XC Catering

[theblackwatch]

Not sure what it's called, or what Bubbles is? But there is definitely a chippy right opposite Derby Station. Not bad chips either.

Looking at Street View dated May 2016, it would appear the Station Fish Bar has reopened (it was closed a year or two back), although it now also seems to be a burgers and kebab place too. 'Bubbles' can be seen to the left!

 

[ag51ruk]

Not sure what it's called, or what Bubbles is? But there is definitely a chippy right opposite Derby Station. Not bad chips either.

Bubbles offers an entirely different kind of service for the weary traveller... (Allegedly)

 

[BanburyBlue]

Bubbles offers an entirely different kind of service for the weary traveller... (Allegedly)

I obviously need to get out more!!

 

[dk1]

The Voyagers at least still have the remains of Virgin's "radio" service - simply rip out the wiring, replace with narrow-gauge tubing and a bit of electronic wizardry at the seats... passenger plugs in their straw, taps a contactless card and gets their choice of tea/coffee/beer/soup squirted straight into their mouth. Metered so you pay for what you drink.

(Patent pending).

That just made me laugh. Have you seen the A-boards in Wetherspoons advertising online ordering? What a dreadful idea & it doesn't work very well. You can order anything, enter table number & it will arrive with you shortly. A lady I sat in there with recently tried it (much to my annoyance) with no success at all thank goodness. On speaking to a member of staff (who I did know) she replied to the complaint it didn't work with a roll of the eyes & said " don't bother, its rubbish. How about you get off bum, walk twelve places to the bar, place order & if you are feeling exceptionally lazy then I will bring the drinks to your table as well as your food"

 

[yorksrob]

Looking at Street View dated May 2016, it would appear the Station Fish Bar has reopened (it was closed a year or two back), although it now also seems to be a burgers and kebab place too. 'Bubbles' can be seen to the left!

Yeah, I had some chips there a couple of weeks ago. They were very nice

 

[kkong]

Personally I find the catering service on crosscountry very poor these days. Often there is no trolley service at all, especially after about 6pm.

Welcome to XC services in Scotland.

No catering at all after Edinburgh (i.e. to/from Aberdeen or Glasgow).

First class fares are ridiculously high for what they are (not) offering, considering the competition is VTEC's first class offer.

 

[ScotTrains]

XC catering is an absolute joke in Scotland. There is no trolley service whatsoever. The 0820 from Aberdeen to Edinburgh takes over 2.5hrs. An intercity train at this time on this journey should at least have a trolley service! It's appalling it doesn't. I don't care if it is due to 'operational' reasons. All other operators have at least a trolley service leaving Aberdeen. In fact the service before the 0820, the 0752 VTEC, includes a full cooked breakfast for 1st class. The Glasgow XC trains are just as bad. Long distance trains should have catering. Why this isn't a franchise commitment I don't know. I try to avoid XC in Scotland for this reason.

 

[Jonfun]

I don't care if it is due to 'operational' reasons. All other operators have at least a trolley service leaving Aberdeen.

On train catering is rarely hampered by "operational reasons". It's a commercial decision whether or not a train company provides it (I seem to recall TPE, I think it was, never used to provide catering on a Sunday, for example) so one would assume if it isn't being provided, it's because it didn't bring in enough money.

 

[Robertj21a]

XC catering is an absolute joke in Scotland. There is no trolley service whatsoever. The 0820 from Aberdeen to Edinburgh takes over 2.5hrs. An intercity train at this time on this journey should at least have a trolley service! It's appalling it doesn't. I don't care if it is due to 'operational' reasons. All other operators have at least a trolley service leaving Aberdeen. In fact the service before the 0820, the 0752 VTEC, includes a full cooked breakfast for 1st class. The Glasgow XC trains are just as bad. Long distance trains should have catering. Why this isn't a franchise commitment I don't know. I try to avoid XC in Scotland for this reason.

I guess there's too little demand. No doubt most people have had breakfast before they get on the train (and brought a coffee on board with them too), in which case a 2.5 hour trip without a trolley seems fairly reasonable.

