ian_uk1975
New Member
- Joined
- 5 Feb 2013
- Messages
- 4
I currently catch the 07:13 (London Midland service) from Northampton to London Euston and I'm considering upgrading my season ticket to First Class for a virtually guaranteed seat and a bit more comfort on my commute to/from work. Due to the very poor First Class offering on LM, I would probably choose to catch the 06:42 Virgin service in the mornings, as the Virgin First Class service offers 'free' tea/coffee and hot rolls, etc (and better comfort). Wouldn't get the full cooked breakfast, unfortunately, as this is apparently only made available to passengers boarding the train at Rugby, where the service originates.
I used to catch the 06:42 Virgin service (in standard class) and it was always absolutely rammed and, 50% of the time, I'd end-up standing all the way to Euston. This is why I switched to the 07:13 LM service, which used to originate at Northampton and now originates at Rugby, but since it's a 12-car train, you can always get a seat in standard class.
What always struck me as very irritating as a passenger is that Virgin randomly provide either a 9-car Pendolino or a 5-car Super Voyager for this service and there's absolutely no way of knowing, ahead of time, what will come rolling down the track. Standard class seat availability on the 9-car Pendolino was always fine, with a few spare seats usually still available. However, on the 5-car Super Voyager with virtually half the capacity for the same amount of passengers, the seating situation is appalling.
So, here's the question... can anyone comment on seat availability on the Virgin 06:42 service from Northampton in First Class? Are there always seats available, or is it still very busy, even in First Class?
Also, any general comments on First Class travel on London Midland and Virgin in general would be appreciated, as it's a lot of extra money (~£2,700 PA) for a First Class annual season ticket.
I used to catch the 06:42 Virgin service (in standard class) and it was always absolutely rammed and, 50% of the time, I'd end-up standing all the way to Euston. This is why I switched to the 07:13 LM service, which used to originate at Northampton and now originates at Rugby, but since it's a 12-car train, you can always get a seat in standard class.
What always struck me as very irritating as a passenger is that Virgin randomly provide either a 9-car Pendolino or a 5-car Super Voyager for this service and there's absolutely no way of knowing, ahead of time, what will come rolling down the track. Standard class seat availability on the 9-car Pendolino was always fine, with a few spare seats usually still available. However, on the 5-car Super Voyager with virtually half the capacity for the same amount of passengers, the seating situation is appalling.
So, here's the question... can anyone comment on seat availability on the Virgin 06:42 service from Northampton in First Class? Are there always seats available, or is it still very busy, even in First Class?
Also, any general comments on First Class travel on London Midland and Virgin in general would be appreciated, as it's a lot of extra money (~£2,700 PA) for a First Class annual season ticket.
