Thursday, 31 May 2012
Chiltern Railways December 2012 Timetable consultation
The headlines for Chiltern's proposals for the December 2012 timetable are:
* The 90 min journey time claim has been dropped with the quickest now being 93 mins south and 94 mins north. This is because ALL services stop once more at Leamington Spa.
* Going north from London, services will run at 'clock-face' half-hourly intervals from 0715 to 23.15 (with minor amendments during the evening peak).
* Going south from Birmingham, there is a new early-bird service at 0515
* Services from Birmingham will continue to be split into a 20min then 40 min gap with the faster services from Moor Street.
Details:
London-Birmingham Monday to Friday
The first train from Marylebone will be at 07.15 (arr 08.59 Moor Street, though through to Snow Hill). Trains will then run every half-hour xx.45 / xx.15 until 16.15. From 0915 to 1315, the xx.15 services run only to Moor Street and will be 'fast'.
For the evening peak, services from Marylebone will run at 16.18 / 16.48 / 17.15 / 17.18 / 17.48 / 18.15 / 18.48 with the xx.18 trains being relatively slow. All but the 17.18 will run through to Snow Hill.
The Silver Sets are planned to be on the 16.48, 17.15, and 18.15 services, all through to Snow Hill
Finally, from 19.15, trains will run half-hourly at xx.15 and xx.45 to Snow Hill, except the 22.15 / 22.45 / 23.15 trains which will terminate at Moor Street. Again, the xx.15 services will be 'fast'... AND the 19.15 will NOT stop at Bicester North (hallelujah). My thanks to Chris Bates for pointing this improvement out.
The fastest train north will be the 17.15 at 94 mins, whilst the slowest, 22.45, will take 118 mins... Most 'fast' will be under 100 mins whilst the slower services will be around 109 mins
Birmingham to London Monday to Friday
A new first Train from Moor Street at 0515 arriving in Marylebone at 06.59. Also from Moor Street are the 0546, 0610, 0629, and 0738 services with later services starting there hourly from 11.56 - 1456.
The first Snow Hill service is at 0653, followed by 0705, 0753, 0808, 0822, 0853, 0913, 0953, 1013, 1053, 11.13, hourly 12.13 - 1513, 1553, 1613, 1653, 1707, 17.53, 1813, 1853, 1923, 2023, 2123 which is the last service to Marylebone.
The Silver Sets seem to be working the 06.53 and 07.05 services from Snow Hill.
The fastest service will be the 0756 at 93 mins whilst the 0656 will take 94 mins and the 0856 95 mins. Otherwise, the xx.56 will take around 98 mins whilst the xx.16 will take around 108 mins (all timings from Moor Street). The slowest service will be the 0629 at 119 mins, the 18.16 at 123 mins, and the 21.26 at
124 mins!
Chiltern welcome feedback on this proposal by Friday, 15 June 2012. Please email: timetableconsultation@chilternrailways.co.uk or write to: Timetable Consultation, Chiltern Railways, Banbury ICC, Merton Street, Banbury, OX16 4RN.
Monday, 28 May 2012
Chiltern Railways Business Zone off-peak
As planned, the adapted (refurbished) Silver Set entered revenue earning service for Chiltern today. This week, it is due to work the following services:
- 0619 Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone
- 0837 London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street
- 1055 Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone
- 1646 London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street
(but see note below)
As the 1055 has Super Off-Peak fare (£25) availability along with the Off-Peak Business Zone Supplement (£10), I joined it today to see what, if any difference, the fare-paying passenger will find...
The first thing to note is that the set formation is the other way round from the existing sets. It has long been a wish by Chiltern to 'ape' other train operating companies by having the Business Zone carriage at the London end of the train (not that Chiltern offer First Class you understand, but still...). In fact, the opportunity has been taken to assuage irrate residents around the Wembley depot by moving the locomotive to the Birmingham end as well, and to fit a generator in the Driving Trailer so that the loco can be shut down when not needed for haulage purposes.
Ironically, this revamp has had two perhaps unintended consequences. First, the Standard Class Quiet coach is now next to the locomotive (and Class 67s can make some noise). Secondly, the prime target market for the service of Birmingham businessmen and women now have to walk the length of Moor Street to reach the BZ carriage (though of course they are the first through the barriers at Marylebone).
Once inside the train, using the impressive power-operated plug doors, the Business Zone carriage looks basically the same - spacious, attractive 2x2 and 1x1 table seating - with the former Wrexham & Shropshire maroon & greys colour scheme enhanced with discreet signage and coat hooks. What I hadn't expected after the success of the proving run on Friday was a steady hum in the centre of the carriage. This turned out to be the underfloor alternator which I was assured was not supposed to make that much noise (surely that can't be why the Wabtec staff were so talkative on Friday...). Fortunately, as the BZ was very quiet, I was able to move to the London-end 2x2 table.
Alas, once there, a second fault lead to further noise. The sliding door into the vestibule had had to be locked open (again, a teething fault I was assured). Unfortunately, members of the train crew didn't realise that the vestibule would act as an amplifier for their (personal) conversation so the journey to Solihull was enlivened by details of their rather interesting weekend!
Once past Solihull, matters quietened down. So, with power points, WiFi, and the FT available, the working environment was ideal. The £10 supplement was collected, and tea / coffee offered and accepted (love the china tea service). What more could I want? Well, I suppose the feeling that I was being looked after. On previous Business Zone trips, the tea and coffee flowed freely and the staff engaged in whether the bacon roll should be bought. Today, it was like travelling with Virgin Trains First Class: the basic offering was served pleasantly enough but nothing else happened. Thus from Banbury onwards, the four of us in the BZ worked or read or phoned undisturbed.
