Caledonian Sleeper

[Bletchleyite]

I’ve been invited to several new Hilton properties (Sister is a GM) over the last few years to do the above and I have another coming up in a few weeks time. It won’t solve all the issues but it will give the management and staff an idea of what is needed to solve known problems and identify new ones.

Indeed. Inviting people to come and stay and critique the facilities seems a very good way of testing something in hospitality.

 

[Highlandspring]

Slightly cross because the usually helpful LNER desk at Waverley was unable to tell me how to collect TOD tickets when computer says no.

This potentially warrants it’s own thread. I’m travelling on the seated Sleeper between FTW and GLQ in a few days time. I couldn’t collect my tickets from the LNER machine at Stevenage, nor could the helpful staff in the travel centre print then either (kept coming up with an error). Tried the GTR machines at Stevenage and they wouldn’t play ball either.

Finally managed to get them to print at a VTWC TVM.

I have never yet managed to get a CS ticket to print from a TVM, I’ve had to use a booking office to print it everytime. Which in fairness they always do quickly and politely.

As a matter of interest, does anyone know if the test CS Mk5s which travelled up and down the country actually carried a lot of people who tried to sleep (the primary feature of the train), and use the doors, toilets, showers, etc which have since been reported as faulty on numerous occasions?

There were certainly ‘people’ on some of the later overnight testing/commisioning runs apart from the CAF engineers and the traincrew; they were stopping at Cambuslang and Uddingston to let them on and off along with loading catering. Whether these were other Serco staff, PR folk, invited members of the public or whoever I don’t know

 

[Flying Snail]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but the new coaches aren't on the Highlander yet.

Were they meant to be by now? But even if not, I find it hard to believe they weren't informed that it would be the old stock.

Yes, they were. You may find it hard to believe but I do not as that is EXACTLY what happened to me.

Booked 2 cabins en-suite (1st class) for earlier this month, was specifically listed as new stock including coach diagrams. I received no e-mails or texts from CS, and yes they have all my details, Got to Fort William, old stock (I did know this in advance thanks to this forum but that is hardly relevant) and to make matters worse cabins were laid out as doubles and end of coach so bogie, gangway and toilet noise when I had specifically booked middle carriage cabins.

 

[Indigo Soup]

Though I suppose the Canadians have an answer - have the accessible compartment actually in the lounge car vehicle.

Wasn't that our idea that we sold to the Canadians when international sleeper trains went base-over-apex? It's interesting that the Mark 5 sleeping cars seem to copy the Nightstar stock in arrangement - six classic, four en suite berths in a single vehicle, just very different concepts for the service and seated cars.

Those test trains should have went out full whether it be staff, friends of staff, regular passengers being invited for a freebie etc to completely stress test everything.

I imagine that, the railway being the railway, such a thing was Strictly Prohibited as the trains hadn't been passed for passenger use yet.

 

[Mainliner]

A Tripadvisor review posted yesterday (“Awful train service. AVOID”) includes an account of the emergency brake application which caused the wheel flats, and the aftermath.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attra...iam_Lochaber_Scottish_Highlands_Scotland.html

 

[Bletchleyite]

Wasn't that our idea that we sold to the Canadians when international sleeper trains went base-over-apex?

It's the case in the 1950s stainless steel stock too, which predates ours by a year or two Almost certainly a retrofit, though, so it could have been.

 

[VT 390]

Yes, they were. You may find it hard to believe but I do not as that is EXACTLY what happened to me.

Booked 2 cabins en-suite (1st class) for earlier this month, was specifically listed as new stock including coach diagrams. I received no e-mails or texts from CS, and yes they have all my details, Got to Fort William, old stock (I did know this in advance thanks to this forum but that is hardly relevant) and to make matters worse cabins were laid out as doubles and end of coach so bogie, gangway and toilet noise when I had specifically booked middle carriage cabins.

When you say cabins were laid out as doubles do you mean they had people sharing rooms as I thought this was no longer allowed?

 

[Scotrail84]

When you say cabins were laid out as doubles do you mean they had people sharing rooms as I thought this was no longer allowed?

Just both beds are down.

 

[Flying Snail]

When you say cabins were laid out as doubles do you mean they had people sharing rooms as I thought this was no longer allowed?

I mean they were laid out as doubles, the top berth was lowered and made rather than being stowed away as should have been the case for a 1st class cabin. On querying this I was told that due to the new stock not being available all cabins were now doubles, did I believe this, no, but I could hardly go opening random cabins occupied by strangers to verify my suspicions.

 

[Highlandspring]

The trouble with the mk3s once a cabin is made up as a twin berth it’s awkward to convert to a single as you need to remove the top bunk mattress and bedding and keep them somewhere suitably clean and dry. Not impossible but difficult at short notice.

 

[Flying Snail]

The trouble with the mk3s once a cabin is made up as a twin berth it’s difficult to convert to a single as you need to remove the top bunk mattress and bedding and keep them somewhere suitably clean and dry. Not impossible but difficult at short notice.

I thought the whole point of reconfiguring the Mk3s cabins was to enable them to be as close to the Mk5s as possible, moving from whole carriages being single or double to a mix in the same layout as the new stock? Let's not forget the Mk3s have more cabins overall so it should be simple to match single and double capacity with extra cabins left over. Any change of stock should enable customers to still be in the same coach/room number they had booked.

 

[WesternLancer]

I totally agree on Serco's responsibilities, I'm just saying that there's a hidden hand here that's probably making a bad situation worse by insisting on actions that the operator knows to be unwise.

Yes, point well made.

 

[Hadders]

Just passed Longsight and it looks like all the Sleeper carriages have now passed through the wheel large shed. They’re all parked on the south side of the shed, this morning when I passed there were some north and some south.

