The Best & Worst TOCs

[MidnightFlyer]

What is the best & worst TOC? Based on any grounds (rolling stock/staff/service etc)

 

[ChrisTheRef]

WSMR in every category

 

[MidnightFlyer]

WSMR in every category

the best or the worst? I think you mean the best.

 

[TheExmoorBeast]

I'm probably biased, but FGW.

I must admit I came back from London today, apart from a slight delay at Reading (normal), the train was very clean and it arrived back into Taunton bang on time this morning. The driver wasn't pushing the train at all. Very nice indeed; No over the top announcements (SWT please note!), just brief, clear & concise ones about the trains calling points & catering service and on the approach to Taunton reminding us to check we had our belongings & to mind the step from the train to the platform.

I must admit FGW have had their problems in the past & they still do, but they've seriously raised their game now; Yes there's still room for improvement, but they're getting there.

 

[GNER 373]

GNER - The Trains, the coaches, the service, the station, the staff, the livery THE BEST! couldn't ever fault it personally!!!

Bring it back with a better money management team!!!

 

[TheExmoorBeast]

I haven't had the delights of what was GNER, I was probably fortunate to miss the NX fiasco.

I might try a trip to York, one day when I have some time available to see if they're as good now as they were then (GNER days that is.)

 

[LE Greys]

GNER - The Trains, the coaches, the service, the station, the staff, the livery THE BEST! couldn't ever fault it personally!!!

Bring it back with a better money management team!!!

In a sea of mediocre train operators, the only true railway company. I mourn its passing.

The current East Coast does OK, although I much prefer Grand Central (for as long as they keep the HSTs anyway). Virgin try hard enough, although their stock isn't exactly perfect. Scotrail is generally good, and they seem to try a lot harder than certain operators down south. LOROL is doing remarkably well considering their starting point.

As for the worst, well NXEC was the biggest let-down, and I'm glad they're gone. FGW has done terrible things to the reputation of a great name, but they're not so bad really. AXC is slowly turning from Intercity to regional fast train operator.

Worst of the lot, can I say DfT Rail? Maybe that'll change soon.

 

[Lampshade]

Best three: WSMR, Grand Central and Virgin

Worst three: CrossCountry, CrossCountry () and First Capital Connect

 

[Failed Unit]

Best for me. Gner. Worse central trains.

 

[GNER 373]

In a sea of mediocre train operators, the only true railway company. I mourn its passing.

The current East Coast does OK, although I much prefer Grand Central (for as long as they keep the HSTs anyway). Virgin try hard enough, although their stock isn't exactly perfect. Scotrail is generally good, and they seem to try a lot harder than certain operators down south. LOROL is doing remarkably well considering their starting point.

As for the worst, well NXEC was the biggest let-down, and I'm glad they're gone. FGW has done terrible things to the reputation of a great name, but they're not so bad really. AXC is slowly turning from Intercity to regional fast train operator.

Worst of the lot, can I say DfT Rail? Maybe that'll change soon.

Pleased your in agreement! To sum it up I have a GNER timetable from about 1997-8 and on this reads the words 'Bringing the Golden Age back to the Railway' or something very close to that effect! And they had a bloody good go at it! I think East Coast has settled the ECML mess that NXEC opened up within a two year period but oh how I miss the 'Blue Boys' thundering past!!!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

What is the best & worst TOC? Based on any grounds (rolling stock/staff/service etc)

MattE2010, you should add a vote to this and see who comes up trumps out of TOC's!

 

[NLC1072]

C2C best, London Midland worst

 

[Dai.]

I'm ready for the hate mail.

BEST - Cross Country. Friendly staff, comfy trains!


WORST - Northern, the staff were terrible, the trains were terrible and the stations are the worst.


This is my own experience

 

[Solent&Wessex]

I'm ready for the hate mail.

BEST - Cross Country. Friendly staff, comfy trains!


WORST - Northern, the staff were terrible, the trains were terrible and the stations are the worst.


This is my own experience

In my experience of travelling a fair amount -

BEST overall - Grand Central. Clean trains, friendly staff, good catering provision.

BEST franchised TOC - First Scotrail, with Southern coming in not far behind.

WORST - CrossCountry. Gross overcrowding on most services. Poor trains. Poor catering provision. Expensive fares.

Runner-up for Worst - Northern. Tatty rolling stock (yes I know it is old, but even old stock can look nice if looked after), tatty scruffy staff, absolutely appalling at managing disruption and providing information, un-cared for, run down stations.

 

[atomicdanny]

From my own experience

Best Toc - Either Chiltern or Southern
Worst Toc - Connex South Eastern / South Central (even though they are gone now, they were the worst by far!!!)