Not quite sure this is what Chiltern had in mind when planning for the Birmingham business man/woman to be tempted away from Virgin (and of course it is a far cry from the Wrexham & Shropshire experience).
Finally, I was bemused to have it confirmed by Chiltern that NONE of the company's personnel are entitled to travel Business Zone without paying the supplement. Thus it is that the managers of the Zone cannot travel in it without a cost to themselves. Chiltern assure me that there are sound reasons for this policy but it does seem peculiar that those responsible for the quality of the offering are not experiencing it first hand. Do Virgin and LondonMidland operate a similar policy???
Note from above
I had been expecting to do a comparison piece about returning on the 1337 non-adapted Silver Set. Alas, the BZ carriage ran hot into Wembley off the 0655 up from Moor Street and so had to be removed. Thus, Chiltern are currently not able to offer Business Zone on this diagram as the third set has departed for Doncaster for refurbishment. Unfortunately, also lost is the Expresso Bar and WiFi - the router is in the BZ carriage! It could be Thursday before the carriage returns to service so there may be juggling of diagrams taking place.
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Chiltern Railways adapted Mainline Silver train - the engineering story
A particular pleasure of yesterday's 'proving' trip was the chance to talk to the Chiltern and Wabtec engineering teams and learn just what was involved in the adaptions. I am not an engineer but even I could see the skill that has gone into making the project work. The detail below is thanks to Dave Hogwood (pictured), the Chiltern Project Engineer, but, of course, all misunderstandings are my own!
The first thing to note is that the roof of each coach has been raised to allow for the 'sliding plug door' mechanism to be installed. The mechanism used is that created by Siemens for use on the Class 444 DMUs so the expectation is that teething problems will be minimal.
Second adaptation of note is that the door itself has had to be tapered to meet the end bulkheads, hence the distinctive triangular window pictured below.
The third key change is that the opportunity has been taken to strip out all the corroded steel from the bodywork frame. The team from Wabtec reckon that the coaches are now better than new and should have a life expectancy of another 30 years!
All this has been done for a relative 'song' - certainly nothing like the cost of a new-build - and has been achieved quickly. Indeed, Wabtec are due to turn the next adapted set out in 6 weeks (!) with the third promised in early Autumn... This will allow Chiltern to run three six-carriage sets from the December 2012 timetable.
For those wanting the inside story, Today's Railways, Rail Express, and Railway Gazette International all had correspondents on the train so watch out for the next issues of each one. Rail 697 carries a short news item with photograph (due out on Wednesday), and a feature article is promised for the issue on sale on June 13th.
The first thing to note is that the roof of each coach has been raised to allow for the 'sliding plug door' mechanism to be installed. The mechanism used is that created by Siemens for use on the Class 444 DMUs so the expectation is that teething problems will be minimal.
Second adaptation of note is that the door itself has had to be tapered to meet the end bulkheads, hence the distinctive triangular window pictured below.
All this has been done for a relative 'song' - certainly nothing like the cost of a new-build - and has been achieved quickly. Indeed, Wabtec are due to turn the next adapted set out in 6 weeks (!) with the third promised in early Autumn... This will allow Chiltern to run three six-carriage sets from the December 2012 timetable.
For those wanting the inside story, Today's Railways, Rail Express, and Railway Gazette International all had correspondents on the train so watch out for the next issues of each one. Rail 697 carries a short news item with photograph (due out on Wednesday), and a feature article is promised for the issue on sale on June 13th.
Chiltern Railways adapted Mainline Silver Train set
Yesterday I was lucky enough to join the final 'proving' run for the 'adapted' (ie refurbished) Chiltern Railways Mainline Silver train set before it enters revenue-earning service on Monday.
Chiltern are very proud about what they and Wabtec have achieved in refurbishing the former Wrexham and Shropshire stock. I will cover the engineering details in a separate post but suffice to say that the 'power operated sliding plug doors' actually enhance the look of the external bodywork of the set.
Inside, the basic Wrexham and Shropshire colour scheme and layout has been kept, meaning that the generous table availability and spacious leg room is still there for both standard and Business Zone passengers (and, of course, the tables are largely aligned with the windows!). In standard class, one toilet in each carriage has been removed to allow a luggage / standing vestibule to be created to ease speed of loading at stations.
Other improvements include renewed lighting, improved WiFi, controlled emission toilets, and coat hooks. I am told that the Expresso Bar will definitely be equipped to take cards from Monday, and that the Standard Class will continue to be served by a trolley for those who don't wish to leave their seats (Business Zone passengers have a dedicated host).
Chiltern expect that the first revenue run of the set on Monday will be the 06.19 from Moor Street to Marylebone, followed by the 08.37 from Marylebone to Moor Street, then the 10.55 from Moor Street to Marylebone, ending with the 16.46 from Marylebone to Moor Street.
Don't forget that the 10.55 has £25 Super Off-peak return fare availability and that the Business Zone costs a further £10 per journey. Can't think of a better way to spend a sunny morning & afternoon!
Chiltern are very proud about what they and Wabtec have achieved in refurbishing the former Wrexham and Shropshire stock. I will cover the engineering details in a separate post but suffice to say that the 'power operated sliding plug doors' actually enhance the look of the external bodywork of the set.
Inside, the basic Wrexham and Shropshire colour scheme and layout has been kept, meaning that the generous table availability and spacious leg room is still there for both standard and Business Zone passengers (and, of course, the tables are largely aligned with the windows!). In standard class, one toilet in each carriage has been removed to allow a luggage / standing vestibule to be created to ease speed of loading at stations.
