WesternLancer
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Cost doesn’t always equate to value ( unsure why it would not add my smiley )
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London North Eastern Railway (LNER) First Class service
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Butts
Veteran Member
In this particular case the LNER fare is at least half the cost of making the same journey in 1st Class on Scotrail or XC and you get Lounge Access and Free Catering thrown in.
To me that equates to excellent value by any metric.
£15 upgrade from the Central Belt to Aberdeen is a bargain, plus the ScotRail services are generally much quieter which further improves the environment.
Unless it’s Pullman on GWR (or TfW’s catering which I have no experience of) I can’t think of any food on a UK train that would be a deal maker. Schedule, on board comfort, ability to be productive then price are what matters. For me at least.
Anyhow drifting OT so shall say no more.
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WesternLancer
Veteran Member
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Indeed. Value is just something we all calculate in different ways. As a big hst fan I’d pay a premium to travel in them now. But of course that’s not everyone’s priority so I very much respect that.
Butts
Veteran Member
Iskra
Established Member
Decent service today on the 0902 from York to London Kings Cross. A nice full breakfast and a couple of drinks runs so as expected. Staff were a little grumbly and pedantic, and they were moaning about the next service being busy due to Edinburgh fringe starting today.
Minimal and unenthusiastic offering, in a bizarre order (food then hit drink then cold drink) on the 1559 from York to London. Packed up early.
Not a train I usually get.
Must have been a London crew, so another one to try to avoid in future.
Not a train I usually get.
Must have been a London crew, so another one to try to avoid in future.
Wonderfully efficient and pleasant on the 0630 Newcastle to Kings Cross this morning. Breakfast orders taken at Durham, full LNER at my table (with an item removed, without any issues) after 10 minutes and cleared away by Darlington.
Just had a drinks top-up a few minutes after departure from Darlington, with food orders taken for passengers from there.
Just had a drinks top-up a few minutes after departure from Darlington, with food orders taken for passengers from there.
That's what you can expect from Newcastle crews.
An extra hot option and a cheese board is in the Dine menu compared to Dish. The extra hot option is usually a bit more substantial as well. At the moment the extra Dine item is a Salmon dish (very tasty).
As long as the cheeseboard is still available! LNER seem to have formatted the menu on the website differently which confused me.
Yep still there, had it the other week. Also very tasty though I wish they'd use better biscuits.
ryan125hst
Established Member
Is the number of services that offer a cooked breakfast still as reduced as it was after catering was reintroduced following Covid restrictions? The only time I have ever travelled on LNER in first class was in October 2019 with work. We were on the 06:15 to Edinburgh and had a cooked breakfast which was very nice, and welcomed after the early start. I see the now slightly retimed 06.08 is only a Deli service, so a bacon roll is as good as it gets.
Similarly, most London-York/Lincoln and vice versa services are now Deli, with a few Dish services which still means no cooked breakfast. I'm sure there were videos of people enjoying a Full English on a Lincoln service shortly after the Azuma launch?
I'm also suprised to see the Highland Chieftain is only a Dish offer on a journey of over eight hours!
Do people really not want food on trains these days or is it LNER's lack of commitment and investment in the service? Transport for Wales seem to be offering an excellent catering product on its loco hauled services including hot food options for standard class passengers, and I see Transpennine Express now offer meals on it's Nova services on the East and West Coast Main Lines too, albeit pre-prepared rather than cooked fresh onboard by a chef.
Similarly, most London-York/Lincoln and vice versa services are now Deli, with a few Dish services which still means no cooked breakfast. I'm sure there were videos of people enjoying a Full English on a Lincoln service shortly after the Azuma launch?
I'm also suprised to see the Highland Chieftain is only a Dish offer on a journey of over eight hours!
Do people really not want food on trains these days or is it LNER's lack of commitment and investment in the service? Transport for Wales seem to be offering an excellent catering product on its loco hauled services including hot food options for standard class passengers, and I see Transpennine Express now offer meals on it's Nova services on the East and West Coast Main Lines too, albeit pre-prepared rather than cooked fresh onboard by a chef.
Andy Pacer
Established Member
The other interesting point is that the UP train is still 'dine' whereas the DOWN is, as you say, only 'dish' which seems an odd quirk.
ryan125hst
Established Member
Yes that is right, meaning a cooked breakfast should be available when heading to London but no chance of a meal on the journey north. Bizarre!
I was looking back at GNER timetables earlier and the Highland Chieftain and Aberdeen services all had a restaurant service in the week, so it'd be possible to buy a full meal, even if you were in standard class as long as there was space. In fact, most services had a restaurant service. In the timetable I saw from 2006, only some early and late services (e.g. one early morning service just doing Peterborough to Kings Cross) and some additional services to Leeds (back at a time when it was mostly hourly) had no restaurant service, the rest did. How sad that catering is so limited now, even in First class.
GuyGibsonVC
Member
Not only is it limited, the quality has declined. A large proportion of the catering is now ultra processed rubbish with mountains of plastic wrapping that seems to go in general waste.
Technology has evolved over time, so it should be easier to get fresh cooked food on a train. Alas, I think the bottom line is all that matters.
