London North Eastern Railway (LNER) First Class service

[yorkie]

My experience today

York to Newcastle - one food run, one drinks run. Packed up early but wouldn't take rubbish (I heard the response "I'm not collecting rubbish" a few times!)

Newcastle to York - no service whatsoever; a first class host was seen collecting menus. This matches my last two experiences on this train, so I can only guess it's booked to be this way?

I wouldn't mind if they would advertise this as the offering, but I object to their misleading claims, which are very different to the reality.

 

[30907]

Guessing this was the Doncaster terminator?
If so, "Deli to Newcastle only" would be an appropriate description.

 

[yorkie]

Guessing this was the Doncaster terminator?
If so, "Deli to Newcastle only" would be an appropriate description.

That's right; I take it you've experienced this before too?

 

[30907]

That's right; I take it you've experienced this before too?

No, past my bedtime
Just had to work out what LNER south of NCL might not have 1st catering.

 

[D6130]

My experience - mainly good -yesterday on the 12 45 Leeds -Kings Cross with a friendly and helpful London crew: Water bottles and glasses were put out first. Food orders were taken immediately on departure from Leeds and delivered promptly. I chose a packet of crisps, chickpea, spinach and tamarind rice salad - which was actually quite nice and reasonably satisfying - followed by the lemon and elderflower compote. Then things went rather weird with the drinks service. The hot drinks trolley came round immediately after the food service....but the cold drinks didn't appear until after the meal had finished! I don't know about you, but I would rather have wine or beer with my meal and tea, coffee or hot chocolate afterwards....not they other way round. Still, the quantities offered were fairly generous and the clearing-up issue didn't arise, as the onboard cleaning staff passed through three times during the journey.

EDIT: This was on Friday 06/09/2024.

 

[Scotrail314209]

Done the 5:40 ex Edinburgh the other day with an incredible crew. Menus and placemats placed promptly before departure, with food orders being taken just as we pulled out of the platform along with the first drinks run (due to it being a breakfast train they combined hot and cold drinks). My food was delivered just after Dunbar.

Competant and very friendly Edinburgh crew on the way out. Four drinks runs provided on the entire journey.

 

[Butts]

My experience today

York to Newcastle - one food run, one drinks run. Packed up early but wouldn't take rubbish (I heard the response "I'm not collecting rubbish" a few times!)

Newcastle to York - no service whatsoever; a first class host was seen collecting menus. This matches my last two experiences on this train, so I can only guess it's booked to be this way?

I wouldn't mind if they would advertise this as the offering, but I object to their misleading claims, which are very different to the reality.

Didn't you ask the staff member collecting the menus or approach the Kitchen directly ?

 

[Blindtraveler]

At the very least, there should be the option for tea and biscuits or water, even if you've picked up a decently priced advance. It's a journey of 60 minutes non-stop. But off the top of my head, I can't think of a train in the book that still does that run non-stop these days, although possibly on a Sunday with some of the additional crowdbuster expresses, and some of the regional operators will certainly look good in comparison offering a cup of tea or even a bottle of water on a journey of 20 minutes, had this on a tpe from Carlisle earlier in the year where I had deliberately bought an expensive first class open ticket as Taylor swift was in Edinburgh and I was doing a bit of jumping up and down the wcml over the course of a couple of days

 

[D6130]

Travelling on 1E13, 07 55: Inverness - London Kings Cross as far as Stirling. Was looking forward to a full veggie breakfast....but disappointed to find that only the 'Dish' menu was available, so I had to make to with a 'plant-based' sausage roll. Catering crew efficient but the ladies are wee bit abrupt. Edinburgh crew lodging overnight in Inverness....or Inverness-based?

 

[Iskra]

Travelling on 1E13, 07 55: Inverness - London Kings Cross as far as Stirling. Was looking forward to a full veggie breakfast....but disappointed to find that only the 'Dish' menu was available, so I had to make to with a 'plant-based' sausage roll. Catering crew efficient but the ladies are wee bit abrupt. Edinburgh crew lodging overnight in Inverness....or Inverness-based?

Sounds like Inverness. They told me off for not finishing my breakfast once when I was ill Presumably ex-school dinner ladies. Those who know me will know it’s very rare I don’t clear my plate as I don’t agree with food waste!

 

[D6130]

Sounds like Inverness. They told me off for not finishing my breakfast once when I was ill Presumably ex-school dinner ladies. Those who know me will know it’s very rare I don’t clear my plate as I don’t agree with food waste!

