FGW First class service

[playboy81]

Having just watched ep 3 of the BBC series, I was surprised to see hot food offered during the 1st class service on FGW. I've only experienced 1st class with this TOC on one occasion. It was a weekday service from Cheltenham to Paddington in the middle of the afternoon. It wasn't a Bank Holiday.

I was very surprised to see just one member of staff offering tea or coffee in a paper cup with a pack of cheesey biscuits just once. Thankfully for me, I had bought an advance ticket but still, I thought "is this it"??

Even on VT, during the week, you're offered a choice of sandwiches, fruit, chocolate, hot drinks and alcohol all on china plates and mugs lais out on the table. I remember reading a forum around the time were the comments seemed to suggest that First had dispensed with their normal 1st class services on all routes. Is this actually the case or do they only offer a service during limited times and on limited routes? I would have thought the Cheltenham service was one of their main routes and considering the time, well over 2 hours, I would have expected a service akin to VT or EC.

I may be using them again soon and would like to hear any views regarding their 1st service and when/what is available

 

[ainsworth74]

Monday to Friday you'll get hot and cold drinks and you can order items from the Express Café to be brought to your seat. On selected services Monday to Saturday you can take advantage of the Travelling Chef service which offers full meals brought to your seat served on plates in first class or in a box for collection in standard class. Details and which services it's available on are here. This is what you saw on the TV program. The other option is Pullman Dining this is a traditional restaurant service and is only available on four services a day, Monday to Friday only. You can find details here and there is a thread on our forum here that you might find interesting. Pullman Dining comes highly recommended and is considered to be the best catering you'll find on normal service trains.

 

[Michael.Y]

Their bacon and sausage paninis / baguettes are awesome. The TC was coming to the end of her shift and she had a lot of bacon left over ready cooked, so she offered extra helpings, which I accepted gleefully to my arteries' chagrin.

Also, for ale fans, Tribute (£3 a tin) is a welcome sight to those of us tired with Tetleys and John Smiths...

 

[Techniquest]

Not sure I've tried Tribute (reminds me of Tenacious D that, gonna have to play it now!) but Arkells 3B is very good too. We finally got around to selling it in Asda, but before that FGW were the only place I regularly saw it on sale. Well worth trying if you like decent beer.

 

[Michael.Y]

Not sure I've tried Tribute (reminds me of Tenacious D that, gonna have to play it now!) but Arkells 3B is very good too. We finally got around to selling it in Asda, but before that FGW were the only place I regularly saw it on sale. Well worth trying if you like decent beer.

It's nice - it's a light, golden hoppy Cornish ale from St Austell brewed especially in 1999 for the eclipse and stayed around ever since. I had two tins of it last time I was on there!

 

[Techniquest]

Must get around to trying it next time I'm on a FGW HST for a while. Think that's the 2020 Hereford to Paddington in a few Saturdays time, sounds like it'll be a good way to pass time on the trip through Middle Earth and to motivate myself to do the overnight trip to Stansted!

 

[jimm]

Having just watched ep 3 of the BBC series, I was surprised to see hot food offered during the 1st class service on FGW. I've only experienced 1st class with this TOC on one occasion. It was a weekday service from Cheltenham to Paddington in the middle of the afternoon. It wasn't a Bank Holiday.

I was very surprised to see just one member of staff offering tea or coffee in a paper cup with a pack of cheesey biscuits just once. Thankfully for me, I had bought an advance ticket but still, I thought "is this it"??

Even on VT, during the week, you're offered a choice of sandwiches, fruit, chocolate, hot drinks and alcohol all on china plates and mugs lais out on the table. I remember reading a forum around the time were the comments seemed to suggest that First had dispensed with their normal 1st class services on all routes. Is this actually the case or do they only offer a service during limited times and on limited routes? I would have thought the Cheltenham service was one of their main routes and considering the time, well over 2 hours, I would have expected a service akin to VT or EC.

I may be using them again soon and would like to hear any views regarding their 1st service and when/what is available

FGW has simply chosen to go down a different route from other operators, not just in terms of first-class service but also catering, as ainsworth74 has mentioned.