Other improvements include renewed lighting, improved WiFi, controlled emission toilets, and coat hooks. I am told that the Expresso Bar will definitely be equipped to take cards from Monday, and that the Standard Class will continue to be served by a trolley for those who don't wish to leave their seats (Business Zone passengers have a dedicated host).
Chiltern expect that the first revenue run of the set on Monday will be the 06.19 from Moor Street to Marylebone, followed by the 08.37 from Marylebone to Moor Street, then the 10.55 from Moor Street to Marylebone, ending with the 16.46 from Marylebone to Moor Street.
Don't forget that the 10.55 has £25 Super Off-peak return fare availability and that the Business Zone costs a further £10 per journey. Can't think of a better way to spend a sunny morning & afternoon!
Celebrating 200 blogs (and 1000+ tweets) - the winners
Many thanks to all who entered my celebratory competition. The winners were:
Virgin tickets: Chris B
LondonMidland tickets: Nigel H
Chiltern tickets: Paul K
I am grateful to Virgin Trains, LondonMidland, and Chiltern Railways for their generous support of the competition.
Virgin tickets: Chris B
LondonMidland tickets: Nigel H
Chiltern tickets: Paul K
I am grateful to Virgin Trains, LondonMidland, and Chiltern Railways for their generous support of the competition.
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Celebrating 200 blogs (and 1000+ Tweets) – free First Class rail tickets to be won
So I have reached the 200 posts mark and, coincidentally, just passed the 1,000 tweets milestone. I'm sure I should wax lyrical about the changes that I have seen over the past two years but I suspect my regular readers' real interest lies in the competition...
Chiltern Railways, LondonMidland, and Virgin Trains have each donated a pair of First Class Rail tickets* for me to give away in celebration.
To win a pair of tickets from one of the companies, either email your name to: peter@birmingham2london.com [subject line: ‘200 up’] by midnight on Monday 21st May
or retweet & ‘follow’ @birm2lond on that day.
No purchase is necessary and the three winning entries will be drawn at random and the winners notified by Friday 25th May.
Naturally, I must stress that I have no beneficial commercial relationship with the three train operating companies who have donated the tickets. Acceptance of the tickets implies acceptance of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage and any individual conditions imposed by the donating companies.
Everyone who emails an entry will be asked by me if they wish to join a mailing list for Birmingham2London news, and whether they wish to have their name and email address passed onto the marketing departments of the three companies. Accepting or declining will have no impact on the chances of being one of the randomly picked winners!
Good luck!
* The tickets donated are:
Chiltern Railways - VIP passes (Anytime Returns with Business Supplement if Business Zone available)
LondonMidland - First Class Off-Peak Tickets
Virgins Trains - First Class return Tickets
Chiltern Railways, LondonMidland, and Virgin Trains have each donated a pair of First Class Rail tickets* for me to give away in celebration.
To win a pair of tickets from one of the companies, either email your name to: peter@birmingham2london.com [subject line: ‘200 up’] by midnight on Monday 21st May
or retweet & ‘follow’ @birm2lond on that day.
No purchase is necessary and the three winning entries will be drawn at random and the winners notified by Friday 25th May.
Naturally, I must stress that I have no beneficial commercial relationship with the three train operating companies who have donated the tickets. Acceptance of the tickets implies acceptance of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage and any individual conditions imposed by the donating companies.
Everyone who emails an entry will be asked by me if they wish to join a mailing list for Birmingham2London news, and whether they wish to have their name and email address passed onto the marketing departments of the three companies. Accepting or declining will have no impact on the chances of being one of the randomly picked winners!
Good luck!
* The tickets donated are:
Chiltern Railways - VIP passes (Anytime Returns with Business Supplement if Business Zone available)
LondonMidland - First Class Off-Peak Tickets
Virgins Trains - First Class return Tickets
London TO Birmingham rail fares from today
NB the information below is based on out and back journeys in a single weekday (or on Saturday / Sunday). If travelling back from Birmingham early on weekday do check what additional restrictions may apply.
