Recent content by David Pemberton

Hello The ORR's figures for 09/10 station usage are available (here) and also reported in the mainstream and specialist media. The data mainly comes from LENNON ticket sales via MOIRA (see report for detailed methodology). I wondered about adopting a little-used station by occasionally...

Yes you are right the radio frequency penetration into the Meridians is very reduced - one of the few plusses of the type in my view; the quiet coach really is quiet. I have mobile broadband built in to my laptop. It seems to have better aerial than a dongle can manage, and I tried the...

Well it is if you are in a 5-car Meridian and you sit in the First/Standard composite unit. This post comes from Coach D on the 0648 NOT-STP and I've not had to pay the £4 charge. (BTW have you seen EMT's charges, an annual season ticket for WiFi costs £425! How many 3G mobile boradband...

I'll do anything to avoid a Voyager - including 3 changes on my return from Edinburgh this Monday. National Rail website suggests 1500 EDB-NOT is best done by taking XC Voyager to Derby and then changing to Nottingham arriving 1935. It was far more comfortable by taking EC to York, very short...

http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2008/nr_081128_rail_franchise_km.pdf Page 2, "First ScotRail will receive £2.5 billion in government subsidy for the franchise over its ten-year term." I assume that some of that goes to the sleeper, otherwise why is a First Class ticket on the...

On Monday I took the Caledonian sleeper from Euston to Edinburgh first class. It's mis-named: I got very little sleep. 1) It departs at 2350, you can board at 2250 - both times after my normal bed time so my body clock was already out. 2) The sound proofing is somewhere between rubbish...

This is my second post in two days in praise of EMT (so perhaps I'm sickening for something), but in case you think I'm a cheerleader for EMT please do look at most of my other posts! First to free tea and coffee when MML held the franchise - by the end it had become the cheapest possible...

The charity that I work for has organized many of the visits for HRH's itinerary this week. My boss is spending most of his time on the train including an overnight stay. The train has a couple of additional benefits - whilst it is travelling between visits HRH uses it for meetings with...

You are right £399, I wasn't paying the ultimate bill but I did have to fund it on my credit card until reimbursed, and I just remember it being rotten value. (My uncle is chief training pilot and shareholder in an exec jet business and their pricing model is BA business class plus 10% if you...

The EMT website accurately describes the service: http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/EMTrains/YourJourney/firstclass.htm I guess the reduction in service at weekends reflect the lack of full-fare first class passengers. Essentially the weekend first is a discount ticket or £7 upgrade...

I'm in favour of pruning the announcements to the absolute bare minimum for 99% of the time, so that the occasional well judged humour really stands out. My daily commute comprises three journeys: EMT Meridian NOT-STP, EC 225 KGX-GRA, and EMT 15x GRA-NOT. The variety of the announcements is...

Thank you very much to members of the forum. I have been able to pass on my thanks directly to the staff at East Coast.

I've just received brilliant service from East Coast and I'd like to write direct to Elaine Holt so that the staff get some recognition. I'd been a total airhead and left my luggage on the train, realizing too late to get it myself but in time for it to be intercepted before the train reached...

What a laugh, I just took the code straight from the MD of EMT's email to me without actually checking that it was correct. "At a strategic level, the principle is that East Midlands Parkway becomes a pseudo Nottingham for the period, with as many services as possible operating to and from...

The purpose of this thread is to ask members for creative ideas to keep passengers "on the rails" during the blockade of Nottingham station. Although the work is not planned until 2012/13, the opportunity to influence plans diminishes very quickly. Extensive re-signalling is planned for the...