Strange....because in my experience Inverness people in general tend to be amongst the most polite and friendly in the UK. School dinner ladies? Maybe ex-prison officers or army veterans. Of course you shouldn't judge a book by its cover - and one of the ladies has some very impressive tattoos on her arms - so maybe they're just having a bad day. Probably lots of complaints about the lack of full breakfast service!

 

[Iskra]

Strange....because in my experience Inverness people in general tend to be amongst the most polite and friendly in the UK. School dinner ladies? Maybe ex-prison officers or army veterans. Of course you shouldn't judge a book by its cover - and one of the ladies has some very impressive tattoos on her arms - so maybe they're just having a bad day. Probably lots of complaints about the lack of full breakfast service!

I agree. I usually find Scots very friendly, and most LNER Scottish crews are good too.

 

[Blindtraveler]

The full breakfast has been absent from that service for a while now and the cynic in me says it will never return

 

[ainsworth74]

The full breakfast has been absent from that service for a while now and the cynic in me says it will never return

Need to find a chef who is willing to live in Inverness I suspect is the issue! They were recruiting only around six weeks ago for such a person.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Well I hope they find them, the food offering especially southbound on what should be. One of the Premier trains of the day is often lacking as whilst I think it's meant to switch from dine breakfast to dine rest of day at Edinburgh. I've had various reports off forum of it being dish or indeed even deli, my neighbour from Edinburgh days is riding it in a couple of weeks time between Edinburgh and York and he will be far from amused if all he's offered is a sandwich that he could quite conceivably have made in his own kitchen. Especially given that he's forked out for anytime tickets for flexibility on the return

 

[Royston Vasey]

Same crew throughout between NCL-KGX on 1E07 (DINE) today.

This service is 08:30 ex-EDB, I boarded at NCL 10:00, calling only DAR (10:28) and YRK (10:59). I imagine they are Newcastle based but both the catering staff were two stoic Scandinavian ladies.

Food order was taken immediately, coffee and juice served through Durham, The Full LNER breakfast arrived shortly after Darlington and it was superb. More coffee and juice runs, one more before and two after York. Breakfasts still being served up past 11:30, last call having been York at 10:59. So, Dine Breakfast throughout.

I did ask, well after 12pm, if there were cold drinks coming and told no more, and my request for alcohol was also met with a firm and blunt Scandinavian "no we don't serve it on this service, it is a breakfast service". Which would be fair enough at 08:30 departing Edinburgh but with our delay it was well after 13:30 at destination which I thought was a bit tight. So very much, drinks appropriate to the meal they are serving you.

 

[ainsworth74]

Which would be fair enough at 08:30 departing Edinburgh but with our delay it was well after 13:30 at destination which I thought was a bit tight. So very much, drinks appropriate to the meal they are serving you.

Presumably they're not even loaded with booze so can't magic it from thin air

 

[43066]

I did ask, well after 12pm, if there were cold drinks coming and told no more, and my request for alcohol was also met with a firm and blunt Scandinavian "no we don't serve it on this service, it is a breakfast service".

Geordie rather than Scandinavian, surely?!

 

[Royston Vasey]

Geordie rather than Scandinavian, surely?!

They were definitely originally from somewhere even colder than Tyneside

 

[Royston Vasey]

Presumably they're not even loaded with booze so can't magic it from thin air

Well yes it's not the staff's fault of course but the company could always choose to load a few and offer a mix of cold drinks after 11 or 12, as the marketing does imply! The cafe bar was certainly happy to take my money and plenty others' for a couple of Hop on Boards at 12:15!

 

[Butts]

Well yes it's not the staff's fault of course but the company could always choose to load a few and offer a mix of cold drinks after 11 or 12, as the marketing does imply! The cafe bar was certainly happy to take my money and plenty others' for a couple of Hop on Boards at 12:15!

A good member of staff would have assuaged your disappointment by procuring a complimentary beverage from The Café Bar

 

[Royston Vasey]

A good member of staff would have assuaged your disappointment by procuring a complimentary beverage from The Café Bar

Would probably create a stocktake problem or resolution issue and not be worth the hassle, not to mention their time taken going back five carriages (as I did in the end!)

 

[Butts]

Would probably create a stocktake problem or resolution issue and not be worth the hassle, not to mention their time taken going back five carriages (as I did in the end!)

it is supposed to be a 1st Class Service and staff should be empowered to take ownership and act appropriately in such situations.

 

[800001]

Same crew throughout between NCL-KGX on 1E07 (DINE) today.

This service is 08:30 ex-EDB, I boarded at NCL 10:00, calling only DAR (10:28) and YRK (10:59). I imagine they are Newcastle based but both the catering staff were two stoic Scandinavian ladies.