 

[AlterEgo]

XC catering is an absolute joke in Scotland. There is no trolley service whatsoever. The 0820 from Aberdeen to Edinburgh takes over 2.5hrs. An intercity train at this time on this journey should at least have a trolley service! It's appalling it doesn't. I don't care if it is due to 'operational' reasons. All other operators have at least a trolley service leaving Aberdeen. In fact the service before the 0820, the 0752 VTEC, includes a full cooked breakfast for 1st class. The Glasgow XC trains are just as bad. Long distance trains should have catering. Why this isn't a franchise commitment I don't know. I try to avoid XC in Scotland for this reason.

It's not a franchise commitment because it's not feasible to base a single member of staff at their own traincrew base in Aberdeen (you wouldn't have two, to work one train!), and it's not feasible to taxi someone between Edinburgh and Aberdeen just so they can sell a few coffees.

 

[dk1]

XC catering is an absolute joke in Scotland. There is no trolley service whatsoever. The 0820 from Aberdeen to Edinburgh takes over 2.5hrs. An intercity train at this time on this journey should at least have a trolley service! It's appalling it doesn't. I don't care if it is due to 'operational' reasons. All other operators have at least a trolley service leaving Aberdeen. In fact the service before the 0820, the 0752 VTEC, includes a full cooked breakfast for 1st class. The Glasgow XC trains are just as bad. Long distance trains should have catering. Why this isn't a franchise commitment I don't know. I try to avoid XC in Scotland for this reason.

Cornwall suffers also when it needn't. Both the 08:28 Glasgow & 09:35 Manchester departures from Penzance have no catering until Plymouth yet there is a XC arrival into Penzance from Plymouth at 08:16. I used the 09:35 between St.Ives & Bristol and the TM announced there was no catering through Cornwall as she had had so many requests. The train was very well loaded throughout & when the trolley finally boarded it was Tiverton before it reached coach B as so popular.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Cornwall suffers also when it needn't. Both the 08:28 Glasgow & 09:35 Manchester departures from Penzance have no catering until Plymouth yet there is a XC arrival into Penzance from Plymouth at 08:16. I used the 09:35 between St.Ives & Bristol and the TM announced there was no catering through Cornwall as she had had so many requests. The train was very well loaded throughout & when the trolley finally boarded it was Tiverton before it reached coach B as so popular.

This is what I can't understand, no catering west of Plymouth to Penzance, but the Summer Saturday dated holiday trains to Newquay do have an onboard service available.

 

[yorksrob]

I tried to have their evening meal on a "bistro" service a while ago, but was bowled out by a voyager

Not sure if they offer that service anymore.

 

[Ash Bridge]

I tried to have their evening meal on a "bistro" service a while ago, but was bowled out by a voyager

Not sure if they offer that service anymore.

Just wondering that if XC operated a larger fleet of hst sized trains they would be keener to reintroduce this service more or less across the board on the long distance services, perhaps at the moment they don't consider it worthwhile to operate on just the current handfull of such trains? Personally I'd love to see this become available if possible.

 

[Tetchytyke]

This is what I can't understand, no catering west of Plymouth to Penzance, but the Summer Saturday dated holiday trains to Newquay do have an onboard service available.

The extremities of the routes all have the same issue- getting the crew to the train, or getting the crew home again after the train. The Newquay train doesn't have that issue because it turns around and heads back north again, so the same crew member can work both ways.

You could make the same argument about Edinburgh-Glasgow but, let's face it, you wouldn't catch the XC service if you're at Waverley because it takes much longer than the ScotRail express (with catering) to Queen Street. And if you're already on the train you'd have had catering before Edinburgh.

 

[tankmc]

Welcome to XC services in Scotland.

No catering at all after Edinburgh (i.e. to/from Aberdeen or Glasgow).

First class fares are ridiculously high for what they are (not) offering, considering the competition is VTEC's first class offer.