Chiltern Railways
Walk-on 'via High Wycombe' fares (advance fares are available)
Monday - Friday leaving London BEFORE 4pm or AFTER 6.41pm: £24.90 super off-peak single / £25 super off-peak return (but see note 1)
Monday - Friday leaving London BETWEEN 4pm and 6.41pm: £49 off-peak single / £50 off-peak return (but see note 2)
Weekends ANY train: £24.90 super off-peak single / £25 super off-peak return
Note 1 - Business Zone carriage available on Silver Set trains for a supplement of £10 from London
Note 2 - Business Zone carriage available on Silver Set trains for a supplement of £20 from London
LondonMidland
Walk-on 'route LondonMidland' fares (advance fares are available)
Monday - Friday leaving London BEFORE 8.45am: £40 anytime standard single / £65 anytime return;
£51 anytime First single / £90 anytime First return
Monday - Friday leaving London BETWEEN 8.45am and 10.30am: £26.50 off-peak standard single / £27 off-peak standard return; £44 off-peak First single / £45 off-peak First return (but see Note 1)
Monday - Friday leaving London AFTER 10.30am and BEFORE 4.30pm or AFTER 7.30pm: £19.90 super off-peak standard single / £20 super standard off-peak return
Weekends ANY train: £19.90 super off-peak standard single / £20 super off-peak standard return (but see Note 2)
Note 1 - as there is NOT a super off-peak First fare, the off-peak First fare applies to any departure time after 10.30am
Note 2 - as there is NOT a super off-peak First fare, the off-peak First fare applies to any train at the weekend
Virgin Trains
Walk-on 'any permitted route' fares (advance fares are available)
Monday - Friday leaving London BEFORE 9.26am or BETWEEN 3.01pm and 6.44pm: £79 anytime standard single / £158 anytime return; £127 anytime First single / £254 anytime First return (but see Note 1, 2, and 3)
Monday - Friday leaving London AFTER 9.26am and BEFORE 3.01pm or AFTER 6.44pm : £46 off-peak standard single / £47 off-peak standard return; £127 anytime First single / £254 anytime First return (but see Note 4)
Weekends ANY train: £46 off-peak standard single / £47 off-peak standard return; £127 anytime First single / £254 anytime First return (but see Note 5)
Note 1 - THINK before buying an Anytime fare as buying two singles OR splitting fares is often cheaper
Note 2 - Off-peak fares are available on the 06.03 departure from London Euston
Note 3 - Certain Railcard holders can travel on any VIRGIN trains on off-peak fares
Note 4 - Travelling First class? Split your fare at Birmingham International to take advantage of First Class off-peak singles
Note 5 - See my web site for information on travelling First Class at the weekend
Birmingham TO London rail fares from today
NB the information below is based on out and back journeys in a single weekday (or on Saturday / Sunday). If travelling back from London early on weekday do check what additional restrictions may apply.
Chiltern Railways
Walk-on 'via High Wycombe' fares (advance fares are available)
Monday - Friday arriving in London BEFORE 10am: £61 anytime single / £95 anytime return
(but see note 1 / 2)
Monday - Friday arriving in London BETWEEN 10am and 11.30am: £49 off-peak single / £50 off-peak return
Monday - Friday arriving in London AFTER 11.30am: £24.90 super off-peak single / £25 super off-peak return (but see note 3 and 4)
Weekends ANY train: £24.90 super off-peak single / £25 super off-peak return
Note 1 - see my blog post as to why you may not need to actually buy an Anytime Single / Return
Note 2 - Business Zone carriage available on Silver Set trains for a supplement of £20 from Birmingham
Note 3 - Business Zone carriage available on Silver Set trains for a supplement of £10 from Birmingham
Note 4 - Return from London Marylebone barred on this ticket between 16.00 and 18.41 Monday-Friday.
LondonMidland
Walk-on 'route LondonMidland' fares (advance fares are available)
Monday - Friday arriving in London BEFORE 10am: £40 anytime standard single / £65 anytime return;
£51 anytime First single / £90 anytime First return
Monday - Friday arriving in London BETWEEN 10am and 1pm: £26.50 off-peak standard single / £27 off-peak standard return; £44 off-peak First single / £45 off-peak First return (but see Note 1)
Monday - Friday arriving in London AFTER 1pm: £19.90 super off-peak single / £20 super off-peak return (but see note 2)
Weekends ANY train: £19.90 super off-peak single / £20 super off-peak return (but see Note 3)
Note 1 - as there is NOT a super off-peak First fare, the off-peak First fare applies to any arrival time after 10am
Note 2 - Return from London Euston barred on this ticket between 16.30 and 19.30 Monday-Friday
Note 3 - as there is NOT a super off-peak First fare, the off-peak First fare applies to any train at the weekend
Virgin Trains
Walk-on 'any permitted route' fares (advance fares are available)
Monday - Friday arriving in London BEFORE 11.30am: £79 anytime standard single / £158 anytime return;
£127 anytime First single / £254 anytime First return (but see Note 1, 2, and 3)
Monday - Friday arriving in London AFTER 11.30am: £46 off-peak standard single / £47 off-peak standard return; £127 anytime First single / £254 anytime First return (but see Note 4 and 5)
Weekends ANY train: £46 off-peak standard single / £47 off-peak standard return; £127 anytime First single / £254 anytime First return (but see Note 6)
Note 1 - THINK before buying an Anytime fare as buying two singles OR splitting fares is often cheaper
Note 2 - Off-peak fares are available on the 05.29 and 05.50 departures from Birmingham New Street
Note 3 - Certain Railcard holders can travel on any VIRGIN trains on off-peak fares
Note 4 - Return from London Euston barred on this ticket between 15.01 and 18.44 Monday-Friday
Note 5 - Travelling First class? Split your fare at Birmingham International to take advantage of First Class off-peak singles
Note 6 - See my web site for information on travelling First Class at the weekend
Chiltern Railways
Walk-on 'via High Wycombe' fares (advance fares are available)
Monday - Friday arriving in London BEFORE 10am: £61 anytime single / £95 anytime return
(but see note 1 / 2)
Monday - Friday arriving in London BETWEEN 10am and 11.30am: £49 off-peak single / £50 off-peak return
Monday - Friday arriving in London AFTER 11.30am: £24.90 super off-peak single / £25 super off-peak return (but see note 3 and 4)
Weekends ANY train: £24.90 super off-peak single / £25 super off-peak return
Note 1 - see my blog post as to why you may not need to actually buy an Anytime Single / Return
Note 2 - Business Zone carriage available on Silver Set trains for a supplement of £20 from Birmingham
Note 3 - Business Zone carriage available on Silver Set trains for a supplement of £10 from Birmingham
Note 4 - Return from London Marylebone barred on this ticket between 16.00 and 18.41 Monday-Friday.
