No, easyIET would drag them behind with a piece of string
In all seriousness though, could we see Avanti branding at GWR as both are atleast partly owned by First, maybe Avanti Great Western
-
Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Petition to bring back the buffet on GWR
- Thread starter irish_rail
- Start date
- Status
In all seriousness though, could we see Avanti branding at GWR as both are atleast partly owned by First, maybe Avanti Great Western
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
Mountain Man
Member
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2019
- Messages
- 352
There isn't a practical alternative to toilets on trains, there is a practical alternative to on board catering
Try travelling on some of the multi-day sleepers in Russia without your own loo paper and you will be in trouble!
Goldfish62
Veteran Member
- Joined
- 14 Feb 2010
- Messages
- 13,219
Not if you're on a long journey and sourcing food ahead of your journey isn't practical, there isn't.
I seriously can't believe we're even having this debate. Some people have a very odd idea of customer service, or perhaps they're just not well travelled.
Mountain Man
Member
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2019
- Messages
- 352
So people can't buy food before they travel? Curious, plenty of people manage it quite easily.
As for your snide 2nd comment. Laughable.
Fast Track
Member
- Joined
- 19 May 2019
- Messages
- 63
There are all sorts of situations and perfectly good reasons why people do not have the time or the inclination to traipse around shopping for food or drink prior to catching a train.
It should be about quality of service and customer experience not about dumbing everything down!
It should be about quality of service and customer experience not about dumbing everything down!
Busaholic
Veteran Member
- Joined
- 7 Jun 2014
- Messages
- 14,671
As you say, virtually every other country with a similar profile to ours seems to offer refreshment at a price (not always extortionate, either) on their trains as a naturally civilised thing to do and don't seem to be rethinking the idea, but then most countries aren't replacing quite adequate, if a little jaded, trains with ones that are in almost every regard a backward step on what went before. Mr Grayling's contribution to 'taking back control' no doubt.
Small stations and early morning s, sunday for example
Mountain Man
Member
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2019
- Messages
- 352
Bring it from home. Not difficult.
Sometimes your away , in my case a Travelodge in Bristol.
Why are you using this example to show that trains don't need buffets? Shows one good reason for them to me and at least a couple of members seem to agree.
Isn’t this all rather circular at this point.
Comparisons to mainland European offerings is generally baseless as UK Railways, particularly in terms of financing and governance are worlds apart from our French, German and Austrian counterparts held to such high esteem by some members here. Current government over-arching policy here in the UK is that the railway industry as a whole should be fiscally self-sufficient. Hence inflation-busting fare rises and an unwillingness to compromise government investments into capacity for the sake of commercial, non-essential side shows like catering.
The DfT have locked GWR into one form of catering provision for the foreseeable future. Changes to that are likely more expensive than is justifiable in the short to medium term, and are likely to require protracted renegotiation of various contracts. GWR are unlikely to want to a) stump up the money themselves to change this, b) unlikely to want to deal with the disruption that taking x sets out of traffic for catering mods will cause, and c) unlikely to be content with the loss in revenue switching from trolleys back to buffets will entail (as @Clarence Yard suggests, all accounts point to trolleys taking considerably more than buffets). This is the new status quo, and it isn’t likely to change.
Those who remain aggrieved the petition is, I understand, still available for signing still to register your dissatisfaction with the situation. I would genuinely encourage those dissatisfied with the catering provision to formally register their distaste. While it may achieve little in the short term, longer term future policy is often more carefully crafted around large bodies of public opinion.
Comparisons to mainland European offerings is generally baseless as UK Railways, particularly in terms of financing and governance are worlds apart from our French, German and Austrian counterparts held to such high esteem by some members here. Current government over-arching policy here in the UK is that the railway industry as a whole should be fiscally self-sufficient. Hence inflation-busting fare rises and an unwillingness to compromise government investments into capacity for the sake of commercial, non-essential side shows like catering.
The DfT have locked GWR into one form of catering provision for the foreseeable future. Changes to that are likely more expensive than is justifiable in the short to medium term, and are likely to require protracted renegotiation of various contracts. GWR are unlikely to want to a) stump up the money themselves to change this, b) unlikely to want to deal with the disruption that taking x sets out of traffic for catering mods will cause, and c) unlikely to be content with the loss in revenue switching from trolleys back to buffets will entail (as @Clarence Yard suggests, all accounts point to trolleys taking considerably more than buffets). This is the new status quo, and it isn’t likely to change.