You say you were travelling mid-afternoon. I'd be perfectly happy with tea and biscuits or maybe a bit of cake at that time of the day. Last time I came down the WCML on a mid-afternoon Virgin service to Birmingham in first class, I wasn't asked whether I wanted any food, just what I would like to drink. The tea duly arrived, accompanied by a sandwich, which I left untouched in its plastic wrapper, having had lunch previously - though it was indeed sitting on a china plate.

I wasn't paying for the trip but I certainly wouldn't bother paying the extra myself if that was typical of Virgin's efforts at that time of day. Not much of a step up from FGW's tea and biscuits frankly.

But if you feel deprived by their approach, then if you are travelling from Paddington or Cardiff, the first class lounges do offer lots of complimentary refreshments.

FGW's Travelling Chef means that freshly-prepared hot food (not microwave) is available to all passengers, not just first class, and standard class passengers can also dine on the Pullmans if seats are available. A previous management team had planned to go to trolley catering in standard on many HST services and toilets were stripped from TGS coaches at great expense to create a trolley store but the current team reversed the decision and ordered mini-buffets to be built instead.

Maybe I'm just used to it because I live on FGW's patch but other than people complaining if their favourite brand of gin disappears from the complimentaries trolley in first on HSTs, I can't recall a case of people demanding things should change so they have the right to 'free' plastic-wrapped sarnies, especially not on services with a chef on board... it is not unknown for them to run out of ingredients on Hereford-London trains well before Oxford.

 

[bnm]

but other than people complaining if their favourite brand of gin disappears from the complimentaries trolley in first on HSTs,

Small pedantic point. There has never been free complimentary gin of any sort in 1st Class on FGW. Many complaints were made though when FGW removed Coke and Diet Coke from the 1st Class comps.

The only time alcoholic beverages have been complimentary on FGW was when they had the Friday Night Wine Club, on services between 1500-1900. This ended in 2009.

 

[mrcheek]

I actually rather like the rather minimalist First Class experience on FGW. I generally take my own food on a long journey, so all Im after is a cup of coffee and some orange juice. I prefer FGW's approach to that which you sometimes get on Virgin or East Coast, where people seem to be bothering you every 5 minutes offering you something. Some of us just want some peace and quiet (and a free drink) when we travel

 

[Techniquest]

Well Virgin's food isn't worth having in my experience,so it's no biggie for me.The drinks are what matter to me more,I prefer to eat what I know I like off-train.Unless it's the breakfast on Virgin,and even then you can't get much with my tastes...

Why did FGW withdraw Coke from its complimentary range?Not everyone likes a hot drink or water,indeed when I used to travel First Class regularly I would often get a Coke soon ish before getting off in the summer time.Still,it's all non relevant for me these days as I don't bother with First Class much these days anywhere.

 

[PT]

Coke,Diet Coke,Sprite have been put back on FGW 'fc' trolley.

 

[Techniquest]

Shame they don't also do Dr Pepper, I'd be encouraged to go First Class again!

 

[playboy81]

Thanks for all your responses.

Let me get this right, if you want complimentary food on first you have to pay for it? By the sounds of it though, the TC is well worth paying for.

I know the Pullman service is additional to the fare and offers old school train dining so fair enough.

I realise Virgin's catering could be better during certain times of the day but it is ALL complimentary inc alcohol.

My other disappointment with 1st on FGW was the decor and ambience. Dark blue and brown leather seats. Drab with a capital D. I actually think the colour scheme in standard is much warmer and more pleasant. I know they've not long been refurbished but seriously is that the best they could come up with?

I like the TC arrangement but I would expect to see it offered on all services and complimentary in first with alcohol. I realise that no TOC offers much if anything on BH and weekends and it really irritates me as the walk up price is still the same

 

[bnm]

Personal choice then.

On that last point however, there is often no need to pay the walk-up 1st Class fare if your journey(s) is/are wholly on a weekend/bank holiday.

Standard Class fare plus the Weekend First supplement.

And it should be remembered that a 1st Class fare guarantees nothing but the right to travel in 1st Class accommodation. Anything else is just gravy.