LondonMidland
Walk-on 'route LondonMidland' fares (advance fares are available)
Monday - Friday arriving in London BEFORE 10am: £40 anytime standard single / £65 anytime return;
£51 anytime First single / £90 anytime First return
Monday - Friday arriving in London BETWEEN 10am and 1pm: £26.50 off-peak standard single / £27 off-peak standard return; £44 off-peak First single / £45 off-peak First return (but see Note 1)
Monday - Friday arriving in London AFTER 1pm: £19.90 super off-peak single / £20 super off-peak return (but see note 2)
Weekends ANY train: £19.90 super off-peak single / £20 super off-peak return (but see Note 3)
Note 1 - as there is NOT a super off-peak First fare, the off-peak First fare applies to any arrival time after 10am
Note 2 - Return from London Euston barred on this ticket between 16.30 and 19.30 Monday-Friday
Note 3 - as there is NOT a super off-peak First fare, the off-peak First fare applies to any train at the weekend
Virgin Trains
Walk-on 'any permitted route' fares (advance fares are available)
Monday - Friday arriving in London BEFORE 11.30am: £79 anytime standard single / £158 anytime return;
£127 anytime First single / £254 anytime First return (but see Note 1, 2, and 3)
Monday - Friday arriving in London AFTER 11.30am: £46 off-peak standard single / £47 off-peak standard return; £127 anytime First single / £254 anytime First return (but see Note 4 and 5)
Weekends ANY train: £46 off-peak standard single / £47 off-peak standard return; £127 anytime First single / £254 anytime First return (but see Note 6)
Note 1 - THINK before buying an Anytime fare as buying two singles OR splitting fares is often cheaper
Note 2 - Off-peak fares are available on the 05.29 and 05.50 departures from Birmingham New Street
Note 3 - Certain Railcard holders can travel on any VIRGIN trains on off-peak fares
Note 4 - Return from London Euston barred on this ticket between 15.01 and 18.44 Monday-Friday
Note 5 - Travelling First class? Split your fare at Birmingham International to take advantage of First Class off-peak singles
Note 6 - See my web site for information on travelling First Class at the weekend
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
LondonMidland - First Class Off-Peak fares
From the fare changes on Sunday (20th May), LondonMidland are introducing a First Class Off-peak fare between Birmingham and London. A single will cost £44 BUT the return will be only £45, and, better still, the normal off-peak restrictions will apply.
Thus at the weekends, the fare will be available at any time in both directions. Monday to Friday the first train from Birmingham New Street on which it is available is the 0753 whilst from London Euston the first train is the 0846. Naturally there are NO evening restrictions in either direction.
So LondonMidland now have the cheapest Monday-Friday walk-on First Class fare from Birmingham to arrive in London BEFORE 10.30. FROM London, it is a tie between LondonMidland and Chiltern (each £45) though the Chiltern fare is on a faster train (0837) and does include complimentary WiFi and tea/coffee.
Should Virgin retain the WCML franchise, I wonder if they will celebrate by finally offering a proper First Class Walk-on off-peak fare? Don't forget at present that the First Class off-peak fare between Birmingham and London on Virgin is £184.60 - available by using the First Off-peak single from / to Birmingham International plus the First Anytime Day Virgin only return fare between New Street and International! Interestingly, this fare is available on the 0603 out of Euston.
Thus at the weekends, the fare will be available at any time in both directions. Monday to Friday the first train from Birmingham New Street on which it is available is the 0753 whilst from London Euston the first train is the 0846. Naturally there are NO evening restrictions in either direction.
So LondonMidland now have the cheapest Monday-Friday walk-on First Class fare from Birmingham to arrive in London BEFORE 10.30. FROM London, it is a tie between LondonMidland and Chiltern (each £45) though the Chiltern fare is on a faster train (0837) and does include complimentary WiFi and tea/coffee.
Should Virgin retain the WCML franchise, I wonder if they will celebrate by finally offering a proper First Class Walk-on off-peak fare? Don't forget at present that the First Class off-peak fare between Birmingham and London on Virgin is £184.60 - available by using the First Off-peak single from / to Birmingham International plus the First Anytime Day Virgin only return fare between New Street and International! Interestingly, this fare is available on the 0603 out of Euston.
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Chiltern's cunning plan
Travellers on Chiltern's morning trains yesterday were entertained by a new series of passenger announcements penned by Green Wing writer Richard Preddy and delivered by staff trained by Tony Robinson of 'I have a cunning plan' fame (amongst many other claims to fame...)
Of course, Chiltern themselves had a cunning plan: to reduce the overcrowding on the 1915 from London Marylebone to Kidderminster by easing the Super Off-Peak travel restriction from 1900 to a new time of 1841.
Alas, as with the cunning plans of Baldrick, the execution didn't quite hit the spot last night as the 1915 departed with standing passengers once more. As has been pointed out on Twitter many times, the (over)loading to Bicester North is made up of commuters returning home...
Of course, Chiltern themselves had a cunning plan: to reduce the overcrowding on the 1915 from London Marylebone to Kidderminster by easing the Super Off-Peak travel restriction from 1900 to a new time of 1841.
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Perhaps the December 2012 timetable revision - first draft available next week apparently - will finally allow Chiltern to crack this seemingly intractable problem...
Friday, 11 May 2012
Compensation payments - claim procedures...
Today's papers carried stories on the amount of money 'unclaimed' by passengers for delays they had suffered. The press releases on which these stories are based can be found on the two protagonists sites: TSSA and ATOC (interestingly, neither the ORR nor Network Rail have yet released their version of the story...)
