No more Travelling Chef on FGW?

[infobleep]

If the travelling chef isn't viable, what is it that makes the pullmen viable?

 

[Sleepy]

Surprised they want to expand the Pullman - less 1st class seats again ??

 

[Be3G]

Recieved two tweets from FGW this afternoon -

'Travelling Chef isn't financially viable based on current use. We will be able to enhance the offering in the buffet. Ollie'

So it's taken them, what, ten years to realise that? The chef service seems as busy as it did when it started however many years ago, so that's a long time they've been losing money on it – or, of course, some numbers are being made up somewhere.

 

[Flamingo]

So it's taken them, what, ten years to realise that? The chef service seems as busy as it did when it started however many years ago, so that's a long time they've been losing money on it...

Yes. Next question.

 

[SickyNicky]

Travelling on the 06.42 Hereford to Paddington via the Cotswold line, on a 1st Advance (with apologies to bnm, it is possible!).

Had a lovely breakfast, as usual. The travelling chef says that she and her colleagues are trying to fight the move. Fellow passengers were surprised and quite annoyed when I told them of the plans, with at least one other saying the breakfast was one of the reasons he chose rail above road.

I have counted a good number of breakfasts being served in 1st (dunno about Std) - the host is up and down with plates regularly.

Now just arrived at Oxford, where the chef stops as the train starts to get wedged.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

How did you manage to get an Advance Purchase fare for a Cotswold line service to Paddington?

If travelling from Worcester, book an AP fare from Ashchurch.

 

[SickyNicky]

If travelling from Worcester, book an AP fare from Ashchurch.

Which would not be valid, technically, as you're starting short (I assume).

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Indeed, but the chances of anyone noticing that at Shrub Hill are very unlikely.

 

[tsr]

Which would not be valid, technically, as you're starting short (I assume).

However, I believe there is recent (ATOC?) guidance which states that so long as the passenger is using the same train and travelling for the vast majority of the journey for which they have purchased the Advance ticket, they should not be penalised for starting a little later than the origin if their circumstances dictate (my paraphrasing). Now, for deliberate booking of a longer route for a vastly cheaper fare, and then starting short, this may not apply, but I can't remember the explicit wording of the new advice. It'll be in a thread somewhere! I merely mention this, as I do agree that this sort of behaviour is not to be recommended on most occasions.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Now, for deliberate booking of a longer route for a vastly cheaper fare, and then starting short, this may not apply

Indeed the ATOC guidance explicitly excludes situations where a longer journey has been booked because it is cheaper, eg the hypothetical Ashchurch one

 

[alastair]

However, I believe there is recent (ATOC?) guidance which states that so long as the passenger is using the same train and travelling for the vast majority of the journey for which they have purchased the Advance ticket, they should not be penalised for starting a little later than the origin if their circumstances dictate (my paraphrasing). Now, for deliberate booking of a longer route for a vastly cheaper fare, and then starting short, this may not apply, but I can't remember the explicit wording of the new advice. It'll be in a thread somewhere! I merely mention this, as I do agree that this sort of behaviour is not to be recommended on most occasions.

Discussed at length on this thread:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=102694

 

[ainsworth74]

Discussed at length on this thread:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=102694

Indeed so lets focus on the Travelling Chef shall we

Nice looking breakfast there SickyNicky, though it doesn't look quite as good as the much missed at-seat dining breakfast East Coast used to serve

 

[tsr]

Discussed at length on this thread:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=102694

That's the one! Thanks!

 

[PermitToTravel]

Out of curiousity, is there any other town within the same distance of London (or other major UK city) that has a comparable rail link in terms of timing, frequency and price? Genuine question, off my own patch I don't know a lot about other lines.

Does Gatwick Airport count?

 

[SickyNicky]

Nice looking breakfast there SickyNicky, though it doesn't look quite as good as the much missed at-seat dining breakfast East Coast used to serve

No, that was the daddy breakfast. You can't get anything close to it any more - but the Great Westerner beats the Virgin and East Coast offerings hands down. Dunno about the WAG these days.

Never quite worked out why the chef puts the beans in a paper container, though, instead of just serving them on the plate with everything else.

 

[DaiGog]

I suppose if you don't like beans, they're easy to remove and they won't have "polluted" the rest of your breakfast!

 

[SickyNicky]

I suppose if you don't like beans, they're easy to remove and they won't have "polluted" the rest of your breakfast!

They were (as they usually are) at pains to ask if I wanted anything special, and may be willing to substitute items (seems to depend on who you get). Anyway, if that's "pollution", I'll just go and cash in any green credentials I may have had (few enough, anyway).

 

[DaiGog]

It will also be portion control. They're probably easier to microwave in little paper pots too, and it may even reduce washing up!

 

[Flamingo]

Does Gatwick Airport count?

