Indeed, their west coast successor seem to have common sense in that regard too, considering their 805/807 fleet are also planned to have a similar shop onboard.
And they're hardly going to be working the longest of journeys. 90 minutes to Nottingham and 2 hours to Sheffield. Not comparable to GWR's journey lengths at all, of course, or CrossCountry's. A trolley is absolutely fine for 90-120 minute journeys. You won't get anything going to Weymouth (3.5 hrs) or Salisbury or Portsmouth.
I doubt shops will be going on trains, with space on trains being very limited as much space as possible needs to be for passenger accommodation
Yup indeed so (especially given that the realisation seems to be that 33x 810s isn’t enough to run the originally-intended service level), but only if the DfT allow the spend, of course. Not that they they’ve done that much in general for the East Mids anyway.
The issue that arises again and again on GWR , is that when the train is full with standees and luggage , the trolley simply can't get through and so the catering is suspended meaning anyone who wants food or a drink has to go without . Similarly its a lottery whether it will turn up or not within the first hour of the journey, or will it arrive just before time to get off.
These days it doesn’t even take the train to be full of passengers or luggage to stop the trolley coming through. On a few recent trips, they've just served first class, then announced they are static in one of the trolley stowage areas for the rest of the journey. Which really does make a mockery of not just having a dedicated space or shop in the first place.
It certainly hasn't been a success. I guess the saving grace in the East Midlands is that I reckon most locations have decent station shops, M and S etc etc. The south west isn't so lucky and very few stations have anywhere to buy food or drink before hand. So on EMR I think passengers will be OK provided they stock up before hand!
A trolley is fine if it comes along when you want it to otherwise it's pointless. I'd rather have a small counter I can visit when it suits me.
These trains aren't planned to go to Sheffield?
I absolutely disagree - I think a vending machine on an IC service, no matter how short, is an insult. I certainly would feel let down and disrespected if I pay very good money to travel to STP & back and have to get up and put coins in a machine. I think a vending machine would be good for the Norwich-Liverpool operation (or even the 360s), but definitely not Intercity.
They always have..
Vending machines + a trolley then. I was more getting to others complaints about a lack of buffet car rather than the trolley.
It's always puzzled me why, to the best of my knowledge, no TOC has tried becoming innovating with more economic solutions, such as that of utilising a hybrid system where the trolley person operates the trolley once or twice during a journey but returns to a mini-bar to operate that also. Saves the multiple catering staff issue and allows catering to be more flexible, efficient, and available in general without the major compromises of a kitchen or buffet counter.
Are GA Norwich services operated that way? Certainly last time I went on one, the shop opened after the trolley attendant went through. Unfortunately it was just as we were passing through Marks Tey, so I didn't get the chance to see if it was the same person.
Looks good.
Cart, not car. I won’t be too greedy
Whoops, got my words mixed up I meant a cart + vending machinesCart, not car. I won’t be too greedy
I suppose an advantage of a vending machine is it might stay permanently available (no staffing issues or closure for stock take). It could also take contactless payments (quite likely no cash allowed tbh). It would take up very little room. But then it it might spend most of its time empty !.
They could do what Stadler Trains in Switzerland have, they have a vending machine, and also a bean to cup coffee machine located in 2 carriages.
And popular on Vy (former NSB)’s lovely Norwegian 73 Class, too.
But the Sheffield services generally take 120-140 mins (and the Nottingham semi-fasts around 110 mins).
Isn’t / wasn’t that how ScotRail we’re operating the counters on the I7C’s?
You could have the attendant walk through once or twice to take orders and you could also ask them on way past as they deliver orders