 

[Clip]

I was only on Vigin last week on a friday. 2 small beers now(I like cusquena anyway) and the salad box and the lot was much better then anything FGW have givenme when on the way to the west country

 

[455driver]

Given the choice of a freebie Virmin (microwave) meal or paid for FGW (fresh) food I know what I would have, "can I have the bill please".

 

[F Great Eastern]

Thanks for all your responses.

Let me get this right, if you want complimentary food on first you have to pay for it? By the sounds of it though, the TC is well worth paying for.

My other disappointment with 1st on FGW was the decor and ambience. Dark blue and brown leather seats. Drab with a capital D. I actually think the colour scheme in standard is much warmer and more pleasant. I know they've not long been refurbished but seriously is that the best they could come up with?

We'll happily take such decor, buffet and food range on Greater Anglia if you want to swap!!!

I don't travel First Class that much, but if work is paying for me to do so, then FGW environment is outstanding. If I need to get work done on the move, the leather seats, plug sockets, large tables, at seat service etc is invaluable. Compare that to GA where you get very little in comparison and there really is only one winner.

The quality of food is hugely better too. FGW source far better products than most TOC's, Even the Express Cafe is a lot better than the crap low quality stuff offered on GA.

 

[aylesbury]

Just recently I traveled to Glasgow on VT in first class and cannot fault the food offerings on the outward and return journeys.Last year I traveled to Penzance on FGW and sampled the Traveling Chef,s offering,s which were well cooked and served to my seat in first class .FGW are to be congratulated in bringing back the Pullman dining experience and I hope it is a service that stays .

 

[richw]

Looking at similarly length journeys, (both approx 90 mins) with walk up fares for this coming week during off peak times.

Euston - Birmingham tues 26th 1403 VT service returning wed 27th 1110 VT cheapest walk up 1st class £254 return. (the same first class journey with LM is showing as £90 return, to travel 10 mins later outbound, and 4 mins later inbound)

Paddington - Bath Spa Tues 26th 1400 FGW, returning wed 27th 1113 FGW, FGW cheapest walk up 1st class £156 return.

So what some people are saying is that a plastic wrapped lower quality sandwich rather than a pack of biscuits is worth an extra £102? Can see why this country's economy is screwed up if people are happy to pay £102 for a sandwich!!

 

[Flamingo]

I was being given serious earache by somebody in First Class a while ago about how Virgin gives this and that when their companion interrupted them to say "Do you know, I don't think he cares what Virgin does!".

I gratefully made my escape!

 

[Aldaniti]

I'm echoing what some others have said but for me FGW is an all round better catering offer in both First and Standard. But Virgin are smart; if a customer perceives something to be 'free' he is less likely to complain. Give me the FGW Travelling Chef any day for the choice and freshness. I think I'm one of the few people who were disappointed when Virgin retained the West Coast franchise, I was hoping First Group might bring something better.

 

[ainsworth74]

I think I'm one of the few people who were disappointed when Virgin retained the West Coast franchise, I was hoping First Group might bring something better.

First Group won the franchise but the competition was cancelled due to DfT incompetence requiring Virgin to be contracted to run the franchise whilst the DfT get their act together. Virgin have not won the ICWC franchise they're just running it on behalf of the DfT for next couple of years before a full scale franchise competition can be held.

 

[455driver]

DfT incompetence requiring Virgin to be contracted to run the franchise whilst the DfT get their act together.

Could be a while then!

 

[ainsworth74]

Could be a while then!

I certainly wouldn't hold your breath!!

 

[jimm]

Thanks for all your responses.

Let me get this right, if you want complimentary food on first you have to pay for it? By the sounds of it though, the TC is well worth paying for.

I like the TC arrangement but I would expect to see it offered on all services and complimentary in first with alcohol. I realise that no TOC offers much if anything on BH and weekends and it really irritates me as the walk up price is still the same

If you pay for something, it isn't complimentary, is it? And if you want anything much on FGW in first class beyond biscuits and crisps, you pay for it - everyone knows the score, rather than the often random 'free' offerings that appear on other routes.

