Virgin Trains First Classs

[NathanPrior]

Only problem with 1st class on the Pendo's is that if you're in Coach J like I was and you want more than whats on offer on the trolley, you have to go all the way to Coach C which is effort really.

 

[Rick1984]

i'm trying to think who served me now. where you wearing a polo? i know the young lad was serving coffee and a women the tea. then it get's a bit fuzzy!

there was that many of you! i know however you where you were polite and friendly. surprised you didn't notice side burns, but when Chris Hoy is in carriage!. i admire the the professionalism when traveling legends but i suppose you get it all the time!

 

[Roverman]

There has definitely been a decline in standards, I travel regularly from Stafford to Liverpool always booking First Advance tickets a few days before (£18 one way and £9 to come back) and lately I've been lucky to get a coffee, I had to ask for it the last time I took the trip and was not offered any food, although the chap in front of me did get a fry up! Now I know I'm probably a cheapskate for buying 1st Adv but I'd be seriously miffed if I'd paid £60+ and didn't get what was offered!

I for one would like Branson to keep the franchise as long as he gets the staff motivated again!

 

[tankmc]

Last week we traveled around first class on both Virgin, CrossCountry and First Hull Trains. I Can safely say virgin was way ahead of the others. The food was good, well staffed with friendly staff and the drinks where plenty. Cross country was on the opposite terrible. No staff, dirty carriage, no food or drink till berwick (from glasgow) where we was given a sloppy sandwich and a bottle of water.

 

[Butts]

Last week we traveled around first class on both Virgin, CrossCountry and First Hull Trains. I Can safely say virgin was way ahead of the others. The food was good, well staffed with friendly staff and the drinks where plenty. Cross country was on the opposite terrible. No staff, dirty carriage, no food or drink till berwick (from glasgow) where we was given a sloppy sandwich and a bottle of water.

And First Hull ??

 

[ainsworth74]

And First Hull

Unless anything's changed there should be a CSA who will offer the complementaries in the form of tea, coffee, sandwiches, non-alcoholic drinks (I don't think alcohol is complementary) and some form hot meal (cooked in the combi microwave/oven thing). They don't do a full breakfast on the morning but have things like porridge or bacon sandwiches.

I've used it once on the weekend and it was quite nice and I've heard reasonable reports of the weekday service. It isn't quite up to the quality of East Coast (when that runs as advertised) but HT are more consistent and their product is still good.

 

[Butts]

Unless anything's changed there should be a CSA who will offer the complementaries in the form of tea, coffee, sandwiches, non-alcoholic drinks (I don't think alcohol is complementary) and some form hot meal (cooked in the combi microwave/oven thing). They don't do a full breakfast on the morning but have things like porridge or bacon sandwiches.

I've used it once on the weekend and it was quite nice and I've heard reasonable reports of the weekday service. It isn't quite up to the quality of East Coast (when that runs as advertised) but HT are more consistent and their product is still good.

I was impressed with the service - I was offered a meal ex Hull on a 30 minute journey.

 

[ainsworth74]

I was impressed with the service - I was offered a meal ex Hull on a 30 minute journey.

I was as well. I did Hull - Doncaster they served a light lunch (it was lunch time surprise surprise ) shortly after departure, drinks runs after every station (and further food offers for any new arrivals). Much better than Grand Central as well. Anyway this is a VT first class thread so perhaps we should wander back on topic

 

[Butts]

I was as well. I did Hull - Doncaster they served a light lunch (it was lunch time surprise surprise ) shortly after departure, drinks runs after every station (and further food offers for any new arrivals). Much better than Grand Central as well. Anyway this is a VT first class thread so perhaps we should wander back on topic

Indeed, whatever happened to "Pendelino Primo" theres a blast from the past

 

[ainsworth74]

Indeed, whatever happened to "Pendelino Primo" theres a blast from the past

Ahh yes, never sampled it myself but I've heard good things about it. I assume it went because it wasn't cost effective. The sample menu certainly looks quite good. Not available on every service of course but on a decent range none the less. Interestingly seeing as it was offered on one service to/from Holyhead it looks like there was a daily 390 drag during the week (in July 2006).

