East coast md on bbc radio york

[David Dunning]

This Weds Karen Boswell York based MD of East Coast Trains will on BBC Radio York on the Jonathan Cowap Morning Show. 9-12am
Jonathan is a friend and former colleague and I told him about this forum. He's already read a lot of the threads but we thought you might like to have some direct input .
So what would you ask Karen Boswell ? I will send JC the link to this posting so he can see what issues you think he should raise .

thanks for your input . The programme will be on listen again on the BBCwebsite after transmission for those not in the North Yorkshire area,

 

[junglejames]

Ha. That'll be a laugh just listening to it. It'll be reems and reems of company spouted rubbish. Trying to make you think they are doing brilliant things, but in reality not actually telling you anything.

 

[Red Dragon]

Here's the link to listen to it live : -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_york

Perhaps these details should be posted on the "New East Coast First Class meal service details" thread too, as there has been so much discussion on that thread.
If you are going to call the show to talk to Karen Boswell I think you need to pre-book your call by ringing 01904 641641. This may be a filtering process, to ensure a cross section of questions are put forward !

 

[AlterEgo]

I'd ask her whether she thought the new onboard catering offer was an improvement over the restaurant car. I'd also ask her whether she recognised how unpopular it is with most passengers!

Also, apart from the food issues, I'd ask her if there was any likelihood of the Lincoln service increasing in frequency.

 

[NightatLaira]

Yep - basically:

Free Food & Drink for everyone in first class = improvement
Getting rid of restaurant cars = great shame
Net Effect = no real improvement, just change, some might argue an overall dumming down of the experience bearing in mind that FC passengers tend to have the funds to be able to buy a few cans of coke, sandwich and some crisps which is generally what the EC first class offering amounts to for most of the day.

I will always miss the restaurant car, and dread the day when FGW get rid of theirs. It is such a shame... Europe can do food on trains, we used to be able to: why can't we find a way of getting it all to work so that passengers still get what they want, and TOCs can still make profits?


Oh, and whilst she's on there: get some more Chicken Kormas in stock. Whenever I'm on an EC service they've always run out and the 'proper coffee machines' are never working. :roll:

 

[ApAp]

Old first class: you were served at-seat with anything that's available from the buffet and most (non-restaurant) services also had a chef-prepared at seat dining menu.

New first class: if it's not complimentary you need to get up and queue at the buffet.

Is this considered an improvement?

 

[ainsworth74]

Oh, and whilst she's on there: get some more Chicken Kormas in stock. Whenever I'm on an EC service they've always run out and the 'proper coffee machines' are never working.

They don't do chicken korma anymore and the coffee machines have been removed.

I would ask if they plan on putting pressure on Rail Gourmet to actually supply the stock necessary to run the new first class offer (as in the missing hot options). I would also ask if they are planning on a) introducing more evening meal services as they cannot believe that the all day offer is sufficient for those traveling at dinner time southbound from Edinburgh and Newcastle? and b) will they introduce a bit more variety into the evening meal offer as at the moment it's pretty poor choice wise.

 

[StrollerEd]

if Jonathan Cowap reads that thread then he has his opportunity to make plain to the EC MD that loss of the restuarant car is serious and should be re-considered as a matter of urgency.

I wish to travel by train from Edinburgh to London as a business traveller but will prefer the plane if I risk not being properly fed when I wish to be for a 4/4.5 hr journey and have peace and quiet disturbed by staff and nearby passengers engaging in too much talk.

 

[ApAp]

Another downgrade is the closure of East Coast Rewards which rewarded the people who spend the most on East Coast rail travel.

It's being replaced with a new loyalty scheme which is confusingly also called East Coast Rewards. They're being quiet about the actual benefits the new scheme will offer but they won't be as good as the current scheme for very frequent travellers.

It's going to be a points based scheme that'll give you points for any spend made on the East Coast website (not just East Coast journeys) so it's basically become a loyalty scheme for the website rather than a loyalty scheme for frequent travellers.

EDIT: as seen in another thread the new loyalty scheme isn't as bad as I feared, but it's not as rewarding to their highest spending customers as their old scheme. I tend to think the benefits aren't good enough to encourage anyone to travel more frequently.