Most noteworthy station with no FC lounge?

[amcluesent]

As the board is all about FC (should there be a supplement to post ), what is the most noteworthy station (by pax, services per day etc) without an FC lounge?

I'd say PBO, given the FC commuter traffic on EC, plus the FCC and XC services to Stansted, Birmingham New Street etc.

I know PBO is earmarked for redevelopment, but in the meantime, surely ToCs could come to an arrangement with the Great Northern Hotel across the road?

 

[AlterEgo]

Waterloo. No question.

 

[WestCoast]

Stations like York and Glasgow Central (yes, really!).

Given how EC and VT make a fuss about their first class products it's not really satisfactory.

Waterloo. No question.

On passenger numbers it wins, but SWT is at its core a commuter operator and doesn't have a prime FC product.

 

[amcluesent]

Yep, Glasgow Central would be my 2nd choice. There is at least a boozer above the concourse.

 

[Any Permitted]

Bristol Temple Meads has no FC lounge.

 

[danfitz123]

Chester

 

[Mike395]

Swansea must be up there in terms of large cities with an Intercity service to London

 

[150222]

I swear york had a first lounge (managed by virgin) on platform 9 IIRC?

 

[MCR247]

Virgin no longer serve York, so no

 

[150222]

No i mean before the crosscountry take over in 2007. note i said HAD.

 

[bnm]

Bristol Temple Meads has no FC lounge.

Yep. Damn shame that FGW and Rail Gourmet decided that BRI was no longer worthy of a First Class lounge.

Apparently the only reason that Cardiff (the only FGW 1st Class lounge except Paddington) kept its 1st Class lounge was because of lobbying from South Wales politicos. Devolution eh?

 

[WestCoast]

No i mean before the crosscountry take over in 2007. note i said HAD.

I reckon "had" could be interpreted both ways, although "has" is grammatically correct if it's a current lounge.

York did have a lounge a number of years ago, but was it not a GNER operated lounge (since they operated the station)?

 

[150222]

I never used it but i am sure it had virgin logo's inside although thinking about it it could have just been a waiting room.

 

[martinsh]

Rugeley Trent Valley

 

[150222]

Rugeley Trent Valley

is that sarcasm by any chance? i thought it was unstaffed.

 

[junglejames]

Yep, Glasgow Central would be my 2nd choice. There is at least a boozer above the concourse.

Doesnt Glasgow have a 1st class lounge? Certainly used to.
Just checked. No it doesnt. When did that one get scrapped? Must have been quite recent.
How about Preston? Large station, large number of passengers. Plenty of trains, and a good proportion of them have 1st class. Including at least 1 train per hour to London.

Bristol Temple Meads and Preston get my vote. Needs to be changed!!
I also want to see Lancaster get a small one. Purely because I have a soft spot for the station and city.

 

[150222]

Preston has one last i checked.

 

[martinsh]

is that sarcasm by any chance? i thought it was unstaffed.

Sorry, I thought any mention of RTV was obviously a joke. I can't have included enough smileys in my post !:roll:

 

[MCR247]

is that sarcasm by any chance? i thought it was unstaffed.

It is sarcasm

Its a joke based on something that happened before you joined so don't worry about it

 

[junglejames]

Preston has one last i checked.

Has it? Nothing about it on Virgins website, and I would have expected it to be a Virgin operated lounge.

 

[CarterUSM]

Doesnt Glasgow have a 1st class lounge? Certainly used to.
Just checked. No it doesnt. When did that one get scrapped? Must have been quite recent.

I might be wrong, but Central hasn't had a first class lounge in at least 5 or 6 years. It used to be adjacent to platform 11, but has lain mostly empty for some time. I think it is getting demolished when the gates go in also.

 

[All Line Rover]

Preston has one last i checked.

No, Preston doesn't have - and never has had - a First Class lounge.

 

[150222]

No, Preston doesn't have - and never has had - a First Class lounge.

oh yes sorry. i was confusing it with somewhere else

 

[MidnightFlyer]

There were plans for lounges at WBQ and Preston, though nothing ever came of it.

Glasgow Central's was owned by Virgin, who closed it when they were asked to let GNER passengers in!

 

[Lampshade]

Preston has one last i checked.

It doesn't.

EDIT: Already mentioned above

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I might be wrong, but Central hasn't had a first class lounge in at least 5 or 6 years. It used to be adjacent to platform 11, but has lain mostly empty for some time. I think it is getting demolished when the gates go in also.

It wasn't in that wooden building that has cash machines on it, is it?

 

[All Line Rover]

There were plans for lounges at WBQ and Preston, though nothing ever came of it.

Glasgow Central's was owned by Virgin, who closed it when they were asked to let GNER passengers in!

There are still plans to open lounges at Warrington and Preston (as part of a larger station modernisation plan, which includes other stations), but Virgin aren't going to do it unless they keep the franchise.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

That £50m scheme? That was cut back ages ago. I'm talking from 3/4 years back!

 

[All Line Rover]

That £50m scheme? That was cut back ages ago. I'm talking from 3/4 years back!

No, no, this is an entirely seperate plan that Virgin were discussing as recently as last year. But since they are nearing the end of their current franchise, they aren't going to spend any money on it - yet! (This is one of the disadvantages of a privatized, franchised railway, in that it makes long term investment very difficult.)

 

[CarterUSM]

It wasn't in that wooden building that has cash machines on it, is it?

No, that takes you into the bowels of Central Station. I should have been more specific and said it was between platforms 11 and what is now 14.