Caledonian Sleeper

[Scotrail84]

Given the price being charged for every kind of accommodation on that train I don't think dismissing these issues as unfixable is acceptable and probably never has been apart from during the first introductory phase where things are bound to go wrong
Why it's even thought acceptable to send a train out in service with no running water to a carriage where passengers are supposedly paying mid to high-end market hotel prices for bed and board is really just not the done thing likewise climate control issue, given that there really aren't all that many to check would it be too difficult for someone's job specifically to be to check every compartment toilet and seat in the mornings to see if any of the bits and pieces within that area are in need of maintenance

No point in venting at me pal, I don't work for the sleeper. You're better directing this to the señor management via the complaints department.

 

[al78]

Sitting here in the lounge of the Royal Highland Hotel because once again the Caledonian lounge is overcrowded, short staffed and under provisioned (drinks but no food). Priority for club passengers it being honoured.

I thought that was the normal. When I used the sleeper back in mid May the lounge at Euston was standing room only, assuming you could even get into it to find a place to stand. I'd had a meal at home earlier so wasn't bothered about food anyway.

 

[AberdeenBill]

Has anyone else had same probelm as me over the last few days in that the 'month view' feature on booking seems to have disappeared? If I select my preferred date and it is either sold out or it does not have the type of room i was looking for, previously you could open the whole month to see what was available around your date. Recently this seems to have disappeared (for me anyway), and i have to go and edit the date to another one (which might also have no availability).

 

[Caleb2010]

I thought that was the normal. When I used the sleeper back in mid May the lounge at Euston was standing room only, assuming you could even get into it to find a place to stand. I'd had a meal at home earlier so wasn't bothered about food anyway.

They don’t do food in Inverness lounge - over and above biscuits and crisps!

They have an arrangement with the Royal Highland Hotel to take any overspill, they don’t just leave people to their own devices!

Last night they were busy and were using the Royal Highland as the CS one was full

 

[norbitonflyer]

They don’t do food in Inverness lounge - over and above biscuits and crisps!

They have an arrangement with the Royal Highland Hotel to take any overspill, they don’t just leave people to their own devices!

Last night they were busy and were using the Royal Highland as the CS one was full

No food at all in the Inverness lounge last Monday.
The new lounge at Euston is much more exclusive - you won't get in unless you have a club ticket (otherwise you have to use the plentiful other facilities at Euston) and on the two occasions I've used it, it has been far from crowded.

 

[Gonzoiku]

No food at all in the Inverness lounge last Monday.
The new lounge at Euston is much more exclusive - you won't get in unless you have a club ticket (otherwise you have to use the plentiful other facilities at Euston) and on the two occasions I've used it, it has been far from crowded.

It is a few months since I used the Euston lounge, and it was fairly quiet until the Lowland "mob" arrived (before the Highlander was ready to board) whereupon it did get rather busy.

GZ

 

[furgus2]

Has anyone else had same probelm as me over the last few days in that the 'month view' feature on booking seems to have disappeared? If I select my preferred date and it is either sold out or it does not have the type of room i was looking for, previously you could open the whole month to see what was available around your date. Recently this seems to have disappeared (for me anyway), and i have to go and edit the date to another one (which might also have no availability).

Yes, I noticed that a few days ago. It was a really useful feature. I hope it comes back

 

[norbitonflyer]

It is a few months since I used the Euston lounge, and it was fairly quiet until the Lowland "mob" arrived (before the Highlander was ready to board) whereupon it did get rather busy.

GZ

The website suggests the Euston lounge is not open for Lowland passengers until the Highlander has departed (or at least is due to have done so)
Opening hours
6:30-10:30 for arrivals.
18:00-boarding for guests travelling to Aberdeen, Fort William and Inverness.
20:45-boarding for guests travelling to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

When I used the Lowlander last summer I didn't arrive until after 9pm anyway, so i don't know if I would have been allowed in the lounge earlier, but when I used the Highlander last week everyone left the lounge when it was ready to board, suggesting there were no Lowlander passengers among us.

 

[Essexman]

Travelling from Fort William to Euston tonight. Well I was. Problem with locomotive and train cancelled. Coach to Edinburgh being arranged but vague what happens on arrival. Didn’t fancy that so booked virtually the last room to stay in Fort William and will travel by day tomorrow.

