Virgin Trains 1st Class Questions: Preston to Glasgow

[gray1404]

I am going to travel from Preston to Glasgow tomorrow (Sunday) coming back Tuesday 16 July.
Some questions: -

I'm going to be use a Virgin 1st Class Comp. Am I able to access the 1st class lounge on arrival at Glasgow? Is there still no first class lounge at Preston?

Does anyone know what the weekend offering on Virgin is like in first? Am I best getting a ex Euston or ex Birmingham service or does it depend more on train type i.e. Pendolino or Voyageur? Are these services likely to be busy tomorrow afternoon?

For the return journey, I am wanting to return about 16:00 onwards as I need to be in Preston no later then 19:20. Which trains offer the first class evening meal service? (or would I be travelling a bit too early) And again, am I best getting a Euston or Birmingham bound service? or Pendo or Voyager?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I am going to travel from Preston to Glasgow tomorrow (Sunday) coming back Tuesday 16 July.
Some questions: -

I'm going to be use a Virgin 1st Class Comp. Am I able to access the 1st class lounge on arrival at Glasgow? Is there still no first class lounge at Preston?

Does anyone know what the weekend offering on Virgin is like in first? Am I best getting a ex Euston or ex Birmingham service or does it depend more on train type i.e. Pendo or Voyageur? Are these services likely to be busy tomorrow afternoon?

For the return journey, I am wanting to return about 16:00 onwards as I need to be in Preston no later then 19:20. Which trains offer the first class evening meal service? (or would I be travelling a bit too early) And again, am I best getting a Euston or Birmingham bound service? or Pendo or Voyageur?

Yes, any Virgin Trains ticket will be fine for the Glasgow lounge and there is still no lounge at Preston (or quite a number of other popular stations!).

London to Scotland via Birmingham services are typically the busier out there on the Virgin north/Scotland route, seeing as they tend to pick up passengers from both London and the West Midlands on the same train. The catering offer, if they have decided to staff the train properly, is a breakfast box in the mornings or a snack box at all other times. Tea, coffee and possibly juice depending on your luck will be available, and there is a fridge towards the centre of the Pendolino carriages with water to which you can help yourself.

No warm food on weekends at all, so doesn't really matter from that perspective which train you get. IMO avoid the Voyagers and the via Birmingham route - the former are always uncomfortably rumbly and the latter is often busier. You can check the timing load on RealTimeTrains etc. - for Virgin, this is generally accurate in terms of the planned traction but of course substitutions on the day are not unheard of.

 

[RT4038]

Yes, any Virgin Trains ticket will be fine for the Glasgow lounge and there is still no lounge at Preston (or quite a number of other popular stations!).

London to Scotland via Birmingham services are typically the busier out there on the Virgin north/Scotland route, seeing as they tend to pick up passengers from both London and the West Midlands on the same train. The catering offer, if they have decided to staff the train properly, is a breakfast box in the mornings or a snack box at all other times. Tea, coffee and possibly juice depending on your luck will be available, and there is a fridge towards the centre of the Pendolino carriages with water to which you can help yourself.

No warm food on weekends at all, so doesn't really matter from that perspective which train you get. IMO avoid the Voyagers and the via Birmingham route - the former are always uncomfortably rumbly and the latter is often busier. You can check the timing load on RealTimeTrains etc. - for Virgin, this is generally accurate in terms of the planned traction but of course substitutions on the day are not unheard of.

But if you read the OP properly, instead of formulating boring cheap jibes against Virgin, you would have noticed that the return is stated for Tuesday 16 July ........

 

[30907]

Which trains offer the first class evening meal service? (or would I be travelling a bit too early) And again, am I best getting a Euston or Birmingham bound service? or Pendo or Voyageur?

From memory (the timetable pdf on the website will tell you) the 1640 off GLC is the first, so you're ok.

 

[gray1404]

Will I be fine using the Glasgow lounge on arrival or is it just on departure?

So a bit confused here so want to check I've got this right..... So it sounds like I'm best getting an Pendo on a Euston to Glasgow run that AVOIDS Birmingham? This being that the pendos that also go via Brum will be busy and though a VT going to Scotland which starts out in Brum may be not as busy, it will be a Voyager so not as comfortable?

Returning South the 16:40 onwards from Glasgow is serving an evening meal service - thanks.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Will I be fine using the Glasgow lounge on arrival or is it just on departure?

So a bit confused here so want to check I've got this right..... So it sounds like I'm best getting an Pendo on a Euston to Glasgow run that AVOIDS Birmingham? This being that the pendos that also go via Brum will be busy and though a VT going to Scotland which starts out in Brum may be not as busy, it will be a Voyager so not as comfortable?