Those who remain aggrieved the petition is, I understand, still available for signing still to register your dissatisfaction with the situation. I would genuinely encourage those dissatisfied with the catering provision to formally register their distaste. While it may achieve little in the short term, longer term future policy is often more carefully crafted around large bodies of public opinion.
Ashley Hill
Established Member
If the question was posed "Would you like to walk 7 coaches to the fully stocked buffet or have a trolley come to you?" What would the answer be?
Alternatively "Would you like to wait for a trolley to come around,possibly with diminished stock and lukewarm water sometime during your 3 hour journey?" Which would you choose?
Alternatively "Would you like to wait for a trolley to come around,possibly with diminished stock and lukewarm water sometime during your 3 hour journey?" Which would you choose?
Perhaps 'would someone like to walk to the trolley if they could, and knew where it is?' would be a worthwhile one as well?
That could potentially be something that could be done for nothing, locating the trolley in a central location and announcing where it is?
Although I understand paper bags would need to be given with hot drinks were that the case. And a big supply of paper bags would be needed. Also I guess it wouldn't be ideal for the trolley operative to be basically based in a vestibule for their shift.
ashkeba
Established Member
- Joined
- 13 May 2019
- Messages
- 2,171
It would be OK. You could put shelves up the sides of the trolley parking space and sell extra stock from them. Maybe the shelves could be a buff colour and we call the parking space a buffy?
The core problems with trolleys are they fail to show up often when advertised and if they do, they have sold out of several lines and other lines are poorer quality than what buffets used to sell.
What? Why? I have never seen this requirements with drinks sold at stations and carried aboard by passengers which is a far more hazardous journey with doors and steps and drinks far hotter than lukewarm trolley trassh.
Mountain Man
Member
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2019
- Messages
- 352
Because need is a very debatable point.
Yes I can see benefits, but I think need is far from proven. It appears a nice to have, not need to have.
In my experience, that does sometimes already happen. If the train is busy and they cant get through with the trolley, the hosts announce "I'm running a static service today and you can find us between coach x and y"
Why does it need to be proven? What's wrong with it being nice to have rather than need to have?
Mountain Man
Member
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2019
- Messages
- 352
It needs to be proven as the momentum is against buffets on trains.
Momentum? Is this an episode of CSI or can I just simply order a coffee without getting forensics involved.
43096
On Moderation
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2015
- Messages
- 18,862
Given the layout of the 80x fleet, that’s probably right. If I can order food and drink in a pub from an app (which I can), then doing so on a train ought to be very possible as well. It also solves the problems of not leaving bags unattended and possibly losing your seat. Just needs someone brave enough to do it.
Ah yes, Bristol, that infamously remote place with no shops.
On Saturday evening it wasn't.
I don't think this thread is going to get much further than "Oh yes it does / oh no it doesn't" now, but "I want a buffet not a trolley because the shops aren't open first thing on a Sunday morning" is really quite strange logic.
I live in Deal, in Kent. I don't live near the shops in Deal. I often travel from Walmer station, which has no catering. Deal station has a cafe, but it is rarely open. There is a supermarket next to the station.
Are you seriously suggesting that I need to do a weekly shop if I want to go to Penzance?
Are you seriously suggesting that I need to do a weekly shop if I want to go to Penzance?
Of course not, but if you're that hungry you're more than welcome to. Seems a tad excessive though. And a little strange that you're dismissing the Sainsbury's at Paddington and the other shops there and at the other London terminus you arrive from Kent at on a train which, err, won't have catering.
It's remarkable that saying shopping and eating aren't difficult things is so controversial!
What if I had a short time to change trains? What if the shops were closed? What if I don't like the food at Sainsbury's (which I don't)? What if I vomit at the thought of Burger King? What if I don't dare go into Pret A Manger in case I die?
It doesn't help that I'm against eating in all modes of transport but that's not particularly relevant...
Your name seems apt then. Ridiculous hyperbole. What if you don't like the food on the train? What's different between a sandwich, bag of crisps or a drink bought at Sainsbury's, any other shop or, gulp, on the train?
- Status