Transpennine Express - Never Again

[CraigAyr]

hi folks,

I recently asked you guys about the TPE as i was booked up with them on a return trip from Glasgow to Preston,

Heres how it went -

--- Made it to glasgow central in good time, to be greeted by rather unfriendly and uninspirational TPE staff.

--- Boarded train, which seemed to be comfortable enough but nothing special.

--- Departure time came and gone, Ten mins after we had supposed to leave announcement was made by train driver in a rather blunt way - " THIS TRAIN HAS BEEN CANCELLED , COULD ALL PASSENGERS PLEASE LEAVE THE TRAIN".

--- When i questioned their staff, i found out that the train conductor hadnt showed up to work but no-one really had a clue what was happening. We were abandonned and told that there was a Virgin Pendolino we could go on an hour later but we would have to fight for seats.

--- Despite now being an hour late and missing my connection in preston, I was pleased to be on the Pendolino which was much more professional and comfortable.

---When it was time to come home again, i got to preston early and made sure i travelled back to Scotland with Virgin.

--- So Virgin - Top class once again
--- TPE - why bother?

Craig.

 

[Mintona]

Sounds like you had a bad experience to be fair, I have been using Transpennine a lot between York and Manchester over the last few weeks and haven't had a single delayed/cancelled train or unfriendly member of staff. I can understand your annoyance though.

 

[First ScotRail]

Yes in all my experiences of the Scottish TPE services, this has never happened and the service has been excellent.

 

[voyagerdude220]

Although i've only always found TPE staff to be very friendly, and helpful, if these staff members which were representing the company couldn't get the basics right- i.e. Customer Service, they IMO, shouldn't be in the job they're currently in today.

I can usually excuse mistakes/shortcomings, but not getting a very simple thing, such as Customer Service, right, in my book, is just not on.

 

[First ScotRail]

The only staff FTPE have in Glasgow are Conductors. Drivers are freightliner, catering - rail gourmet and platform duties are FSR, so the member of staff may have been FSR.

 

[Doorslammer]

The only staff FTPE have in Glasgow are Conductors. Drivers are freightliner, catering - rail gourmet and platform duties are FSR, so the member of staff may have been FSR.

Grumpy Scots for the win.

I guess every company has a fault in some way or another. But normally that would be the exception rather than rule. Give them benefit of the doubt and try again. If it happens a second time, then it probably isn't worth your time after all.

 

[CraigAyr]

The only staff FTPE have in Glasgow are Conductors. Drivers are freightliner, catering - rail gourmet and platform duties are FSR, so the member of staff may have been FSR.

They were definetly FTPE staff, Maybe they are normally nice and friendly to others, im young (17) and you know how us young u'ns get treated like cr*p

 

[Donny Dave]

Another thing, for you to have been able to board the train, that means the conducter has arrived and released the doors. No conductor = Not been able to get on the train.

 

[1D53]

Not necessarily - I've seen drivers release doors before a conductors arrival on many many occasions and occasions where units have had 30 minutes sitting time and never been closed up.

 

[Max]

The good thing about TPE is that you can get the full cost of the leg of your journey back if your train is delayed by 30 mins or more, and the full cost of the return on a delay of 1 hour or more, and it's a very simple form to fill in. Just pop into a ticket office at a TPE served station, they should be able to give you a form.

 

[devon_metro]

The good thing about TPE is that you can get the full cost of the leg of your journey back if your train is delayed by 30 mins or more, and the full cost of the return on a delay of 1 hour or more, and it's a very simple form to fill in. Just pop into a ticket office at a TPE served station, they should be able to give you a form.

Or just email them.

 

[Max]

Or just email them.

No, don't think so, as you have to include the tickets as proof of purchase!

 

[devon_metro]

No, don't think so, as you have to include the tickets as proof of purchase!

I emailed FGW, they gave me an address and also a reference number and all I had to send was the tickets. Freepost of course.

