NXEA "At Seat Dining"

[EltonRoad]

What's NXEA's so-called at-seat dining like these days?

According to their web site an evening meal is being trialled on the 1700 from Norwich and the 1930 from London.

I've booked onto the 1700 from Norwich to London in two weeks for the princely sum of £12 First Class single so will get to sample it. Please tell me it's more than just a steward going to the buffet to get it for you.

 

[rail-britain]

I suspect you may be right, and is based on what they used to offer on their East Coast franchise
I ordered the steak sandwich which arrived about 20 minutes later
The items on this menu were only available to First Class ticket holders or Standard ticket holders that came and sat in the restaurant (no extra charge) area

Very similar to how Virgin Trains serve their breakfast
Your order is taken and then presented about 15 to 30 minutes later
However their evening meal is presented shortly after departure from London on a trolley

Presumably National Express are anxious to retain at least one franchise and so will be trying various things in order to impress the review board as to how the franchise has been improved near the end...

 

[Z12XE]

I'd like to think that NXEA have crapped all over their record enough now that no one will ever consider NX Group as a bidder for anything. Everything has been cut to the bone, is shabby and tatty, the DMU fleet is a joke.

Sad really, before the NXEC farce pulling down the rail devision, One Railway was doing very well......

 

[shinkansen1966]

I'd like to think that NXEA have crapped all over their record enough now that no one will ever consider NX Group as a bidder for anything. Everything has been cut to the bone, is shabby and tatty, the DMU fleet is a joke.

Sad really, before the NXEC farce pulling down the rail devision, One Railway was doing very well......

Agreed. From a catering point of view, NX have screwed up two rail franchises.

GB railways used to run services out of Liverpool St to Norwich. Never tried it myself, but apparently the restaurant car service was good. And then NXEA eventually took over.

And remember the days of GNER ? And then NXEA eventually took over.

Two instances were genuine benefits of rail privatisation, have been replaced by blatant penny pinches generic franchises.

 

[Mojo]

Actually, I believe it was National Express (trading as 'one') which improved and introduced the restaurant service on more trains and at one point was agreed to have been the best in the country.

 

[Z12XE]

Indeed - they won awards under One for the resturants. IIRC when they took on East Coast the former One Railway (an old Anglia guy) Catering Director moved over to show them how it was done.

 

[shinkansen1966]

Indeed - they won awards under One for the resturants. IIRC when they took on East Coast the former One Railway (an old Anglia guy) Catering Director moved over to show them how it was done.

So why did NXEA end the restaurant car on Liverpool St - Norwich route ? And why did the DfT allow this to happen ?

 

[silentone]

Indeed - they won awards under One for the resturants. IIRC when they took on East Coast the former One Railway (an old Anglia guy) Catering Director moved over to show them how it was done.

And it was the same person who directed NXEC catering to where it ended up. I think he works for Hull Trains now in a non-catering role.

 

[Z12XE]

So why did NXEA end the restaurant car on Liverpool St - Norwich route ? And why did the DfT allow this to happen ?

£££££.

Those in charge came up with a statistic to justify its removal, something like it being used only by 1% of the NXEA passengers

 

[dk1]

06.55, 06.40, 07.40, 06.10, 08.00 up & 19.30, 20.30, 18.20 down (in that order) where the busiest restaurant services. The 19.30 in-particular would have punters in seats before the crew had cleared tables from its in-bound working & they would watch the 19.00 depart just to have a meal on the following service. The 06.55 & 07.40 could well have no available seats at Ipswich. Unfortunatley the corresponding workings in the opposite direction often had a poor take up with a crew of upto 5 doing little more than a counter & trolley service.

Today you will normally always have a buffet or trolley. If staff are available you may be lucky enough to have both. No new catering staff are now being taken on until the franchise ends & those few trains that still have 1st class at-seat service in the morning now have their booked staff withdrawn to cover vacant diagrams later in the day.