(whats even scarier, the only toc that I've travelled on that didn't have a late train was First Great Western, I think I must have caught the right trains in that case, lol)

 

[Lampshade]

Runner-up for Worst - Northern. Tatty rolling stock (yes I know it is old, but even old stock can look nice if looked after), tatty scruffy staff, absolutely appalling at managing disruption and providing information, un-cared for, run down stations.

Aha, only on the Western side though. The Eastern side has all the best stock, better station facilities, even better Pacers

 

[ainsworth74]

Aha, only on the Western side though. The Eastern side has all the best stock, better station facilities, even better Pacers

Christ it must be apocolpticaly bad over there then, because I would have said the Eastern side fitted the bill of run down stations and tatty stock perfectly!

 

[Ivo]

Wrexham & Shropshire are the best, period.

Of those I've used though, it has to be Chiltern. And yes, this post has been edited because I forgot about them! D'oh!

As for the worst, it's Arriva vs Arriva. CrossCountry are worst, ATW second.

And yes, I'm biased. But surely you couldn't disagree on XC...

Hmm. Note how the four are virtually on company now.

 

[Failed Unit]

WORST - CrossCountry. Gross overcrowding on most services. Poor trains. Poor catering provision. Expensive fares.

Your fares issue with xc is interesting on flows where they directly compete they are reasonable. Edinburgh - Birmingham you will always find ap cheaper that the off peak return. Virgin are normally very expensive. However Edinburgh to Leeds is nearly always cheaper on east coast which is a surprise as the trains are not normally full north of York. I have known the brum fare cheaper than Edinburgh. Maybe xc trying to get orcats money as I am sure if the get more out of a cheap ap than the share of the full rate that is what they will sell you. But xc is definately no more inter-city quality than emts Norwich Liverpool route

 

[90019]

Wrexham & Shropshire are the best, period.

Of those I've used though, I think it's a fight between c2c and London Midland.

How can you say they're best if you haven't actually used them?


The best for me would have to be FSR.

 

[GNERman]

Best - GC, great trains, great staff, great prices...
Worst - Ooh, I dunno, most do OK, probably XC due to overcrowding or possibly Northern but they actually do well with what they've got...

 

[Geezertronic]

From my perspective:

Best: VirginTrains - excellent onboard service
Worst: VirginTrains - terrible customer service

 

[lm321412]

From personal experience and belief's:

Best: Wrexham & Shropshire, First Great Western

Worst: London Midland, Virgin Trains

 

[Fincra5]

From Experience...
Best: Virgin and Southern
Worst: XC and FCC

 

[klewer]

Best has to be Chiltern for commuter, East Coast for Intercity.
Worst is NX East Anglia for commuter and XC for Intercity.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

MattE2010, you should add a vote to this and see who comes up trumps out of TOC's![/QUOTE]

OK - please tell me how to because from my understanding you can only make them when creating a new thread

 

[mrcheek]

From experience, Im going to rate FGW as the best. Many TOCs have had problems with stock shortages etc, but FGW are the only TOC that ever did anything to rectify the problem. Plus, they gain bonus points for having such a huge fleet of lovely HSTs, with leather seats in first class!!!!

As for worst, Im surprised NXEA have had so few mentions. The whole service is basically being run down from an importany inter-city route, into a semi-fast regional. And no freebies in first class either.

An additional question to consider: who is the best and worst OPERATOR? National Express would seem to be the worst, with the failures of NXEC and NXEA, and they ran down Wessex Trains badly (although Midland Mainline was excellent, go figure.)
First might be the best, with FGW, TPE, First ScotRail, and HT all being very good, even if FCC is something of a disaster.

 

[transportphoto]

MattE2010, you should add a vote to this and see who comes up trumps out of TOC's!

OK - please tell me how to because from my understanding you can only make them when creating a new thread

PM You in a few mins.

Sent

 

[Donny Dave]

I wouldn't say Northern are the worst TOC. Considering the stock they have, and what the DfT will let them do (nothing), I think they do a pretty damned good job.

Best former TOC - GNER.
Best current TOC - Tie between TPE and GC
Worst former TOC - NXEC. The drop in standards from GNER is huge, most notably in customer service and catering
Worst current TOC - Cross Country. Over priced and over crowded trains, plus catering is at times non existant.

 

[Crossforth]

I'm not too fond of TPE due to the overcrowding although I know they did try to lengthen their trains and the DaFT stopped them.

I have not, as of yet, had the experience with GC, I should have though by beginning of June.

GNER were very good and it is a shame they had to... depart.

Northern... well, I'm in two minds about.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

PM You in a few mins.

Sent

Thanks - best one done, worst to follow.