 

[adamp]

Wether its just bad luck, but every time ive travelled on TPE trains, I always get ripped off and told I cant do this or that with a valid ticket, despite me telling them there wrong. Only travelled with them 5 times...not any more.

 

[me123]

The good thing about TPE is that you can get the full cost of the leg of your journey back if your train is delayed by 30 mins or more, and the full cost of the return on a delay of 1 hour or more, and it's a very simple form to fill in. Just pop into a ticket office at a TPE served station, they should be able to give you a form.

Fantastic option for the Glaswegian traveller... I do hope for our sake that you can e-mail.

Anyhoo, it sounds like Craig (I presume that's his name) has had a bad experience that doesn't really seem common among FTPE travellers. The reviews I've heard have been mostly good, with the main issue being overcrowding on the South route. As a result, when I finally choose to go down the WCML, I would like a trip on FTPE to see what it's like (of course, the 3tpd to/from Glasgow are slightly less frequent than the Virgins).

 

[voyagerdude220]

Well on my trip with TPE yesterday, I had a very enjoyable, relaxing journey, especially on the 185's between Bolton and Manchester Picc, when I had the FC compartment to myself, both ways, although I was unhappy about being charged £9 FDR, when I had seen a FOR advertised as being £6.20 (no r/c discounts involved)

I was still happy with the service offered however, as the Customer Host brought the trolley into the carriage, after the conductor finished selling me the over-priced ticket, and kicked the other two passengers out of FC.

Standard Class was overcrowded on the way out to Cleethorpes, on the Bolton-Manchester Picc leg, which made me feel a little less annoyed at the extra I payed.

The snack boxes (breakfast and the all day varients) were quite good, but I was surprised that the return Manchester-Bolton 185 had the same snack boxes, as it was a Glasgow service, and I remember someone writing on website, that the Scotland TPE services had an enhanced/larger FC offer.
This doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[First ScotRail]

I said they have a larger snack box...for the breakfast anyway. Scottish services get a cereal box whereas others dont, they just get the croissant. The all-day box is very similar however. They may have run out of the long distance boxes for your leg (may have previously been busy) or they may (most likely) have been taken off at preston with the crew switch over for the Glasgow services.

 

[voyagerdude220]

The all-day box is very similar however.

I travelled on the 18:45 Manchester Picc to Bolton (185109- 1S85 18:27 Manchester Airport to Glasgow Central)- That's why i didn't see the improved offer.

The daytime box was exactly the same, on the Glasgow service, than the Cleethorpes ones i was on earlier in the day, yesterday.

If the TPE FC AP Singles also offered r/c discounts, they would probably become similarly priced, compared to the VT AP FC singles, and I'd quite happily travel on a 185 up the WCML, vice Voyager/Pendo, especially after the suicidal Pendo FC cutbacks, which has given me 2nd thoughts about a possible VT FC bash, which would have cost me over £100, but covered around 1,200 miles in a day. (I'll probably opt for a MML HST on hire to XC on one of the Glasgow to Penzance runs instead, via the ECML)

 

[djw1981]

Well even if you cannot email, you can collect a complaint form for the VWC ticket office at GlasgiwCentral - they stock VWC, XC, NXEC and FTPE ones, and send the tickets with the form. Given your journey ends there, I collect the form as I leave the station that day as the longer I leave it the more likely I am to forget.

IIRC the TPE 'Delay Repay' scheme is similar to those run / imposed on all 'new' franchises including NXEC, XC EMT etc.

My experiences with TPE were not that bad, but their staff didn't seem to be enjoying the job - few travelers therefore bored? - as much as VWX / NXEC / XC / FSR staff do.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

.... although I was unhappy about being charged £9 FDR, when I had seen a FOR advertised as being £6.20 (no r/c discounts involved)

Did you tell the guard or was he aware of it? write in to TPE on one of there freepost forms (or email them) and they should refund you.

 

[voyagerdude220]

I questioned the price to the guard, as soon as she asked me for £9. She even read out the list of all the fares she could sell me, to re-assure me there wasn't a £6.20 FC return at all.