I don't know. How does it compare price-wise and numbers?

 

[yorksrob]

Travelling on the 06.42 Hereford to Paddington via the Cotswold line, on a 1st Advance (with apologies to bnm, it is possible!).

Had a lovely breakfast, as usual. The travelling chef says that she and her colleagues are trying to fight the move. Fellow passengers were surprised and quite annoyed when I told them of the plans, with at least one other saying the breakfast was one of the reasons he chose rail above road.

I have counted a good number of breakfasts being served in 1st (dunno about Std) - the host is up and down with plates regularly.

Now just arrived at Oxford, where the chef stops as the train starts to get wedged.

That looks nice. Would it be available after 12:00 ?

 

[westv]

Never quite worked out why the chef puts the beans in a paper container, though, instead of just serving them on the plate with everything else.

At least there are beans. A cooked breafast without them is a sadder breakfast. Is it some sort of snobbish thing that makes some venues exclude beans?

 

[ainsworth74]

but the Great Westerner beats the Virgin and East Coast offerings hands down.

East Coast is alright (I was distinctly underwhelmed by VT) but you're quite right that the Great Westerner knocks them out of the park!

 

[PermitToTravel]

I don't know. How does it compare price-wise and numbers?

FCC trains to London Bridge are 4 per hour. A CDR is £10.50.
Southern trains to Victoria are 9 per hour. A CDR is £15.10.

Both journeys take 30 minutes, and are about 25 miles, so a little closer to London than Reading is. FCC run high density 3+2 commuter trains, whereas Southern's trains are 2+2 and slightly more comfortable inside (although not like a HST). Southern's usually have a pass through by a Railgourmet trolley.

Gatwick Airport is of course not a town :P

 

[hassaanhc]

FCC trains to London Bridge are 4 per hour. A CDR is £10.50.
Southern trains to Victoria are 9 per hour. A CDR is £15.10.

Both journeys take 30 minutes, and are about 25 miles, so a little closer to London than Reading is. FCC run high density 3+2 commuter trains, whereas Southern's trains are 2+2 and slightly more comfortable inside (although not like a HST). Southern's usually have a pass through by a Railgourmet trolley.

Gatwick Airport is of course not a town :P

The SDR for London-Reading is a whopping £42, one for Gatwick Airport is half that at most. CDR for Reading is around £17.70
There's also people living near Gatwick Airport who find it as their nearest station :P

 

[Greenback]

At least there are beans. A cooked breafast without them is a sadder breakfast. Is it some sort of snobbish thing that makes some venues exclude beans?

It could be! Llanelli is an unashamedly working class town with no pretensions of grandeur. and I am happy to confirm that beans are an essential part of every local cafe's breakfast menu, though in my favourite establishments you can basically ask for anything to be left out and replaced with a different item. Last time I went to The Willow café near the station, I had the black pudding replaced with an extra rasher of bacon

Every breakfast I saw being served or eaten had beans with it, though. And no plastic pots either!

 

[455driver]

Last time I went to The Willow café near the station, I had the black pudding replaced with an extra rasher of bacon

How dare you, one piece of black pudding is worth at least 4 rashers of boring bacon, if ever you do the FGW breakfast I would recommend you try their black pudding, it is absolutely gorgeous.

 

[Greenback]

How dare you, one piece of black pudding is worth at least 4 rashers of boring bacon, if ever you do the FGW breakfast I would recommend you try their black pudding, it is absolutely gorgeous.

Next time I don't fancy the black pudding I'll ask for five rashers of boring bacon in its place

 

[tsr]

FCC trains to London Bridge are 4 per hour. A CDR is £10.50.
Southern trains to Victoria are 9 per hour. A CDR is £15.10.

Both journeys take 30 minutes, and are about 25 miles, so a little closer to London than Reading is. FCC run high density 3+2 commuter trains, whereas Southern's trains are 2+2 and slightly more comfortable inside (although not like a HST). Southern's usually have a pass through by a Railgourmet trolley.

Gatwick Airport is of course not a town :P

Some Southern trains to Victoria will take more like 40mins - or longer at peak times or in the evenings. In addition, whilst many FCC trains are Class 319s with 3+2 seating, some of those and "their" 377s have 2+2 seating. Also, most Southern 377s have large areas of 3+2 seating, which isn't the nicest option in the world... so it's by no means as clear cut as you say!

 

[455driver]

Next time I don't fancy the black pudding I'll ask for five rashers of boring bacon in its place

tee hee hee!

 

[bb21]

IME the Great Westerner is narrowly beaten by EMT (who come out top) and the WAG Express, but all three are of a very high standard. East Coast and Virgin in comparison are rather poor. (Two tiny slices of salmon and a spoonful of scrambled eggs do not constitute breakfast however you look at it.)