 

[52290]

Although I enjoy reading this thread I have never traveled on any of the Anglo-Scottish sleepers. I wonder, therefore, if anyone who has, will be watching the new Nightsleeper series which starts on Sunday on BBC1. The Radio Times says it is a " real-time thriller about the hacking of a sleeper train travelling from Glasgow to London". Apparently it was all filmed in a studio in Glasgow and not in a real train.

 

[800001]

Although I enjoy reading this thread I have never traveled on any of the Anglo-Scottish sleepers. I wonder, therefore, if anyone who has, will be watching the new Nightsleeper series which starts on Sunday on BBC1. The Radio Times says it is a " real-time thriller about the hacking of a sleeper train travelling from Glasgow to London". Apparently it was all filmed in a studio in Glasgow and not in a real train.

I may watch it, but it will be so far fetched nothing will be believable about it.

 

[jfowkes]

A realistic thriller about the Caledonian Sleeper would involve it being delayed due to cable theft. A burnt-out hard-nosed detective tries to find the culprits and bring them to justice. There's a B plot where a passenger tries to claim delay repay and the stress gets them signed off from work for a week.

 

[Blindtraveler]

If they use an AI generated MK5 interior, I hope they've managed to accurately capture the selection of assorted squeaks, bangs and rattles plus the unmistakable sound of a water pump that's probably a bit smaller than it needs to be. And of course not forgetting the various verbal diarrhoea from the accessible toilet in the seats " door is opening"

 

[godfreycomplex]

A realistic thriller about the Caledonian Sleeper would involve it being delayed due to cable theft. A burnt-out hard-nosed detective tries to find the culprits and bring them to justice. There's a B plot where a passenger tries to claim delay repay and the stress gets them signed off from work for a week.

Cable theft? Is it a period piece from 2006? (joke)

 

[norbitonflyer]

Although I enjoy reading this thread I have never traveled on any of the Anglo-Scottish sleepers. I wonder, therefore, if anyone who has, will be watching the new Nightsleeper series which starts on Sunday on BBC1. The Radio Times says it is a " real-time thriller about the hacking of a sleeper train travelling from Glasgow to London". Apparently it was all filmed in a studio in Glasgow and not in a real train.

Saw the trailer. Too bitty to make out whether the interiors are authentic, but an exterior shot of what looked like an HST cab does not bode well for authenticity........

 

[side effect]

Although I enjoy reading this thread I have never traveled on any of the Anglo-Scottish sleepers. I wonder, therefore, if anyone who has, will be watching the new Nightsleeper series which starts on Sunday on BBC1. The Radio Times says it is a " real-time thriller about the hacking of a sleeper train travelling from Glasgow to London". Apparently it was all filmed in a studio in Glasgow and not in a real train.

Thank you for mentioning this. I look forward to watching this.

 

[PG]

A realistic thriller about the Caledonian Sleeper would involve it being delayed due to cable theft.

Even more realistic (though not thrilling) would be an issue with the stock and/or locos midway meaning passengers being plonked onto a coach/minibus for a "good" few hours but that probably wouldn't make great telly

If they want a realistic thriller then how about a train hurtling towards the Scottish capital with brake failure...

 

[Siemens Trains]

If they want a realistic thriller then how about a train hurtling towards the Scottish capital with brake failure...

Must admit seeing the TV trailer put me in mind of this incident.

Perhaps everything was under control but I sometimes shudder to think of the consequences if there hadn't been a clear path through to Abbeyhill on that day.

 

[Mike395]

Please can we keep discussion of the TV drama to the dedicated thread here and keep this thread on the real world CS operations. Thanks!

 

[norbitonflyer]

Perhaps everything was under control but I sometimes shudder to think of the consequences if there hadn't been a clear path through to Abbeyhill on that day.

Definitely wasn't. It was only the presence of mind of the train manager, who activated the passenger emergency alarm which applied thebrakes in the carriages, that stopped the train as soon as it did.

 

[Scotrail84]

Northbound lowlander looks like its taken a battering at Lockerbie this morning, around 160 late.

 

[swidnod]

Northbound lowlander looks like its taken a battering at Lockerbie this morning, around 160 late.