Returning South the 16:40 onwards from Glasgow is serving an evening meal service - thanks.

Except during engineering work or early/late in the day, there are no longer any VT Scotland services that start at or terminate at Birmingham. That's the issue.

 

[gray1404]

So in that case, travelling tomorrow then (Sunday) my best bet is that I try and book onto a Pendo that AVOIDS Birmingham. i.e. going direct up WCML. That way its a bigger train (a Pendo) and avoids New Street.

I've just had a look at BR Times though and there seems to be a fair few VT starting at Brum tomorrow going to Glasgow, but these will be Voyagers I assume.

 

[yorkie]

So in that case, travelling tomorrow then (Sunday) my best bet is that I try and book onto a Pendo that AVOIDS Birmingham. i.e. going direct up WCML. That way its a bigger train (a Pendo) and avoids New Street.

I've had 11 cars on via Brum trains, so not necessarily "bigger"

I've just had a look at BR Times though and there seems to be a fair few VT starting at Brum tomorrow going to Glasgow, but these will be Voyagers I assume.

They will probably match the timing load.

 

[alistairlees]

From memory (the timetable pdf on the website will tell you) the 1640 off GLC is the first, so you're ok.

This doesn't appear to be correct. For passengers joining at Glasgow Central, hot food is served only on the 17.30 and 18.40 departures.
See https://online.adaresec.com/pt/virgin/VTMay19AF/

 

[Hadders]

Not all of the Euston - Glasgow via Birmingham services are Voyagers. One way to see what's booked is to do a dummy booking on Virgin's website and see how many carriages the seat selector shows. If it's 5 or 10 then it's a Voyager. 9 or 11 is a Pendolino.

 

[Mag_seven]

Is there still no first class lounge at Preston?

There isn't, a fact which I find quite astonishing!

 

[gray1404]

Sorry I was thinking that there is the risk of a voyager only being one unit - hence my comment about train length - vs a pendo.

Thanks everyone for your advice. Much appreciated!

 

[30907]

This doesn't appear to be correct. For passengers joining at Glasgow Central, hot food is served only on the 17.30 and 18.40 departures.
See https://online.adaresec.com/pt/virgin/VTMay19AF/

Apologies, that's a fairly recent change then. So the OP will need to travel at lunchtime or have the all-day offer.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not all of the Euston - Glasgow via Birmingham services are Voyagers. One way to see what's booked is to do a dummy booking on Virgin's website and see how many carriages the seat selector shows. If it's 5 or 10 then it's a Voyager. 9 or 11 is a Pendolino.

An easier way is to use Realtimetrains, as the timing loads for VTWC services are generally accurate because of the different performance of the two types.

Won't tell you the length though.

 

[gray1404]

Ended up booking a Pendo ex Euston that went direct to Warrington. It was about 15 late so the VT to Glasgow ex Birmingham that should have been 10 minutes behind it was in front of it. Most people at Preston boarded that thankfully. So when the pendo arrived in Preston a lot of people got off. Basic first class offering. Hot drink, sandwich, crisps and a biscuit in a cardboard box. Cans of coke in the middle of the coach.

 

[route101]

Will I be fine using the Glasgow lounge on arrival or is it just on departure?

So a bit confused here so want to check I've got this right..... So it sounds like I'm best getting an Pendo on a Euston to Glasgow run that AVOIDS Birmingham? This being that the pendos that also go via Brum will be busy and though a VT going to Scotland which starts out in Brum may be not as busy, it will be a Voyager so not as comfortable?

Returning South the 16:40 onwards from Glasgow is serving an evening meal service - thanks.

I thought the Scottish West Midlands services are quieter , than the trent valley ones

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I thought the Scottish West Midlands services are quieter , than the trent valley ones

I suspect it varies but in my experience the via Birminghams are busier because people are often priced onto it with Advances.

 

[gray1404]

Damm I've booked onto a 1600 Glasgow to Euston next Tuesday in First Class. I'm going as far as Preston. I see this train then goes via Birmingham. Is this train likely to be busy between Glasgow and Preston?

The timings of it really suited my plans you see.

 

[VT 390]

Damm I've booked onto a 1600 Glasgow to Euston next Tuesday in First Class. I'm going as far as Preston. I see this train then goes via Birmingham. Is this train likely to be busy between Glasgow and Preston?

The timings of it really suited my plans you see.

I have used that one before and it was an 11 carriage Pendolino, in first class it still had quite a few seats left upon leaving Glasgow but filled up a bit at Carlisle but some people still had a table of 2 to themselves with the 4's having around 1-2 people per table.
This was in January so the loading's may be a bit different now though.