Scotrail First Class Service?

[PaxVobiscum]

Not intending this to rival the Great Thread about East Coast 1st Class but I thought I would share this:

Today I treated myself to a Club 55 Senior Premier return GLQ to Aberdeen. Good idea except:

(1) The scheduled unit died before it reached the departure station, and the replacement which arrived just in time had no 1st class accommodation (or reservations). The trolley lady did try to make up with several offers of free coffee and nibbles during the 2 3/4 hour journey, and the guard happily endorsed my ticket and advised me to ask for a refund at the Travel Centre.

(2) On the return journey, there were no reservations put out in 1st Class (is this usual? There is a compulsory reservation on this ticket type). No sign of the trolley at our end until Broughty Ferry (over an hour - it's only three light to moderately loaded coaches after all) and one token cup of coffee and a flapjack had to do us all the way to Glasgow.

OK, you get curtains, antimacassar and a nice wee light on your table and there is a token seat adjustment, but is the Scotrail First Class experience ever any better than this? (OK, no neds in 1st class either, this time anyway).

Oh and the Travel Centre couldn't help with a refund as the ticket was bought online. :roll:

 

[Butts]

Not intending this to rival the Great Thread about East Coast 1st Class but I thought I would share this:

Today I treated myself to a Club 55 Senior Premier return GLQ to Aberdeen. Good idea except:

(1) The scheduled unit died before it reached the departure station, and the replacement which arrived just in time had no 1st class accommodation (or reservations). The trolley lady did try to make up with several offers of free coffee and nibbles during the 2 3/4 hour journey, and the guard happily endorsed my ticket and advised me to ask for a refund at the Travel Centre.

(2) On the return journey, there were no reservations put out in 1st Class (is this usual? There is a compulsory reservation on this ticket type). No sign of the trolley at our end until Broughty Ferry (over an hour - it's only three light to moderately loaded coaches after all) and one token cup of coffee and a flapjack had to do us all the way to Glasgow.

OK, you get curtains, antimacassar and a nice wee light on your table and there is a token seat adjustment, but is the Scotrail First Class experience ever any better than this? (OK, no neds in 1st class either, this time anyway).

Oh and the Travel Centre couldn't help with a refund as the ticket was bought online. :roll:

It's not that brilliant to be honest - if it's six car "double up" I look to see which end the trolley is loaded and sit in close proximity.(especially if I'm on a short hop)

If I was going to Aberdeen or Inverness East Coast is far better and often cheaper !!

Sometimes you get a Free Scotsman or Evening Paper on Scotrail 1st Class

 

[cf111]

I'm a member of their Advance loyalty club so if I'm travelling on weekends I can sit in first with a standard ticket (and use the lounges when I want )

It's OK on a 170 with the separate compartment but on 158s a total waste of time.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Yes, the Advance loyalty club is a good wheeze. I've been using the weekend upgrades for a while but never actually paid to go 1st class on ScotRail before.

 

[breadfan]

I was once heading from Edinburgh to Glasgow. When I joined the train, the lad with the catering trolley was in the section between first and standard class. I turned towards first and was informed it was the first class section. I thanked the lad and sat down. Shortly after a chap in a suit and tie boarded and came into the first class section too. The trolley lad didn't say anything to him.

When the guard came to inspect tickets I could see the trolley lad almost bursting with anticipation at me being evicted from first. Then when he had to offer me complimentary refreshments, I had to resist the urge to ask him if there is a dress restriction on first class travel. Instead, I just asked for a bottle of water, then the suited chap proceeded to fill his boots with as much free stuff as possible.

 

[michael769]

To be honest I'm not convinced that Scotrail's 1st class offering is worth paying extra for.

The single seats on the 170 are nice on the Advance where you get it for free though.

 

[headshot119]

I traveled a few times in first class on Scotrail last week, not once where any reservations put on the seats.

As for whether it's worth paying for, all of the advance tickets we used to travel on where only two or three pound more than the standard ones.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Not all that different to TPE's offerings then really....

 

[breadfan]

Not all that different to TPE's offerings then really....

I think TPE have improved recently. Mid November I travelled from Preston to Edinburgh (on a Tuesday) and as well as the usual cake, drinks, biscuits etc, the chap was trying to forced pre-packed sandwiches onto people.
Coming back from Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago (on a Sunday) we were given a snack box which was more substantial than Virgin's weekend offering.

Going from Liverpool to York with them tomorrow, we'll see.

 

[aylesbury]

Is there a first class lounge atGlasgow Central?

 

[tsr]

Coming back from Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago (on a Sunday) we were given a snack box which was more substantial than Virgin's weekend offering.

So, in other words, it actually had a snack in it.

 

[breadfan]

So, in other words, it actually had a snack in it.

It wasn't too bad, especially when we weren't expecting anything. We were offered a second one later in the journey. My friends kept theirs for their kids' school snacks the next day.

 

[Anon Mouse]

You will get a refund back for the portion of which no first class was provided/used, that is your right through the Conditions of Carriage etc etc.

As for the lack of freebies etc, freebies are additional benifits and not a guaranteed service. Some operators, London Midland for example have no catering provision at all and IIRC you got no freebies when it was BR (at least not on secondary routes). At one time it was expected that a first class ticket was just a ticket for the 1st class section, now its expected (often by people with cheapy knock down advances) that you get loads of free stuff. I would look at 'free stuff' as a nice extra and not the be all and end all of purchasing a 1st class ticket!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Not intending this to rival the Great Thread about East Coast 1st Class but I thought I would share this:

please do, it will be interesting if this thread can stay on track and last for as long!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Is there a first class lounge atGlasgow Central?