 

[sprinterguy]

Ahh yes, never sampled it myself but I've heard good things about it. I assume it went because it wasn't cost effective. The sample menu certainly looks quite good. Not available on every service of course but on a decent range none the less. Interestingly seeing as it was offered on one service to/from Holyhead it looks like there was a daily 390 drag during the week (in July 2006).

Yep, the Pendo drags along the North Wales coast used to be a more common ocurence, not just restricted to one return trip on a Saturday.

 

[ainsworth74]

Yep, the Pendo drags along the North Wales coast used to be a more common ocurence, not just restricted to one return trip on a Saturday.

How many out of curiosity? I notice that there is another service in the Summer '06 timetable that was down as not being a Voyager, would this likely also have been a 390 drag?

 

[sprinterguy]

How many out of curiosity? I notice that there is another service in the Summer '06 timetable that was down as not being a Voyager, would this likely also have been a 390 drag?

I have to say that I don't really remember how many there were, not really having much of an interest in the workings at the time. I just remember thinking that there was a fair mix of Voyagers and Pendolinos operating North Wales coast services, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if the "Not Voyager" service that you mention was also a Pendo drag.

 

[Butts]

Ahh yes, never sampled it myself but I've heard good things about it. I assume it went because it wasn't cost effective. The sample menu certainly looks quite good. Not available on every service of course but on a decent range none the less. Interestingly seeing as it was offered on one service to/from Holyhead it looks like there was a daily 390 drag during the week (in July 2006).

Blimey was PP six years ago .......!!!

When you say it wasn't "cost effective" - I take it that means it cost to much .....

Must have been to many freeloaders like me on cheapo Advanced Firsts

My recollection on the Breakfast Service was that the "primo" included BP - whilst the standard one at the time didn't. I remember Virgin used to do cereals at one time before the fry up - used to come around with the OJ and Toast.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Primo ended Dec 2008, and tended to be on the premier busiest services, so not many cheap First advances!

 

[Butts]

Primo ended Dec 2008, and tended to be on the premier busiest services, so not many cheap First advances!

I'm sure there was one a day from Wolverhampton - Euston in the Morning - that's probably when I sampled it

 

[All Line Rover]

I'm sure there was one a day from Wolverhampton - Euston in the Morning - that's probably when I sampled it

I believe breakfast was, as now, available on all morning services, just that 'Primo' services had more choice and larger portions.

During the final pre-VHF timetable, 'Primo' was available on the following services:

Morning:

• 05:32 HHD to EUS
• 06:33 LAN to EUS
• 06:35 MAN to EUS
• 06:45 MAN to EUS
• 07:05 MAN to EUS
• 07:07 LIV to EUS
• 07:45 BHM to EUS

Evening:

• 15:17 EUS to LIV
• 15:35 EUS to MAN
• 15:46 EUS to GLC
• 15:40 EUS to WVH
• 17:15 EUS to GLC
• 17:17 EUS to LIV
• 17:21 EUS to HHD
• 17:35 EUS to MAN
• 17:45 EUS to LAN
• 17:48 EUS to MAN
• 18:05 EUS to MAN
• 18:07 EUS to GLC
• 18:17 EUS to LIV
• 18:35 EUS to MAN

All of the above are premium business services, the equivalents of which today have First Class fares in excess of £100. Having said that, if you travelled on the EUS to GLC 'Primo' services north of Preston you would have enjoyed the fairly substantial 'supper' whilst picking up some very reasonable First Advance fares!

I'm still disappointed by the decision to scrap 'Primo' as I don't think the current First Class offering justifies the extremely expensive Anytime fares. At the very least they should have kept the decent sandwiches!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

They also had Friday Night Curry Club (every week) and Fish and Chips on the last Wednesday of every month IIRC.

