(28 Nov 2013, 7:47 pm)citaro5284 wrote Nothing to do with a power issue.......they have 'ran out'....food will be available from Edinburgh......no good when you have been sitting here since 1830

Will you be entitled to some sort of 'compensation'?

(28 Nov 2013, 7:47 pm)citaro5284 wrote Nothing to do with a power issue.......they have 'ran out'....food will be available from Edinburgh......no good when you have been sitting here since 1830

Are you going cross country or east coast?

I was on a cross country from Durham to Newcastle back end of last week, and the trolley guy had a public rant over the PA system about being on his own and not getting any support. Brilliant it was.

(28 Nov 2013, 7:47 pm)citaro5284 wrote Nothing to do with a power issue.......they have 'ran out'....food will be available from Edinburgh......no good when you have been sitting here since 1830

Guessing you are coming from further North, so it looks like the suppliers/contractors have ballsed up somewhere along the line!

Heading North once, the jacket potato with something nice was replaced with a jacket potato with beans after a balls up.

(28 Nov 2013, 7:51 pm)aureolin wrote Are you going cross country or east coast?

I was on a cross country from Durham to Newcastle back end of last week, and the trolley guy had a public rant over the PA system about being on his own and not getting any support. Brilliant it was.

East Coast...plenty of staff when we started the journey, but lacking for the past 45 mins.....I wonder why, nobody has had their tickets checked in over an hour and we have stopped 3 times

(28 Nov 2013, 7:49 pm)Dan wrote Will you be entitled to some sort of 'compensation'?

Good job the wifi is on.......complaint already gone in, but complained to them about a month ago.....still waiting for a reply (not just GNE eh)

I read on here about GNE's pricing sometimes defies logic, but East Coast is on par.

Just looking on their website for a journey Newcastle to Kings Cross in mid January, the cheapest Standard single on 0556 train is £131.30, yet First Class it is only £118.60, and on the 0525 the same day it is £98.50 Standard and £96.05 First

(11 Dec 2013, 12:33 pm)BusFanPrudhoe wrote I have to say after travel on both East Coast and Cross Country services, Cross Country wins hands down. I cannot find anything to complain about on Cross Country, yet I could spend ages ranting about East Coast.

Seriously? You prefer your trains to smell like a public toilet?

Please excuse my ignorance here, but I thought GNER folded....

Good news for passengers though

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-25340545

(12 Dec 2013, 8:21 pm)Adam wrote Please excuse my ignorance here, but I thought GNER folded....

Good news for passengers though

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-25340545

Who needs HS2?

(12 Dec 2013, 8:21 pm)Adam wrote Please excuse my ignorance here, but I thought GNER folded....

Good news for passengers though

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-25340545

Unfortunately it won't come about - the company behind this has had big ideas in the past with its old GNER proposals along with its GNWR ones which failed to make it passed the ORR.

(12 Dec 2013, 8:36 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Unfortunately it won't come about - the company behind this has had big ideas in the past with its old GNER proposals along with its GNWR ones which failed to make it passed the ORR.

Are you working for ORR now like?
Just with you being so certain it won't come off, you obviously know something we don't....

(13 Dec 2013, 9:15 am)BusFanPrudhoe wrote Never used Cross Country toilets. East Coast ones are cramped and smelly.

Cross Country carriages are cramped and smelly - the toilets are spacious and smelly.

(13 Dec 2013, 9:15 am)BusFanPrudhoe wrote Never used Cross Country toilets. East Coast ones are cramped and smelly.

My point was around the Voyagers themselves smelling like a public toilet

Just found these interesting comments relating to the Voyagers on CrossCountry.
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1022120

Holding my hands up, when they were new to Virgin and I was using the Voyagers to travel between Durham and Newcastle, I was impressed.

However, as time has gone by and my journeys have gone from minutes at a time to hours at a time, I have grown to despise the Voyagers for a number of reasons - including the smell.

Saying that, suppose each train type has it's positives and negatives.
It is just that some have more negatives than positives.

The short listed Bidders for East Coast was announced today.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/short...l-services

(17 Jan 2014, 6:02 pm)citaro5284 wrote The short listed Bidders for East Coast was announced today.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/short...l-services

I'd be very surprised if the joint Stagecoach/Virgin bid didn't win the franchise. Although I still think it's a mistake putting it back into private hands.

(17 Jan 2014, 6:19 pm)aureolin wrote I'd be very surprised if the joint Stagecoach/Virgin bid didn't win the franchise. Although I still think it's a mistake putting it back into private hands.

Compensation for the WCML farce?