Food order was taken immediately, coffee and juice served through Durham, The Full LNER breakfast arrived shortly after Darlington and it was superb. More coffee and juice runs, one more before and two after York. Breakfasts still being served up past 11:30, last call having been York at 10:59. So, Dine Breakfast throughout.

I did ask, well after 12pm, if there were cold drinks coming and told no more, and my request for alcohol was also met with a firm and blunt Scandinavian "no we don't serve it on this service, it is a breakfast service". Which would be fair enough at 08:30 departing Edinburgh but with our delay it was well after 13:30 at destination which I thought was a bit tight. So very much, drinks appropriate to the meal they are serving you.

Edinburgh and Kings Cross crews do work throughout on some services from Edinburgh to London and VV.

Plus not quite sure why the need to mention that the ladies were possibly Scandinavian, it has no relevance whatsoever to your trip report.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Edinburgh and Kings Cross crews do work throughout on some services from Edinburgh to London and VV.

Plus not quite sure why the need to mention that the ladies were possibly Scandinavian, it has no relevance whatsoever to your trip report.

I didn't need to mention lots of things, I didn't really need to post at all, but this is a forum. Their personalities were very Scandinavian and people may recognise them from their own experiences. So that's why.

 

[skyhigh]

Currently in the York lounge waiting for my train south, not an amazing first impression as the coffee machines are broken and the WiFi isn't working but at least it's clean and plenty of space.

Waiting to see what menu is offered on the 0957 ex-Scotland... According to the PDF it should be Dine, but I suspect (though hope not!) that it'll be a case of seeing what's left.

 

[D6130]

Currently in the York lounge waiting for my train south, not an amazing first impression as the coffee machines are broken and the WiFi isn't working but at least it's clean and plenty of space.

Waiting to see what menu is offered on the 0957 ex-Scotland... According to the PDF it should be Dine, but I suspect (though hope not!) that it'll be a case of seeing what's left.

I was in the York lounge a wee bit later this morning - from approximately 11 20 until 12 10 -: awaiting 1W11, 09 00 KGX-ABD, which was running about half-an-hour late as a result of the earlier track defect near Bookman's Park. The coffee machines were still unserviceable....but a kettle and Nescafé had been procured. The WiFi was working again by then.

Once on board the train, the service from both the Newcastle crew - who were on their homeward run - and their Edinburgh colleagues was exemplary. I could have had two lunches - one either side of the Tyne - had I wished....but I had eaten a large breakfast roll from the station café at Hebden Bridge, so that would have been pure gluttony.

 

[Bungle73]

I’ve used the York Lounge a few times (but not for a while), and the coffee machine and Wi-Fi have always been working fine. I must say, it’s a tremendous improvement on what was available before…..which was nothing.

In fact last time (October) I pretty much had the place to myself, I assume because there was some disruption going on. That’s actually the second successive visit there’s been disruption. Luckily it didn’t affect me, as both were north of York, and I was heading south, on the terminators.

 

[sigma421]

Slightly grim start to an Edinburgh-York journey on Sunday (diverted via Carlisle). 10 car Azuma which is unusual in Edinburgh. Boarded and sat down in what was marked as Coach K. It seems the train order was then flipped so this was now coach D. Host came through and insisted that everyone who was booked for Coach K move and seemed determined to have a fight with everyone about it even though the service was quiet (also insisted that there is no way the coach could've changed, despite everyone there having apparently made the same error). I eventually gave in and moved - crew in the other set were much friendlier anyway! Checked with platform staff who confirmed that the coach order had been flipped.

Menu was Deli - which is apparently all we're getting at weekends until 22 September due to the cancelled industrial action.

 

[TheBigD]

Slightly grim start to an Edinburgh-York journey on Sunday (diverted via Carlisle). 10 car Azuma which is unusual in Edinburgh. Boarded and sat down in what was marked as Coach K. It seems the train order was then flipped so this was now coach D. Host came through and insisted that everyone who was booked for Coach K move and seemed determined to have a fight with everyone about it even though the service was quiet (also insisted that there is no way the coach could've changed, despite everyone there having apparently made the same error). I eventually gave in and moved - crew in the other set were much friendlier anyway! Checked with platform staff who confirmed that the coach order had been flipped.

Menu was Deli - which is apparently all we're getting at weekends until 22 September due to the cancelled industrial action.

1655 off Edinburgh?
If not then the same thing happened but it changed back after a couple of minutes, after a lot of people started to gather their stuff and move.
(I was in standard so no host)