Grand Central Discussion

[Flyboy]

Me either!

 

[northernbored]

Hi,

I guess GC staff have began learning the 180's passenger operations. This morning I was travelling on the 1012 HT service to Kings Cross and accompnying the train manager where two uniformed GC staff.

 

[yorkie]

Eh? Dont really understand how the Dft can do this?

They can't. The person who posted it is mistaken about the DfT's powers.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I saw an advert in the York Press about an offer on GC, it said it would appear in the Gazette & Herald yesterday. I've looked on both websites (which are effectively the same anyway) and can see nothing. No mention in the York Press either.

It looks like the current Mobitix fares were accidentally sold at the cheaper promo price, but this was corrected on Monday.

Edit:

OFFER NOW AVAILABLE

http://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/trainoffer/

 

[northernrail2009]

Does anyone know why the 11.27am from London to Sunderland didnt run yesterday 7th May???

 

[Sir_Clagalot]

Yes.

 

[GNERman]

no just says technical difficulties

 

[1D53]

The set on the 1127 ex London this morning was running on one powercar only.

 

[GNERman]

those engines are getting a lot of hammering but if you think half the time at 100mph plus and half of 50mph less between Northallerton and Sunderland.
Also GC may extend some trains to Stadium of Light for football matches i've read...

 

[spoony]

those engines are getting a lot of hammering but if you thing half the time at 100mph plus and half of 50mph less between Northallerton and Sunderland.
Also GC may extend some trains to Stadium of Light for football matches i've read...

Cant see that working very well unless they extend the platforms!

 

[Darandio]

I am sure that was a while back now, cannot see the point really when it is a 2 minute trundle on the Metro.

 

[BOSCH]

Also GC may extend some trains to Stadium of Light for football matches i've read...

Aint gonna happen,NEXUS/NR wont agree to it IMO,the only trains that we could stop there would be the 180's due to the SDO !

 

[GNERman]

or a long bay platfor being created...

 

[northernrail2009]

Also do they really get that many useing them on a football day? as ive been on them from York to Sunderland when they were playing at home and there wasnt that many numbers on the train.

 

[GNERman]

that's fair enough...

 

[spoony]

Also do they really get that many useing them on a football day? as ive been on them from York to Sunderland when they were playing at home and there wasnt that many numbers on the train.

Cant see it ever happening to be honest. Most of Sunderlands support comes either from the city itself, or the east/south Durham pit villages. All these areas have their own supporters branches who run coaches. I could see a case for Northern stopping a few trains there on matchdays, when I got the train back from Thornaby to Sunderland it was packed full of Sunderland fans by the time we left Billingham. Plus Metro timetables run slightly differently on a matchday. Northbound trains stop at Stadium of Light only, and Southbound stop at St Peters. The other platforms are closed for around an hour after the match to help with crowd control.

 

[Metroland]

Finding my seat on my Grand Central train from King’s Cross to Sunderland recently was not quite what I’d expected. For a start, there was the shock factor.

Instead of the usual cramped rows with chipped plastic hang-down trays that don’t quite fit your lap-top, I found myself in a spacious tube with big grey chairs positioned well apart and pictures of Marilyn Monroe adorning the walls.

I assumed I was in the wrong place. Surely this was First Class, and a particularly snazzy First Class at that? But no, I had the right carriage. One of these giant seats — they reminded me of living-room armchairs — was for me.

Feeling pleasantly bemused, I wandered down the carriage in search of 33. But the seat numbers seemed to have a mind of their own. Number 15 was next to number 23. Then 3 was beside 45.

As I squinted at labels and scratched my head, a fellow passenger intervened. “Sit wherever you like mate!” he recommended cheerfully. “The numbers don’t make any sense!”

This was later explained by the equally upbeat woman who ran the train’s food-and-drink kiosk: “Yes, I think we’ve left it like that as a bit of a joke — we’ve just reconfigured the seats and the numbers all went higgledy-piggledy.”

There is an even fancier First Class on Grand Central, but Standard Class, I quickly decided, was more than good enough for me. My window seat — every seat, even the ones on the aisle, is cleverly positioned so you have a clear view of the outside — was at a table marked with a chessboard and the game of Cluedo.

Other tables nearby had Monopoly boards and the idea is that you can either bring your own pieces, or buy packs from the kiosk with everything you need for a game for £6.95.

Grand Central began life two years ago, the brainchild of Ian Yeowart, a former railway manager of more than 20 years’ service who saw a gap in the market for trains from London to the North East. The likes of Sunderland, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton and Thirsk were, he had noted, poorly serviced by other rail companies.

So he put together an application that was accepted by the rail regulators based on “simple fares, decent leg-room [25 per cent fewer seats in Standard Class than on equivalent trains], polite staff and trains that run on time — we wanted to be like no other rail company”.