I'll contact TPE, to see if i can indeed get the difference back, and if not, why not- after all, they are effectively advertising a product for a cheaper price, than they are actually selling it for in reality.

 

[alex57601]

I questioned the price to the guard, as soon as she asked me for £9. She even read out the list of all the fares she could sell me, to re-assure me there wasn't a £6.20 FC return at all.

I'll contact TPE, to see if i can indeed get the difference back, and if not, why not- after all, they are effectively advertising a product for a cheaper price, than they are actually selling it for in reality.

Did you check to see whether there were any catches to the offer (i.e. online purchase, time restrictions)?

 

[furryfeet]

what do you mean by suicidal virgin FC cutbacks ?

does this mean that FC apex tickets are not to be had on virgin trains between glasgow and preston ?

or have they just priced them do high that they are unaffordable ?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
as i write, NRES is still advertising bolton to manchester 1st class as
open single - £4.50
open return - £6.20

so go get em !

please advise of the results of your claim.
Would there be a case for informing trading standards / advertising standard authority ?

 

[voyagerdude220]

VWC have reduced the menu options on the Pendo menu quite significantly recently, especially concerning the breakfast options, with mushrooms no-longer present, and the Primo Breakfast is now exactly the same, all be it with the Kippers bonus menu option. (All additional "bonus" items have been removed- e.g. Smoothies, Pastries, and Yogurts)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

as i write, NRES is still advertising bolton to manchester 1st class as
open single - £4.50
open return - £6.20

so go get em !

please advise of the results of your claim.
Would there be a case for informing trading standards / advertising standard authority ?

I shall certainly be contacting TPE over this, but don't know if it is a case for trading standards, or not?

 

[222001]

I find TPE to be one of the best operators in the UK and everytime I use its always a good trip.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

The £6.20 FOR is a 'FTPE only' fare. As an FOR it has no time retrictions. It can be bought from any ticket office, at any time.

Does advantix have an issue with TOC specific tickets I wonder?

You may have to supply your ticket to get a refund, which will probably be a rail voucher for £3. If not, your next port of call is passenger focus (www.passengerfocus.org.uk).

 

[P156KWJ]

My experiences with FTPE have always been good. The class 185s are the only train that are great in almost every way for me built post 1997. The staff (including catering) are friendly, toilets are spacious, seats are comfy. Unlike EMT's catering staff, which when me and BRailnetwork were going up to Sheffield for the XC HST, he told us we were talking rubbish. He said "I know for a fact CrossCountry don't use HSTs, I work on the darn railways mate". Felt like telling him to go away after he has given a full refund for my very weak coffee!

 

[janb]

I questioned the price to the guard, as soon as she asked me for £9. She even read out the list of all the fares she could sell me, to re-assure me there wasn't a £6.20 FC return at all.

What she has done is put in Bolton (BON) to Manchester Central Zone (MCZ) which is the only way to get a standard class fare, so is probably what she is used to doing. That is also where the FDR £9 is for.

Putting in Bolton to Manchester Stations gives you the (TPE Only) FOR for £6.20. Its there on RJIS, and STAR so presumably can indeed be issued.

 

[voyagerdude220]

Hi Janb,

I noticed that my ticket wasn't just to Piccadilly, but was infact, the MCZ, but didn't think anything of it, as it was a ticket from Bolton, so it didn't ring any alarm bells..

Maybe this is an issue which needs addressing- The fact that the MCZ fares, and the cheaper FDR fares are only available from two seperate destinations, and not just one.

If this is the case, I don't blame the guard at all, especially seeing she was obviously trying to offer the cheapest relevant fare for the majority of passengers on her train. (i.e. those standing up in Standard Class)

Welcome to the forum Janb!

 

[Spaceflower]

They were definetly FTPE staff, Maybe they are normally nice and friendly to others, im young (17) and you know how us young u'ns get treated like cr*p

Write them a letter.