Whatever the rights or wrongs over the industry, it has to be said that the three TOCs I cover stand up well to scrutiny in my opinion.
Leading the way is LondonMidland who regularly tweet about 'delay repay', and whose App has a specific delay repay module. The web site gives details of how up-to-date the fulfilment of claims is.. see http://www.londonmidland.com/contact/contact-us/
Virgin Trains also tweet regularly about claiming compensation if there has been a delay but the App doesn't match that of LondonMidland for direct help. Virgin has put the ATOC code of practice on its web site http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/about/?id=2 and has its own passenger charter http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/assets/pdf/global/passengers-charter.pdf
Chiltern Railways tweets about delay payments and is quick to hand out refund claim forms if asked... The App doesn't match that of LondonMidland, and I'm afraid that the website is the least informative... see http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/help
Whatever the rights or wrongs over the industry, it has to be said that the three TOCs I cover stand up well to scrutiny in my opinion.
Leading the way is LondonMidland who regularly tweet about 'delay repay', and whose App has a specific delay repay module. The web site gives details of how up-to-date the fulfilment of claims is.. see http://www.londonmidland.com/contact/contact-us/
Virgin Trains also tweet regularly about claiming compensation if there has been a delay but the App doesn't match that of LondonMidland for direct help. Virgin has put the ATOC code of practice on its web site http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/about/?id=2 and has its own passenger charter http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/assets/pdf/global/passengers-charter.pdf
Chiltern Railways tweets about delay payments and is quick to hand out refund claim forms if asked... The App doesn't match that of LondonMidland, and I'm afraid that the website is the least informative... see http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/help
Tickety Split - the App from MoneySavingExpert.com
MoneySavingExpert.com has finally produced the first version of a tool which should shake up the railway ticketing industry. Tickety Split is an App for the iPhone (also available in a mobile web version) which allows the user to identify where to split a journey in fare stages in order to save money on the quoted through fare. Even better, it is free!
The App works by asking for the departure and arrival stations, and the time of travel. It returns train times, the quoted through fare, and the saving to be made by splitting. Thus, this morning, for Chiltern journeys, it identified Bicester North or High Wycombe as being split points on sample peak hour journeys whilst for Virgin, it identified Coventry, Rugby, or Milton Keynes as being the points at which to split the fare on sample journeys.
The limitations of the App are numerous of course as this is very much a work in progress. Currently, it works only for Walk-on SINGLE standard fares and only for journeys on the day (ie you can't check ahead today for Monday). It seems to be susceptible to returning errors if each train on a list is queried and, of course, cannot be used to book the discovered fares...
Nevertheless it is a huge step forward for those of us who believe that for too long the railway ticketing system has not been fully transparent.
I took the spportunity of the launch of the App to ask RedSpottedHanky as an example train ticket provider with no TOC backing (yes, I know it is owned by Atos but it does put itself forward as passenger friendly) why its site couldn't provide similar information. The first reply was...
"The Money Saving Expert app currently only looks at standard fare tickets and not advanced tickets. It is normally cheaper to buy advance tickets rather than split standard fare tickets. At the moment we don’t have software which is capable of comparing advanced tickets to split standard fare tickets. We are currently looking at how Redspottedhanky may be able to do this but at the moment don’t believe it is of a great benefit to consumers because of the difference between ticket types."
When I challenged this reply, RSH came back with the following...
"Our licence for selling tickets did originally prevent us from marketing split tickets, however, the recent changes to the licence allow us in certain ways to advise on split ticketing within the restrictions placed upon us.
We are currently building a software solution for this to help customers. However, the routes on which it applies are varied and, advice to customers to check split routes would be unhelpful and misleading if customers do not know calling points for their route and the possible split points.
To remain consistent and deliver a consistent message, it is important we have the ability to show split routes in a meaningful way to customers before advising to do it, especially where it might create the impression it's cheaper when an advance ticket may be the best way.
It would also be unhelpful to split tickets if the on-train staff then insisted they alight at the split point and cause them a number of issues.
We are actively looking to introduce this service to the site, but do require a software solution to be confident in achieving beneficial results for customers."
So there is hope. Keep up the pressure by downloading the App and insisting that ticket offices and ticketing web sites sell the split fare when appropriate! Well done, MSE
Finally, don't forget to make your views on the ticketing system known through the DoT 'consultation': http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-09/
The App works by asking for the departure and arrival stations, and the time of travel. It returns train times, the quoted through fare, and the saving to be made by splitting. Thus, this morning, for Chiltern journeys, it identified Bicester North or High Wycombe as being split points on sample peak hour journeys whilst for Virgin, it identified Coventry, Rugby, or Milton Keynes as being the points at which to split the fare on sample journeys.
The limitations of the App are numerous of course as this is very much a work in progress. Currently, it works only for Walk-on SINGLE standard fares and only for journeys on the day (ie you can't check ahead today for Monday). It seems to be susceptible to returning errors if each train on a list is queried and, of course, cannot be used to book the discovered fares...
Nevertheless it is a huge step forward for those of us who believe that for too long the railway ticketing system has not been fully transparent.
I took the spportunity of the launch of the App to ask RedSpottedHanky as an example train ticket provider with no TOC backing (yes, I know it is owned by Atos but it does put itself forward as passenger friendly) why its site couldn't provide similar information. The first reply was...
"The Money Saving Expert app currently only looks at standard fare tickets and not advanced tickets. It is normally cheaper to buy advance tickets rather than split standard fare tickets. At the moment we don’t have software which is capable of comparing advanced tickets to split standard fare tickets. We are currently looking at how Redspottedhanky may be able to do this but at the moment don’t believe it is of a great benefit to consumers because of the difference between ticket types."
