Doncaster. The RRB is better than the train.

[Harlesden]

There I was leaving Grimsby Town at 16:15 on a smart coach with a cheerful old feller at the wheel. Speeding along the A180, whizzing along the M180 passing every truck in sight, and then the M18 and then cruising along the A630 into Doncaster.
IMHO way better than tootling along on a noisy 185

 

[Blindtraveler]

There I was leaving Grimsby Town at 16:15 on a smart coach with a cheerful old feller at the wheel. Speeding along the A180, whizzing along the M180 passing every truck in sight, and then the M18 and then cruising along the A630 into Doncaster.
IMHO way better than tootling along on a noisy 185

happened to me a while back too during the anual January Blocades between ABD and DEE, a brand new coach with leather seats, tables, plug sockets, sound proofing a a nice toilet as well as great driver. Fantastic ride down the A90 on a windy Sunday evening.
Baled at DEE onto one of Scotrails origional batch of 170s which are starting to get a bit tired now and stopped all shacks to Kirkaldy before becoming semi fast. Just as well, the toilet smell was a rival for one of XCs! Only upside I guess was that it wasnt what youd have had, a 185 and much to my surprise there was a trolley meaning the journey was oiled by a cupple of large ones!

 

[LE Greys]

happened to me a while back too during the anual January Blocades between ABD and DEE, a brand new coach with leather seats, tables, plug sockets, sound proofing a a nice toilet as well as great driver. Fantastic ride down the A90 on a windy Sunday evening.
Baled at DEE onto one of Scotrails origional batch of 170s which are starting to get a bit tired now and stopped all shacks to Kirkaldy before becoming semi fast. Just as well, the toilet smell was a rival for one of XCs! Only upside I guess was that it wasnt what youd have had, a 185 and much to my surprise there was a trolley meaning the journey was oiled by a cupple of large ones!

I accidentally got on the first class RRB at Swindon once, nice ride along the M6 to Bath in a luxury coach very similar to the one you describe. I'm not sure why I didn't get slung off, wasn't even on a Weekend First (it was a Sunday evening) and I think I was still half-fare at the time.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I accidentally got on the first class RRB at Swindon once, nice ride along the M6 to Bath in a luxury coach very similar to the one you describe. I'm not sure why I didn't get slung off, wasn't even on a Weekend First (it was a Sunday evening) and I think I was still half-fare at the time.

my experience of RRB supervisory and dispatch staff is that they simply want to ensure pax and there luggage are loaded and sent off as efficiantly as possible regardless of your booked class of travel. Once in the hands of the subcontracted coach company there drivers are keen do demonstrate (if in a position to do so) what a far nicer product there volvo 9700 is than the scruffy DMU that should otherwise be your convayance.

 

[MCR247]

There are first class rail replacement buses?!?!

 

[pjnathanail]

There are first class rail replacement buses?!?!

Indeed, I've never heard of such a thing!
Great idea from the TOCs though, saves them refunding FC ticket holders
I imagine in Swindon this would be useful with season ticket holders

 

[causton]

There are first class rail replacement buses?!?!

Indeed, news to me! Sounds logical but never knew it would actually happen!

 

[Blindtraveler]

may be a Great Western thing? As mentioned it cotld be handy round there with so many FC commuters.
Its certainly a consept lost on Scotrail, or indeed any opperater who i have had the pleasure of being bustituted with. May be worth mentioning here but my last bit of Rail Rep5acement misery curticy of East coast/Crosscountry between Berwick and Edinburgh the coach was nearly the same age as I am and had a remarkably stinky bog. Sort of a combination of varying experiences that were trying to eminate a MK3 coach and a voyager on the A1. despite this though the seats were 100 times more cumfy than anything iether TOC can offer.

 

[causton]

may be a Great Western thing? As mentioned it cotld be handy round there with so many FC commuters.
Its certainly a consept lost on Scotrail, or indeed any opperater who i have had the pleasure of being bustituted with. May be worth mentioning here but my last bit of Rail Rep5acement misery curticy of East coast/Crosscountry between Berwick and Edinburgh the coach was nearly the same age as I am and had a remarkably stinky bog. Sort of a combination of varying experiences that were trying to eminate a MK3 coach and a voyager on the A1. despite this though the seats were 100 times more cumfy than anything iether TOC can offer.

Makes me feel confident for a rather long rail replacement journey I'll be undertaking at the start of July on Scotrail... not! :P

 

[Eagle]

I've been on a couple of RRBs that were faster than the train, if that counts...

Both were XC expresses, one Southampton Airport to Bournemouth via M27-A31-A338 taking 30 minutes, one Didcot to Winchester via the A34 taking 50 minutes. Both of which are five or ten minutes faster than the direct train would be.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Makes me feel confident for a rather long rail replacement journey I'll be undertaking at the start of July on Scotrail... not! :P

what route? If its planned they tend to make an effort and vehicle standard is high which is more than can be said for some others.

 

[ryan125hst]

There are first class rail replacement buses?!?!

That's what I thought!

What do they offer on the coach then to make it first class? 1+1 seats? Complementary food and drink and WiFi?

 

[LE Greys]

That's what I thought!

What do they offer on the coach then to make it first class? 1+1 seats? Complementary food and drink and WiFi?

I didn't know either. Maybe this was particularly unusual, or something FGW happened to be trying at the time, but it definitely had a bit of paper saying 'First Class Rail Replacement Bus' on the front window (I wish I had a picture of it now, but it was a dark winter's evening in early 2000). One possibility is that they had so few passengers that they just stuck everyone on the nicest bus, the brand new one with comfortable seats (2+2, but pitched very long and mock leather).