Nope, I believe there used to be, however it closed under Virgin's management as they didn't want to accept SR Sleeper passengers in there when they were asked to.

 

[blackhill]

1st class in Scotrail is a joke, Glasgow to Aberdeen same size seats as 2nd not every seat has a table only two bays of 4 at each train end. Catering poor a hit or miss and little advance discounted tickets.

It is not a product worth paying the extra for.

Its not Scotrail's fault it is the rolling stock they inherited perhaps when life expired or moved better units will be got, remeber the railway union meeting at Inverness last year delagtes were advised to travel by HST.

 

[Butts]

1st class in Scotrail is a joke, Glasgow to Aberdeen same size seats as 2nd not every seat has a table only two bays of 4 at each train end. Catering poor a hit or miss and little advance discounted tickets.

It is not as product worth paying the extra for.

Its not Scotrail's fault it is the rolling stock they inherited perhaps when life expired or moved better units will be got, remeber the railway union meeting at Inverness last year delagtes were advised to travel by HST.

With regard to the seating it depends on the unit - they have some I assume which are older that have pretty large seats but they are few and far between. Conversely they have the "1st Class" which is not even properly seperated from the Standard Class - ie no dividing door

If I have an EC or VT and connections ticket from Falkirk I try and utilise Scotrails 1st Class Section, but as mentioned Scotrail themselves have very few if any Advanced 1st Tickets.

 

[cf111]

The new seats in the refurbished Turbostars are terrible, I agree. The FC ones in the non-refurbished units are quite comfy.

As an aside, does anyone know what units run the majority of the INV-ABD services these days? Is it still the Inverness based 158s or have the 170s taken most of them?

 

[scotraildriver]

The seats were not changed in the refurbishment. The first batch 170401-424 have nicer seats than the later builds but the seat manufacturer went bust. The refurbishment was just a re trim. The ex Hull trains had lovely 1st class seats but they are all gone. There are no Turbostars without dividing doors but the 158's have no doors. Turbostars have 9 1st class each end.

 

[blackhill]

Yes scotrail driver i remember the ex Hull trains 170s large comfortable seats circa 2007/8 2+ 1 formation if i remember dismayed when removed , do Scotrail value 1st class and try to attract custom?

 

[scotraildriver]

1st class seems quite busy between Glasgow and Edinburgh at peak but off peak a 1st return is £36.50 and a cheap day standard is £12 so little wonder no one uses it during the day. Also its odd how Scotrail added first class to 170450-457 then removed it from the Hull trains sets. It is also poor that there is only 1 catering trolley on a 6 car 170 so if you happen to sit in the wrong set you won't get your free refreshments which makes 1st class very poor value indeed.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

In correspondence from Scotrail customer services I notice that they consistently use the term 'business class' rather than '1st class'. I wonder if that's of any significance.

Full marks so far for their response BTW.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I travelled between Edinburgh and Glasgow in FSR First class yesterday, returning in the evening rushhour.
The main reason, and my purpose, was to maximise the prospects of a comfortable seat and a decent amount of table space.
In the event, I achieved both - being the only passenger in the compartment during the evening rush hour.

Slightly off-topic, but my onward journey home from Waverley to Newcastle was also in first, for much the same reason, and was extremely effective - not only was it busy because it was the last train southbound on a Friday evening but it was also carrying all the passengers from the previous southbound (a cancelled Cross County service), and all its passengers were uncomfortably crammed into standard. Meanwhile I enjoyed a table for 4 to myself (plus the hot meal, wine etc).

1st class seems quite busy between Glasgow and Edinburgh at peak but off peak a 1st return is £36.50 and a cheap day standard is £12 so little wonder no one uses it during the day.

.....very poor value indeeed.

As I was travelling on Advances, I don't think I paid more than about an additional £4 for First class, and these would have been Advances bought only last week, for the full journey Newcastle - Glasgow (but lets not get into tickets for travel beyond Scotland on this thread)

 

[jeemac]

The new seats in the refurbished Turbostars are terrible, I agree. The FC ones in the non-refurbished units are quite comfy.

As an aside, does anyone know what units run the majority of the INV-ABD services these days? Is it still the Inverness based 158s or have the 170s taken most of them?

It's a mixture of both, although over the past couple of months, it's been more often a Turbostar that's turned up.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

1st class in Scotrail is a joke, Glasgow to Aberdeen same size seats as 2nd not every seat has a table only two bays of 4 at each train end. Catering poor a hit or miss and little advance discounted tickets.

It is not a product worth paying the extra for.

Its not Scotrail's fault it is the rolling stock they inherited perhaps when life expired or moved better units will be got, remeber the railway union meeting at Inverness last year delagtes were advised to travel by HST.

Couldn't agree more - I travel standard class a lot and wouldn't shell out the extra. North of Inverness the services are not classified, so you can sit in 'Business Class' anyway and get access to a power socket to charge your phone anyway! (And sometimes get a free paper )
EC 1st class is a different story - much more space and comfortable, and they often do good advance online and loyalty club offers.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Well, my compensation arrived today, following after three emails from two different departments and two letters from customer service. I would have been quite happy for them to save the postage and add it on to the cheque.