When I challenged this reply, RSH came back with the following...
"Our licence for selling tickets did originally prevent us from marketing split tickets, however, the recent changes to the licence allow us in certain ways to advise on split ticketing within the restrictions placed upon us.
We are currently building a software solution for this to help customers. However, the routes on which it applies are varied and, advice to customers to check split routes would be unhelpful and misleading if customers do not know calling points for their route and the possible split points.
To remain consistent and deliver a consistent message, it is important we have the ability to show split routes in a meaningful way to customers before advising to do it, especially where it might create the impression it's cheaper when an advance ticket may be the best way.
It would also be unhelpful to split tickets if the on-train staff then insisted they alight at the split point and cause them a number of issues.
We are actively looking to introduce this service to the site, but do require a software solution to be confident in achieving beneficial results for customers."
So there is hope. Keep up the pressure by downloading the App and insisting that ticket offices and ticketing web sites sell the split fare when appropriate! Well done, MSE
Finally, don't forget to make your views on the ticketing system known through the DoT 'consultation': http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-09/
Chiltern Railways updates from Monday 14th May
Chiltern start the new timetable from Monday though as I have blogged there are no significant changes to Mainline train times. HOWEVER, it is confirmed that Super Off-peak ticket restrictions will be eased out of London Marylebone from Monday: the new start time will be 1841...
The effect of this easement is that the new 1844 service to Stratford-upon-Avon will be available to Super Off-peak passengers to Bicester North, Banbury and Leamington Spa. Chiltern very much hope that this will reduce the overcrowding on the 1915 Mainline service to Kidderminster which remains the first evening service for Super Off-peak travellers to Warwick Parkway and stations northwards. We shall see...
Another change confirmed from Monday is that the £10 supplement WILL be introduced for the Business Zone carriage on the Silver trains from Birmingham Moor Street at 1055 and from London Marylebone at 1337. On the subject of Silver Trains, Chiltern tell me that the newly-released refurbished set is undergoing 'shake-down' prior to entering revenue-earning service!
On the 20th May, the Anytime Return fare increases to £95 between Birmingham and London. Chiltern are 'sweetening' the pill by offering 2,000 purchasers of this ticket a free Weekend (ie £25) return ticket. Alas, the procedure is rather complicated and involves buying the Anytime ticket through a special web page: http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/freeticket This offer lasts until 31st May or until the allocation is sold out - the weekend tickets are valid for a return journey within 3 months of issue.
However, as regular readers of my blog will know, there is NO need to buy an Anytime ticket from Birmingham to London - see Chiltern Railways Birmingham to London fares from 20th May 2012 - except in very particular circumstances. The push to taking advantage of the Split Fares available has been given a huge boost by the launch of the Tickety Split App by moneysavingexpert.com Now Chiltern have indicated that the Business Zone supplement will be chargeable only ONCE if users of the 0619 from Moor Street and the 1646 from Marylebone choose to split the fares (at Banbury) for the journeys on these services (Chiltern reserve the right to reassess this decision in the future).
A final piece of 'unofficial' news - Chiltern expect to open the new decked car park at Solihull from Monday.
The effect of this easement is that the new 1844 service to Stratford-upon-Avon will be available to Super Off-peak passengers to Bicester North, Banbury and Leamington Spa. Chiltern very much hope that this will reduce the overcrowding on the 1915 Mainline service to Kidderminster which remains the first evening service for Super Off-peak travellers to Warwick Parkway and stations northwards. We shall see...
Another change confirmed from Monday is that the £10 supplement WILL be introduced for the Business Zone carriage on the Silver trains from Birmingham Moor Street at 1055 and from London Marylebone at 1337. On the subject of Silver Trains, Chiltern tell me that the newly-released refurbished set is undergoing 'shake-down' prior to entering revenue-earning service!
On the 20th May, the Anytime Return fare increases to £95 between Birmingham and London. Chiltern are 'sweetening' the pill by offering 2,000 purchasers of this ticket a free Weekend (ie £25) return ticket. Alas, the procedure is rather complicated and involves buying the Anytime ticket through a special web page: http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/freeticket This offer lasts until 31st May or until the allocation is sold out - the weekend tickets are valid for a return journey within 3 months of issue.
However, as regular readers of my blog will know, there is NO need to buy an Anytime ticket from Birmingham to London - see Chiltern Railways Birmingham to London fares from 20th May 2012 - except in very particular circumstances. The push to taking advantage of the Split Fares available has been given a huge boost by the launch of the Tickety Split App by moneysavingexpert.com Now Chiltern have indicated that the Business Zone supplement will be chargeable only ONCE if users of the 0619 from Moor Street and the 1646 from Marylebone choose to split the fares (at Banbury) for the journeys on these services (Chiltern reserve the right to reassess this decision in the future).
A final piece of 'unofficial' news - Chiltern expect to open the new decked car park at Solihull from Monday.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Chiltern Railways London to Birmingham fares from Monday 21st May 2012
For journeys FROM London to Birmingham there is NO need to use the Anytime Return fare unless your trip requires an overnight stay and a return to London Monday to Friday before 10am. Even then, the Anytime Return fare is only necessary if you leave Marylebone between 4pm and 7pm Monday to Friday!* Otherwise...