Have to agree. I went from Virgin WC fist to XC and was shocked how poor it was. The slop we was given resembled a iceland ready meal that i wouldnt even touch. Not worth the extra cost.

I can never see why companies don't like providing catering? I regularly get the Cambridge to London train and always think it's ideal for a trolley service in peak. Even just selling drinks and in a morning pastries and possibly papers? Many times i have been on the train from Kings Lynn waiting at cambridge wondering if i can risk running across to get a coffee from the platform before it leaves.

 

[ainsworth74]

Not sure if they offer that service anymore.

The pre-booked meals are still going but I'm not sure if the Bistro on HSTs where you can just turn up is still available.

 

[theblackwatch]

XC catering is an absolute joke in Scotland. There is no trolley service whatsoever. The 0820 from Aberdeen to Edinburgh takes over 2.5hrs. An intercity train at this time on this journey should at least have a trolley service! It's appalling it doesn't. I don't care if it is due to 'operational' reasons. All other operators have at least a trolley service leaving Aberdeen. In fact the service before the 0820, the 0752 VTEC, includes a full cooked breakfast for 1st class. The Glasgow XC trains are just as bad. Long distance trains should have catering. Why this isn't a franchise commitment I don't know. I try to avoid XC in Scotland for this reason.

One could argue that if people know there is no catering, why it is so difficult to plan ahead and obtain supplies ahead of the journey? Compared to 30 years ago, when there was probably just a station buffet and maxpax vending machine, there is plenty of choice at most stations (albeit at £££ - like on the train). I'm sure most people don't have a similar problem at Christmas at home and run out of stuff at home then find the supermarket is shut for two days.

 

[ScotTrains]

I heard the reason XC don't have catering is due to the staff being based in Edinburgh, ie an operational reason. As a passenger it seems strange that the long distance train from Aberdeen doesn't have catering yet local Scotrail trains all do. People expect catering to be provided these days, especially on the long distance trains. As for demand, the XC trains are often very busy. I've often seen them standing room only leaving Glasgow. There would certainly be a high demand for catering. People travelling to Edinburgh from Glasgow often use the XC service due to the ability to reserve seats and being slightly cheaper than Scotrail. Plus It only takes about 10 mins more.

Yes, people will probably have breakfast before they board the 0820 from Aberdeen, but an hour or two after leaving their house they may want something else to eat or drink. The VTEC services either side of this departure have hot food onboard. Scotrail currently have a trolley but will be getting buffet coaches with the HST's. In terms of catering, XC really do lag behind their competitors in Scotland.

 

[misterredmist]

I think the short sets operating the service also prevent a decent commitment to on board catering on the XC network.

 

[Robertj21a]

I heard the reason XC don't have catering is due to the staff being based in Edinburgh, ie an operational reason. As a passenger it seems strange that the long distance train from Aberdeen doesn't have catering yet local Scotrail trains all do. People expect catering to be provided these days, especially on the long distance trains. As for demand, the XC trains are often very busy. I've often seen them standing room only leaving Glasgow. There would certainly be a high demand for catering. People travelling to Edinburgh from Glasgow often use the XC service due to the ability to reserve seats and being slightly cheaper than Scotrail. Plus It only takes about 10 mins more.

Yes, people will probably have breakfast before they board the 0820 from Aberdeen, but an hour or two after leaving their house they may want something else to eat or drink. The VTEC services either side of this departure have hot food onboard. Scotrail currently have a trolley but will be getting buffet coaches with the HST's. In terms of catering, XC really do lag behind their competitors in Scotland.

I'm sure XC would provide catering if there was evidence of a real demand. At that time of day I suspect that most people just want a coffee, easily obtained beforehand.

 

[Chrism20]

The Aberdeen service leaves craigentinny at 0426 and runs empty to Dundee stopping at Waverley for about twenty minutes so there is time for a catering crew member to board.

It then runs to Aberdeen in service from Dundee. I can't see there being much demand between Dundee and Aberdeen but the southbound would be busy although I'm guessing that XC have looked at it and thought over the run up and down its not worth it.