Bit difficult to make Travelling Chef complimentary, as it's only available on a limited number of FGW express services, so you wouldn't have a standard offer, depending on the time of day, which is what the Virgin and East Coast approaches to first class complimentaries purport to be.

And while Traveling Chef is available to all passengers, albeit without the china plates in standard, what hot food can you get if you're in standard on Virgin or EC? A microwaved something from the buffet, even on trains with a chef on board.

Were FGW to make Travelling Chef a feature of all its expresses, it would require an army of extra staff and plunge the catering account deep into the mire.

Travelling Chef is available on a dozen Saturday trains, breakfast and lunchtime, but simply wouldn't be worth bothering with if you were relying on first class custom to make it worthwhile that day, due to the very light loadings, even with Weekend First available.

Just recently I traveled to Glasgow on VT in first class and cannot fault the food offerings on the outward and return journeys.Last year I traveled to Penzance on FGW and sampled the Traveling Chef,s offering,s which were well cooked and served to my seat in first class .FGW are to be congratulated in bringing back the Pullman dining experience and I hope it is a service that stays .

FGW haven't brought back Pullman dining, just given it a fresh look with new menus. There have always been restaurant cars between London and Plymouth but FGW, probably rightly, decided that given typical journey times on most of its services, a full restaurant wasn't sensible on other routes (and they needed the seats to cope with first class custom in the peaks), but that something better than a microwaved bacon baguette or burger was in order, hence the development of Travelling Chef.

 

[Techniquest]

And boy isn't the Travelling Chef service most appreciated! I've had many an awesome meal from there, quite I remember the Brunel Burger a few years ago that they did when I'd not eaten in many hours and goodness, that was amazingly tasty! Worth every penny.

Not seen a Travelling Chef service in ages, although in all fairness I don't often get to travel mornings on HSTs now. However, one thing I would love to see is some Travelling Chef services in the evening around tea time. Would save having to rely on Burger King and the like for a filling meal, indeed it would save me having to allocate extra time to fester at the station or in the relevant town/city centre to get food before my train home, therefore allowing me more time to do whatever I need to do.

Wouldn't have to be on a lot of services, but I doubt I'm the only one who would find it useful.

 

[SephenWorceste]

For food I would go for Virgin over First Great Western. My choice is Worcester to Paddington with FGW or Birmingham to Euston with Virgin.

FGW travelling chef is great but it is only two trains a day for me. You pay for it on top of a ticket price of about £150 return. Your tea comes in a paper cup. If you are unlucky they substitute a two car Turbo with no catering and no working toilet.

Virgin deliver a cooked meal on a decent proportion of services. It is complementary and an Advance return is usually under a £100. Proper crockery for your tea. The Pendelinos are not bad in first.

If I could guarantee it would run as advertised then my absolute favourite train would be the 6.19 from Worcester to Paddington. Until Oxford you can almost have your own HST carriage. Travelling chef breakfast, a steward to bring tea every ten minutes and the sun rising as the Cotswolds slide by.

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

[ainsworth74]

Your tea comes in a paper cup.

I've always thought that not using proper china or glasses, at least on Travelling Chef services, is a bit naff. It's the one improvement that probably wouldn't cost all that much but would add a reasonable amount of value to their product, at least in terms of presentation.

 

[Goldfish62]

Given the choice of a freebie Virmin (microwave) meal or paid for FGW (fresh) food I know what I would have, "can I have the bill please".

But even some Penzance trains on FGW don't have Pullman dining or Travelling Chef - just microwaved muck from the "cafe". And the Virmin cooked breakfast is rather good.

 

[TEW]

I've always thought that not using proper china or glasses, at least on Travelling Chef services, is a bit naff. It's the one improvement that probably wouldn't cost all that much but would add a reasonable amount of value to their product, at least in terms of presentation.

FGW do deliver the First Class service with less staff than other TOCs though. The trolley service can be delivered by just one or two staff, and using paper cups makes it easier. If the staff have to then collect and wash all the cups as well it would require either more staff, or less time serving refreshments.