The chessboards and pictures of Monroe, taken at Grand Central Terminal in New York, were part of adding to the friendly feel: “We wanted to hark back to the romantic days of rail travel.” All this I learn on my return from the North East, but what I soon realised on the train heading north is that the ethos of friendliness works.

The conductor, who reminded me a little of Benny Hill, beamed as he called out: “All tickets from wherever you’ve been to wherever you want to go!”

A neighbour, who turned out to own an Indian curry house in Sunderland, invited me to come to his restaurant and have a free meal — it was almost as though the cheerful atmosphere and comfortable surroundings had rubbed off on his mood.

Last month Lord Adonis, the Rail Minister, completed his 2,000-mile tour of Britain’s railways, travelling on 40 trains (without using Grand Central). He concluded: “I want the best to become the norm. At the moment the norm is not good enough.”

But by missing Grand Central, he missed out. Along with Wrexham & Shropshire and Hull Trains , these independent train lines are offering distinctive alternatives to the big rail companies — if my journey is anything to go by.

They’re also opening up parts of the country that have been desperately short of services. Grand Central is due to branch out in December to cover West Yorkshire, including Bradford and Halifax. Meanwhile, Wrexham & Shropshire’s trains to Banbury, Telford, Shrewsbury and Wrexham from London Marylebone, just a year old, are already proving very popular.

As my train zipped across Yorkshire heading for Sunderland, I relaxed in my armchair, looked around the slightly retro 1970s-stock carriage, and checked my e-mails on the free wi-fi. Marilyn Monroe stared down in a white dress from a New York platform. It was a far cry from my usual squash on the 8.52 to Waterloo.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/rail_travel/article6336163.ece

 

[GNERman]

good - glad to hear it...

 

[Max]

It's excellent that the superior comfort and customer service is being noticed!

 

[spoony]

GC will be purring over an article like that, I wonder if they get many walke on pax travelling to Newcastle via Sunderland because of cheaper prices?

 

[yorkie]

I got the 1730 from Sunderland today. A year or so ago this service used to be very quiet, but now now! As the train left York many people could be seen standing. Admittedly this was the shorter set, but it shows there is a lot of demand there. There really should be another coach added to that set though!

 

[williamn]

if this were any other toc would rightly be asking why the reserved seating was in such a mess...

 

[spoony]

I got the 1730 from Sunderland today. A year or so ago this service used to be very quiet, but now now! As the train left York many people could be seen standing. Admittedly this was the shorter set, but it shows there is a lot of demand there. There really should be another coach added to that set though!

I saw that set waiting at Pelaw Metro station about 17.10

 

[andylloyd]

I saw that set waiting at Pelaw Metro station about 17.10

Thats right on its way back from Heaton

 

[ricbax]

Thats right on its way back from Heaton

Makes me wonder if extending to Heworth was ever on the cards, if they always have to go back to Heaton or park at Pelaw anyway? (I know they can never call at Newcastle Central due to the politics of it.)

My reasoning is that Heworth would be more convenient for people intending to park and ride, and for South Tyneside/Gateshead folk who would otherwise have to travel by Metro all the way to Sunderland, including possibly changing at Pelaw.

 

[martyn29]

I bet GC will be looking into to adding more coaches if demand increases! The service is excellent and I have always found the stafff to be pleasant and helpfull.

 

[theblackwatch]

I got the 1730 from Sunderland today. A year or so ago this service used to be very quiet, but now now! As the train left York many people could be seen standing. Admittedly this was the shorter set, but it shows there is a lot of demand there. There really should be another coach added to that set though!

That's rather different from the 18.20 off King's Cross on Sunday. I had two bays of four to myself in the front coach (which admittedly for me was rather nice). I wonder if the NXEC service to Leeds, which also had all the passengers from the cancelled Hull Trains service on board, was such a pleasant experience.

 

[Sir_Clagalot]

With regards to the seat numbers being all over the place... They *should* all have little orange stickers on with the numbers in black. Unless that particular coach had been out of action at Heaton and it got missed...
The 1820 on a Sunday is usually busy, but the extra day on the weekend and half term will have resulted in a quiet train. Yes, the 1730 was full on leaving York... It was fairly full before we even got there too! Did mean we had nowhere to sit of course!

 

[Aictos]

Sir Clagalot:

good to see your company is doing okay, give me a call soon,

 

[spoony]

Thats right on its way back from Heaton

Nah, becuase I also saw it pull into Sunderland and set pax down. My Metro to Gateshead was too minuted behind and the GC had parked up at Pelaw, I only stayed about 20 minutes in Gateshead (had to pick house keys up from Mrs Spoony after I left the house without mine) On my way back to South Shields It was still at Pelaw with some trackside activity going on.

 

[prd101]

does anyone know roughly when the 4th service will start? ideally if there's any possible times for the new service to/from York to London, that's be really useful. thanks