Just passed Longsight again. The Sleeper cars are in exactly the same position as last night.

If the work has been completed I do wonder why they can’t get them down to London or Edinburgh (can’t remember which one they’ve cancelled) to run a service tonight.

 

[Highlandspring]

If the work has been completed I do wonder why they can’t get them down to London or Edinburgh (can’t remember which one they’ve cancelled) to run a service tonight.

Is there a loco with them? There will of course be a plan to get them moved but it’ll depend on having a driver or drivers with appropriate route/traction knowledge and sufficient hours of work available, and requesting and obtaining a schedule from Network Rail...

 

[Bletchleyite]

I mean they were laid out as doubles, the top berth was lowered and made rather than being stowed away as should have been the case for a 1st class cabin. On querying this I was told that due to the new stock not being available all cabins were now doubles, did I believe this, no, but I could hardly go opening random cabins occupied by strangers to verify my suspicions.

Ah, twins you mean. Doubles for most people would mean one large bed.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I thought the whole point of reconfiguring the Mk3s cabins was to enable them to be as close to the Mk5s as possible, moving from whole carriages being single or double to a mix in the same layout as the new stock? Let's not forget the Mk3s have more cabins overall so it should be simple to match single and double capacity with extra cabins left over. Any change of stock should enable customers to still be in the same coach/room number they had booked.

One thing I don't entirely understand is why you even get an allocated cabin. You don't when you book a hotel, though you can ask staff on checkin if they can meet a preference. That way you surely have the ultimate flexibility of allocation right up to check-in.

 

[Chrism20]

I imagine that, the railway being the railway, such a thing was Strictly Prohibited as the trains hadn't been passed for passenger use yet.

I understand what you are saying, however they should have been tested in a live environment after they were passed as safe for passenger use.

The idea of a stepchange in quality/standards/operations such as this not being stress tested to the max is ludicrous

 

[185143]

Just had an email informing me that "Due to Network Rail engineering works, the Southbound Highlander reaches Preston earlier than usual and doesn't call at Crewe"

Seems I've booked on it during the first night of the Manchester diversions! Absolutely gutted(!)

 

[Indigo Soup]

You don't when you book a hotel, though you can ask staff on checkin if they can meet a preference.

I'm not entirely sure that's the case, actually - I get the sense that hotel booking systems do allocate you a room, they just don't tell you which room they've allocated until you get there. At least with UK sleeper trains you don't have the concern about which rooms are occupied on which nights.

I understand what you are saying, however they should have been tested in a live environment after they were passed as safe for passenger use.

You would certainly have expected them to do that, yes.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not entirely sure that's the case, actually - I get the sense that hotel booking systems do allocate you a room, they just don't tell you which room they've allocated until you get there.

Fair point, but staff can and do reshuffle, and some booking systems will do this automatically, for instance if you've only got premium rooms left and somebody tries to book a standard room you might automatically upgrade a loyalty member so you can sell the standard room.

 

[Flying Snail]

Fair point, but staff can and do reshuffle, and some booking systems will do this automatically, for instance if you've only got premium rooms left and somebody tries to book a standard room you might automatically upgrade a loyalty member so you can sell the standard room.

It would all depend on the complexity of the system used, some hotels do allocate individual rooms on booking, just without telling guests, others do have a more flexible system.

I don't think that adding another layer of inconsistency to CS operations would be helpful considering how much they fail to get right already. I would guess it would also make it even more difficult to integrate into the standard rail booking system and make it all but impossible to book anywhere but directly through the CS website. I don't think losing the facility to book at ticket offices would be a positive change.

 

[BRX]

I understand what you are saying, however they should have been tested in a live environment after they were passed as safe for passenger use.

The idea of a stepchange in quality/standards/operations such as this not being stress tested to the max is ludicrous

The current situation certainly seems to indicate that it wasn't tested to the extent that would be normal in the hotel/catering sector.

 

[Hadders]

Is there a loco with them? There will of course be a plan to get them moved but it’ll depend on having a driver or drivers with appropriate route/traction knowledge and sufficient hours of work available, and requesting and obtaining a schedule from Network Rail...

No loco but surely it can’t be that hard to get them to where they need to be.....

 

[BRX]

No loco but surely it can’t be that hard to get them to where they need to be.....

Unlike the old stock, they can't be hauled by pretty much any loco.

 

[Mathew S]

Just passed Longsight again. The Sleeper cars are in exactly the same position as last night.

If the work has been completed I do wonder why they can’t get them down to London or Edinburgh (can’t remember which one they’ve cancelled) to run a service tonight.

Literally just gone past now (1545) and what seemed to be the last two carriages being hooked up to shunter and pulled out of the wheel lathe. That's how it appeared, anyway.

 

[Mathew S]

No loco but surely it can’t be that hard to get them to where they need to be.....

There is a GBRF 92 sat adjacent to the coaches at Longsight this afternoon.

 

[RochdalePioneers]

A Tripadvisor review posted yesterday (“Awful train service. AVOID”) includes an account of the emergency brake application which caused the wheel flats, and the aftermath.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attra...iam_Lochaber_Scottish_Highlands_Scotland.html

From everything I have read I am now almost hopeful that my late July Highlander trip will be on Mk3s...

 

[greyman42]

But if the service is cancelled they could give the option of a hotel in London, Edinburgh...for the night and then a day train in the morning. At least then you should get a good nights sleep.

I don't know if they would be able to find suitable accommodation in London or Edinburgh at such short notice.

 

[Surreytraveller]

One would have thought the rail industry would learn, and realise the introduction of new stock never goes smoothly

 

[Bletchleyite]

One would have thought the rail industry would learn, and realise the introduction of new stock never goes smoothly

Or the manufacturers could ensure it did...