- buy a Super Off-peak return at £25 from London and an Anytime Single at £61 from Birmingham, thus saving £9 (and gaining a ticket for an additional journey) to get back to London before 10am
- buy a Super Off-peak return at £25 from London and an Off-peak return at £50 from Birmingham, thus saving £20 (and gaining 2 tickets for an additional journeys) to get back to London before 11.30am
- buy a Super Off-peak return at £25 from London to get back to London after 11.30am, thus saving £70!
* If you can use the 1607, 1737, or 1837 services from London and the 0546, 0659, or 0747 services from Birmingham, buy an Anytime Return to Bicester (£49.60) and an Anytime Return Bicester to Birmingham (£22.50), thus saving £22.90!
DON'T forget that Chiltern are offering 25p fares each way between London and Birmingham on certain services up to Saturday 26th May. Click here for more information.
All the above fares are valid ONLY on Chiltern's route via High Wycombe
Chiltern Railways Birmingham to London fares from 20th May 2012
As noted in blog posts earlier this week, Chiltern are introducing a new timetable from Monday 14th May, and 'revised' (ie increased) fares from Sunday 20th May - although some minor changes in restrictions and supplements come in to force from the start of the new timetable.
The headline fare change is the £10 increase in the Anytime Return fare between Birmingham and London along with the £5 increase in the Anytime Single fare. As the Off-peak and Super Off-peak fares are not affected, the 'simplified' fare structure becomes:
The headline fare change is the £10 increase in the Anytime Return fare between Birmingham and London along with the £5 increase in the Anytime Single fare. As the Off-peak and Super Off-peak fares are not affected, the 'simplified' fare structure becomes:
- £95 Anytime Return for journeys into London Monday to Friday arriving by 10am
- £50 Off-peak Return for journeys into London Monday to Friday arriving by 11.30am
- £25 Super Off-peak return for ALL other journeys EXCEPT return journeys from London between 4pm and 7pm Monday to Friday (when an Off-peak return is required)
The Business Zone supplement remains £20 per journey on the peak time Silver sets BUT the Business Zone Package fare increases by £10 to £125. However, from the 21st May, a Business Zone Advance ticket will be available on the 0619 and 0655 departures for £65. Combining this fare with the equivalent fare at £50 on the 1646 and 1807 return departures from Marylebone thus saves £10 by booking ahead, and you get a reserved seat (not that I have ever seen a reservation label in the Business Zone yet...).
So far, so simple... but of course being Chiltern nothing is ever straightforward. The key question for Chiltern passengers is 'Do I ever need to book an Anytime Return?'; the answer to which is 'Only if you are travelling on the 0655 Silver set service from Birmingham and returning on the 1807 Silver set service from Marylebone.* Here's why:
- You are travelling to London to arrive before 10am Monday to Friday BUT can return either before 4pm or after 7pm Monday to Friday OR at the weekend: buy an Anytime Single at £61 and a Super Off-peak return at £25, thus saving £9 (and gaining a ticket for an additional journey)
- You are travelling to London to arrive before 10am Monday to Friday NOT on the 0655 Silver set service BUT need to return from London between 4pm and 7pm Monday to Friday NOT on the 1807 Silver set: buy an Anytime Day Return to Banbury (£19.10) and an Anytime Return Banbury to London (£67.30), thus saving £8.60
- You are travelling to London to arrive before 10am Monday to Friday and can use the 0546, 0659, or 0747 services AND can return from London on the 1607, 1737, or 1837 services Monday to Friday: buy an Anytime Return to Bicester (£22.50) and an Anytime Return Bicester to London (£49.60), thus saving £22.90!
* Note that Option 2 works only for journeys there and back in a day
All the above fares are valid ONLY on Chiltern's route via High Wycombe
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
More good news from Chiltern Railways but there is a sting in the tail
Chiltern have announced record growth figures for the Birmingham to London Mainline service: year on year, passenger numbers from Birmingham have increased by 41%, from Solihull by 53%, and from Warwick (Parkway) by 32%. All this of course on the back of the £250 million Evergreen 3 investment and without any direct Government subsidy.
Buoyed by this (well-deserved) success, Chiltern have announced further improvements over the reminder of the year:
Buoyed by this (well-deserved) success, Chiltern have announced further improvements over the reminder of the year:
- The first of the refurbished Silver Sets will be in service during May, with the existing sets going off for refurbishment over the year
- Each Silver Set will gain an additional carriage by December
- An ADDITONAL Silver set will enter service in December
- The FREE WiFi capability on the Silver sets will be enhanced
- Catering is to be improved, AND Credit Card facilities introduced from next week (staff training taking place this week)
- Additional car parking at Solihull and Warwick Parkway
- Birmingham Moor Street is to gain a bar/restaurant
- All Services from Birmingham to London will have barcode tickets available through the Chiltern App
So what's the sting? From Sunday 20th May, Anytime Returns from Birmingham to London increase in cost by £10 to £95, and the Business Package fare also increases by £10 to £125. The Off-peak and Super Off-Peak return fares remain at £50 and £25 respectively.
DON'T forget that you only need an Anytime Return if you are planning to arrive in London before 10am Monday to Friday. You DON'T need to buy an Anytime Return for any journey FROM London to Birmingham unless you are planning to return to London before 10am Monday to Friday,
ALSO, should you be able to return up to 4pm or after 7pm (and any time Saturday and Sunday) from London, then buy an Anytime Single at £61 and use a Super Off-Peak return at £25 to come back - saving £9... Likewise, UNLESS you're leaving Marylebone between 4pm and 7pm Monday to Friday AND need to get back to London before 10am Monday to Friday, use the Super Off-Peak / Anytime Single combination.
Simplified fares - I don't think so!
Simplified fares - I don't think so!
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