I don't see the point in the Edinburgh to Glasgow section having catering personally as its only an hour but everyone is different I suppose.

 

[ScotTrains]

I'm sure XC would provide catering if there was evidence of a real demand. At that time of day I suspect that most people just want a coffee, easily obtained beforehand.

Why then does VTEC and Virgin offer hot breakfast options if most people only want a coffee?
The reason XC don't have catering from Aberdeen is because they would have to base staff and supplies in Aberdeen. This is impractical as they only have a few services to/from Aberdeen.
On a full voyager at this time of day do you not think there would be demand for a trolley?
Scotrail, operating smaller 3 car trains, all have catering. They are also improving their facilities and offering catering on later services due to high demand. From what I've seen, catering on Scotrail and VTEC is well used. In fact Scotrail actually reduced the size of their cups as they were often running out of water due to the high demand for catering.

 

[AlterEgo]

Why then does VTEC and Virgin offer hot breakfast options if most people only want a coffee?
The reason XC don't have catering from Aberdeen is because they would have to base staff and supplies in Aberdeen. This is impractical as they only have a few services to/from Aberdeen.
On a full voyager at this time of day do you not think there would be demand for a trolley?
Scotrail, operating smaller 3 car trains, all have catering. They are also improving their facilities and offering catering on later services due to high demand. From what I've seen, catering on Scotrail and VTEC is well used. In fact Scotrail actually reduced the size of their cups as they were often running out of water due to the high demand for catering.

Let's reverse the question.

Why don't XC provide catering if it's so obviously in their interests (as some assert) to do so?

 

[Jonfun]

The reason XC don't have catering from Aberdeen is because they would have to base staff and supplies in Aberdeen. This is impractical as they only have a few services to/from Aberdeen.

As explained in an earlier post this is incorrect. The unit comes from Edinburgh, the Driver comes from Edinburgh, the Train Manager comes from Edinburgh - therefore if the service was to have catering on board, that would come from Edinburgh too. There isn't an XC depot for staff of any grade in Aberdeen.

 

[ScotTrains]

As explained in an earlier post this is incorrect. The unit comes from Edinburgh, the Driver comes from Edinburgh, the Train Manager comes from Edinburgh - therefore if the service was to have catering on board, that would come from Edinburgh too. There isn't an XC depot for staff of any grade in Aberdeen.

I know that. The point I make is that you either have to start having staff based in Aberdeen, or have catering staff come up from Edinburgh on an ECS working. Either option isn't ideal. I believe this is the main reason XC don't have catering from Aberdeen, even if there is demand.

 

[Jonfun]

Well, yes, but if you're suggesting the reason XC aren't providing catering is because they don't want to pay an RSM to sit playing on their phone drinking coffee for a couple of hours en route to Dundee on the empties then that isn't an operational reason, it's a commercial one.

 

[GarethJohn]

You never know if the Train will have any, If the trains too a little too busy the trolley won't move, if the trains quiet the trolley won't bother, Hot Drinks are cold and Cold drinks are warm, It's too expensive for products that are of poor quality. On train catering to many is used as a very last resort and often never again once experienced. Railway catering still suffers from the legacy of BR and rivals Hospital food for reputation.
Even the Train Station caterers tend to be of a poorer standard than elsewhere. It's no wonder Withering-spoons set up on or next to Railway Stations as it's possibly the only area they can look ''good''.

 

[mark-h]

I don't see the point in the Edinburgh to Glasgow section having catering personally as its only an hour but everyone is different I suppose.

Two of the XC Edinburgh to Glasgow weekday services have catering (and the associated return journey).

They don't need to sell that much to cover a few hours payroll.

 

[route101]

Two of the XC Edinburgh to Glasgow weekday services have catering (and the associated return journey).

They don't need to sell that much to cover a few hours payroll.

Interesting , do you know what services these are ?
Im pretty sure VTEC offer catering between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Heck i was on the 2000 from Edinburgh to Queen st on a Sat and there was no catering or first class service