Failed freight train ahead on Beattock

 

[PaxVobiscum]

I’m going GLC-EUS and back this weekend and Ive been keeping an eye on the recent timings. While I’m not particularly concerned about a delay on the return journey and there’s quite a few hours margin on the outward (I’ve had complete refunds before ) an experience I would not care to repeat is once a number of years ago when the northbound arrived at GLC very early, the then Scotrail staff tried to clear the train about 50 minutes early (they didn’t succeed). Since arriving about 40-45 mins early is quite common, can anyone tell me have the CS staff been letting passengers stay on until near the “vacate by” time?

 

[Scotrail84]

I’m going GLC-EUS and back this weekend and Ive been keeping an eye on the recent timings. While I’m not particularly concerned about a delay on the return journey and there’s quite a few hours margin on the outward (I’ve had complete refunds before ) an experience I would not care to repeat is once a number of years ago when the northbound arrived at GLC very early, the then Scotrail staff tried to clear the train about 50 minutes early (they didn’t succeed). Since arriving about 40-45 mins early is quite common, can anyone tell me have the CS staff been letting passengers stay on until near the “vacate by” time?

AFAIK you must be off BEFORE the deadline, you can leave whenever you want to prior to the deadline of course. However, if you've just spent 10-12 hours on a train, why would you want to sit on your hoop on a bed for another 30-45 minutes doing nothing anyway? I'd be ofski maximising my time that day. Each to their own n that but I find it strange that folk would wait until the very last second to get off even though they've been ready to go for ages.

 

[Peter Sarf]

AFAIK you must be off BEFORE the deadline, you can leave whenever you want to prior to the deadline of course. However, if you've just spent 10-12 hours on a train, why would you want to sit on your hoop on a bed for another 30-45 minutes doing nothing anyway? I'd be ofski maximising my time that day. Each to their own n that but I find it strange that folk would wait until the very last second to get off even though they've been ready to go for ages.

Depends whether the passenger is an early riser or not I reckon.

 

[LickeyIncliner]

AFAIK you must be off BEFORE the deadline, you can leave whenever you want to prior to the deadline of course. However, if you've just spent 10-12 hours on a train, why would you want to sit on your hoop on a bed for another 30-45 minutes doing nothing anyway? I'd be ofski maximising my time that day. Each to their own n that but I find it strange that folk would wait until the very last second to get off even though they've been ready to go for ages.

The question from PaxVobiscum is not about leaving the train before the deadline, but about the likelihood of being hassled into leaving as soon as the train arrives. In my experience (going back to the 1980s), being hassled is the norm. This issue has come up before - see for example discussions around https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/caledonian-sleeper.176365/post-6327338 and https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/caledonian-sleeper.176365/post-6327338. The short answer is that if that the train is on time, you're highly to be woken up early so that the staff can clear the train early.

 

[alistairlees]

I travel on the sleeper from time to time and almost always leave just before the time limit. I never feel pressured into doing so - sometimes you get a friendly reminder that it will be time to get off soon but that seems reasonable to me.

 

[norbitonflyer]

AFAIK you must be off BEFORE the deadline, you can leave whenever you want to prior to the deadline of course. However, if you've just spent 10-12 hours on a train, why would you want to sit on your hoop on a bed for another 30-45 minutes doing nothing anyway?

It's only 7h30 on the Lowlander actual travelling time. Even if you go straight to bed the moment boarding opens at 22:30, arrival is only nine hours later.

 

[Scotrail84]

It's only 7h30 on the Lowlander actual travelling time. Even if you go straight to bed the moment boarding opens at 22:30, arrival is only nine hours later.

I think in the past there has defo been punters taking the proverbial by deliberately trying to extend the grace period by going slow and I have heard stories of staff having to threaten to bring the Btp round to remove people who were still on the train well after the booked vacate time. I think the staff try to protect themselves by reminding people to vacate because the do not get paid after that time and they have been up all night too.

 

[lachlan]

Depends whether the passenger is an early riser or not I reckon.

And where you're going/reasons for travel. Arriving into Aberdeen before 8am isn't very fun when nothing is open!

I travel on the sleeper from time to time and almost always leave just before the time limit. I never feel pressured into doing so - sometimes you get a friendly reminder that it will be time to get off soon but that seems reasonable to me.

One time we weren't quite ready and the pressure starts being added quick if you're not off as soon as the train has arrived