Butts
Veteran Member
One measure they could implement would be the introduction of a Coffee Machine in the Galley capable of producing Cappuccinos et al.
Siemens Trains
Member
- Joined
- 29 Nov 2018
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- 780
I also feel coffee on LNER has taken a turn for the worse in recent years. Admittedly still better than I could make myself and possibly just personal taste, but I think First Class coffee has been a higher standard in the past.
They might perhaps be using a slightly harsher roast than in the past, but that just seems to be the way people like it now. Generally people have become so obsessed with espresso-based coffee that they just assume that brewed coffee is all much of a muchness and pretty much the same as Nescafe. Personally I quite like the coffee now, and the availability of oat milk is very welcome.
Travelled from Darlington up to Edinburgh today in first class, both ways on a Dine train.
On the outward, the staff were very friendly, but I must've been sitting in the invisible seat as both the Train Manager and Drinks trolley missed me! The staff were more than willing to make the veggie LNER without the mushrooms and wilted spinach. I did notice that I only got 1 hash brown, compared to 2 last time I travelled. My only complaint was that the staff began packing away before Berwick! There was only 1 run through of the drinks trolley, which I missed, on the entire 2 hour journey.
On the way back, it was also enjoyable, I had the railway curry, and the cheese board (I would swap the Gouda for something else, but that's personal preference.) The staff, certainly as far as Newcastle were very friendly, and very willing to help etc.
On the outward, the staff were very friendly, but I must've been sitting in the invisible seat as both the Train Manager and Drinks trolley missed me! The staff were more than willing to make the veggie LNER without the mushrooms and wilted spinach. I did notice that I only got 1 hash brown, compared to 2 last time I travelled. My only complaint was that the staff began packing away before Berwick! There was only 1 run through of the drinks trolley, which I missed, on the entire 2 hour journey.
On the way back, it was also enjoyable, I had the railway curry, and the cheese board (I would swap the Gouda for something else, but that's personal preference.) The staff, certainly as far as Newcastle were very friendly, and very willing to help etc.
Butts
Veteran Member
Surprised you missed the drinks trolley as I would have expected a full service ex-Newcastle ?
Did you get a second alcoholic drink ex Edinburgh or was there only one run ?
They came through once for food and once for drinks on the entire journey, not at all before Newcastle, and it was wrapping up by Berwick.
On the way back there was 1 run through before Newcastle and 1 after, although I did see someone ask for more red wine before Newcastle, which they duly received, as well as 1 run through of hot drinks
H F Stephens
Member
Outbound on 1W02 at 08:03 from Darlington by any chance?
ryan125hst
Established Member
I guess it's cost cutting and because they don't want to do anything better. The 8 mile long Great Central Railway provides brilliant cooked breakfasts on it's Griddle Car, cooked on board an old Mark 1 RBR. It baffles me that they don't bother with this on the mainline these days.
On my last trip the crew seemed determined to get rid of everything so were dumping crisps and biscuits on tables regardless of whether they were wanted or not. As a result loads were left on tables on arrival and probably went straight into the bin. Complete waste.
No service, other than tea/coffee was offered on the 0800 from Kings Cross north of York, the crew are taking the opportunity to pack everything up, presumably to get off at Newcastle and be replaced by another crew to work north from there to Edinburgh.
I asked someone who was packing up, and they said food would be offered from Newcastle. I said I was going to Newcastle. He then offered to get me something. So, on this journey, if you don't ask you don't get.
I'm not sure if this is a new thing? Is this a preview of an intention that the non stop York to Newcastle services in future won't be offering food? Or is it just a one off?
I don't expect much* service from London-based crews on this journey, but you normally get some sort of token offering, even if it's reluctantly given.
I would say that between York and Newcastle, during the daytime the premium operator is currently TPE, with LNER very much playing second fiddle.
However the service is better on LNER late evenings as you at least get something (even if not food) whereas there is no catering on evening TPE services.
* I am a regular enough traveller to know not to believe the marketing hype on the LNER website
I asked someone who was packing up, and they said food would be offered from Newcastle. I said I was going to Newcastle. He then offered to get me something. So, on this journey, if you don't ask you don't get.
I'm not sure if this is a new thing? Is this a preview of an intention that the non stop York to Newcastle services in future won't be offering food? Or is it just a one off?
I don't expect much* service from London-based crews on this journey, but you normally get some sort of token offering, even if it's reluctantly given.
I would say that between York and Newcastle, during the daytime the premium operator is currently TPE, with LNER very much playing second fiddle.
However the service is better on LNER late evenings as you at least get something (even if not food) whereas there is no catering on evening TPE services.
* I am a regular enough traveller to know not to believe the marketing hype on the LNER website
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Pretty poor show doing the Tyne Valley diverts today.
Was offered a coffee or tea leaving Newcastle heading to Edinburgh and that was it. No cold drinks, no food (menus were collected before Carlisle and no mention of food or drinks were made after leaving Newcastle.)
Was offered a coffee or tea leaving Newcastle heading to Edinburgh and that was it. No cold drinks, no food (menus were collected before Carlisle and no mention of food or drinks were made after leaving Newcastle.)
Is catering reduced on the diverts?