problems above are compounded by the fact that the Mainline timetable NORTH doesn't work. As I had experienced before, a late running High Wycombe train brought the 19.15 to a dead halt at Gerrard's Cross and then slow running ensued until the train in front cleared at High Wycombe. The consequence: at Aynho Junction we lost our path to a FREIGHT train (Network Rail come on...), and then at Dorridge were looped to allow a CrossCountry to overtake. 'Mainline' - I don't think so as we limped into Moor Street 16 minutes late (would Virgin put up with such behaviour by Network Rail signallers?). AND, of course, Chiltern don't offer catering on Clubman evening services back to Birmingham...
So although the fare is amazing value and Clubman's are great trains on which to travel - WiFi etc all fine on the 19.15 - Chiltern clearly have a long way to go before they can convince the powers that be that they do actually offer a MAINLINE service to Birmingham. Pity...
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