 

[extendedpaul]

We travelled first class in coach J on the 17.56 from Preston to Euston recently. We went to Inverness on the East Coast £25 offer earlier in the year and wanted to sample the service on Virgin during the hot meal period. I could find very few sub £50 first advances between 5 and 7 pm and £46 from Preston to Rainham was easily the best value ticket from the north west to Kent.

Somebody on here said they thought first class would be fairly quiet on that journey (starts at Lancaster) but it was almost full and yes they ran out of hot food after Wigan. A businessman boarded at Warrington BQ and sat in an unreserved seat near us so probably had a full price ticket. No meals left. He wasn't happy with the roll offered.

The service was excellent. Packet of crisps when the order was taken. The "Lancashire Hotpot" was really a small pie, very nice but not much in it. There was then a choice of a yoghurt, a couple of biscuits with two different pieces of cheese or a banana. We had two offers of drinks and two of coffee/tea. If we had been really hungry we would have needed to buy something else to eat later.

Hard to compare as the journey on EC was so much longer but well worth the price paid.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Isn't the 1756 a Voyager? I though Coach J was on Pendolinos only...

 

[extendedpaul]

We were definitely in coach J, seats 6 and 7. I still have the reservations and tickets as a souvenir along with the East Coast ones !

 

[MidnightFlyer]

No, I believe you, it's just that I was on the 1756 Preston-Euston last week and it was a Voyager. I was under the impression that all the non-morning Lancaster-Euston services were booked Voyagers.

 

[Butts]

I believe breakfast was, as now, available on all morning services, just that 'Primo' services had more choice and larger portions.

I'm still disappointed by the decision to scrap 'Primo' as I don't think the current First Class offering justifies the extremely expensive Anytime fares. At the very least they should have kept the decent sandwiches!

Remind me of "the spin" on why Primo was removed - was it a trial like The Weekend Hot Breakfasts ?

 

[ainsworth74]

Remind me of "the spin" on why Primo was removed - was it a trial like The Weekend Hot Breakfasts ?

Seeing as it was in operation for quite a number of years it will have been the mother of all trials

 

[Butts]

Seeing as it was in operation for quite a number of years it will have been the mother of all trials

Even more suprising it was removed then, no doubt the current offer was "glammed up" as being by "customer demand"

 

[MCR247]

Remind me of "the spin" on why Primo was removed - was it a trial like The Weekend Hot Breakfasts ?

Wasn't it because of VHF and the new current FC offering that is now in place? I believe they justified it by saying it would mean a better service for overall passengers or something?

 

[All Line Rover]

Remind me of "the spin" on why Primo was removed - was it a trial like The Weekend Hot Breakfasts ?

I don't think that one was ever sustainable as the demand simply isn't there at weekends.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Is the 17:56 really that busy? I travel on it occasionally and there are usually plenty of unoccupied tables in First (unless there is disruption further north).

 

[bengolding]

The current "Evening Meal" is nothing like Primo. I have fond memories of getting the 17:21 Holyhead or 18:08 Glasgow to Rugby and having the Friday Fish & Chips or the Wednesday night Currys. Very generous portions but this was at a time when loadings in First at peak times was more significant than today.

Going back several years now, ISTR Virgin offered all day hot options at one time, e.g. jacket potatos with choice of fillings or a Winter Warmer soup with bread. Going up to Glasgow shortly on a "Light Bites Enhanced" service - any more info on that?

 

[calc7]

The 17:56 from Preston is most certainly a Pendolino. It is the 1738 LAN-EUS and hence uses Glasgow route stock.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The 17:56 from Preston is most certainly a Pendolino. It is the 1738 LAN-EUS and hence uses Glasgow route stock.

I don't think that's correct, most Lancaster terminators after the morning peak are Voyagers.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Even VT's route map says Route E (Euston-Preston-Glasgow) is either Super Voyagers or Pendolinos - AFAIK the 221s only ever get as far as Lancaster ex-London (obviously 221s work north of there ex-BHM), anything north of there is a 390.

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/assets/pdf/maps/network-map.pdf