Hopefully there will be another farce and major balls up in the Dft and the current service gets a reprieve.
May have to use up my rewards points in the mean time

http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/key-iss...nger-power

Passenger Focus are promoting a survey which aims to attract views from EC passengers and influence bidding organisations.

Only a few days left before the survey closes.

(24 Jan 2014, 10:48 am)andreos1 wrote http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/key-iss...nger-power

Passenger Focus are promoting a survey which aims to attract views from EC passengers and influence bidding organisations.

Only a few days left before the survey closes.

Don't get me started On a serious note though, I've just completed the survey. My main gripes are; a) fares, b) advance tickets, c) Lack of free Wi-Fi, d) shocking catering facilities.

(24 Jan 2014, 10:48 am)andreos1 wrote http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/key-iss...nger-power

Passenger Focus are promoting a survey which aims to attract views from EC passengers and influence bidding organisations.

Only a few days left before the survey closes.

Whilst I know Nat Express was not perfect, neither is EC by any stretch, nationalisation is not the be all and end all like some people would like to make us think.

(24 Jan 2014, 6:44 pm)aureolin wrote Don't get me started On a serious note though, I've just completed the survey. My main gripes are; a) fares, b) advance tickets, c) Lack of free Wi-Fi, d) shocking catering facilities.

The wifi was a gripe of mine too.
It is that slow in standard, the 15mins are usually up by the time it has logged on.
Complained about the lack of southbound services into/out of Durham beyond 20:00 too.

(24 Jan 2014, 9:12 pm)citaro5284 wrote Whilst I know Nat Express was not perfect, neither is EC by any stretch, nationalisation is not the be all and end all like some people would like to make us think.

I wasn't going to get into the privatisation/nationalisation debate and deliberately left it out of my initial post.

What I will say, is out of the three operators since privatisation, East Coast stands above the others for a number of reasons and not just because of the obvious - despite their call centre/customer services ballsing up yet again this afternoon.

Went to York today for a uni open day. Got the 07:56 HST service from Newcastle. Pulled in early and left about 5 mins late because the windscreen wiper on 43317 decided to break. The driver decided to change ends so we went over the High Level, effectively meaning it was in reverse. Was quite funny seeing many confused people when we got into York.

(19 Feb 2014, 7:47 pm)Adam wrote Went to York today for a uni open day. Got the 07:56 HST service from Newcastle. Pulled in early and left about 5 mins late because the windscreen wiper on 43317 decided to break. The driver decided to change ends so we went over the High Level, effectively meaning it was in reverse. Was quite funny seeing many confused people when we got into York.

Also means First Class at the rear....everyone standing at the wrong locations on the platforms

(19 Feb 2014, 8:08 pm)citaro5284 wrote Also means First Class at the rear....everyone standing at the wrong locations on the platforms

exactly. Was like the start of the Great North Run when everyone was frantically running down the platform

(19 Feb 2014, 8:30 pm)Adam wrote exactly. Was like the start of the Great North Run when everyone was frantically running down the platform

Almost as bad as when they swap an electric and hst set, and nee one has the reservations they wanted!

Chaos with East Coast today due to a broken down train at Retford.
225's were hitched up to Thunderbirds and diverted around Lincoln and Spalding this afternoon in an effort to catch up on time - it got that desperate!

Invitation to Tender released

http://www.globalrailnews.com/2014/03/21...feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Railco+%28rail.co%29

(22 Mar 2014, 5:53 pm)citaro5284 wrote Invitation to Tender released

http://www.globalrailnews.com/2014/03/21...feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Railco+%28rail.co%29

Some of the points are quite interesting.

Key features of the ITT include:

• supporting the roll out of a new fleet of state-of-the-art intercity express trains;
• continuation of services to all current destinations;
• faster and more frequent services to and from King’s Cross by May 2020;
• faster average journey times to Leeds and Edinburgh from May 2020;
• the potential for improved services to destinations such as Lincoln;
• an opportunity for bidders to serve five new routes including Huddersfield, Scarborough, Harrogate (via York), Middlesbrough and Sunderland (via Newcastle); and
• a fund that will drive innovation and deliver long-term benefits for the franchise and wider rail industry.

It's welcome to create the five new links, but will these be at the detriment to the current Edinburgh to Kings Cross, or Leeds to Kings Cross services? i.e. less frequent.

Is it even going to be possible to further increase frequencies? Look at the traffic round Ferryhill South Jn. for example. A similar problem exists at Sunderland station.

(22 Mar 2014, 7:34 pm)aureolin wrote Some of the points are quite interesting.

Key features of the ITT include:

• supporting the roll out of a new fleet of state-of-the-art intercity express trains;
• continuation of services to all current destinations;
• faster and more frequent services to and from King’s Cross by May 2020;
• faster average journey times to Leeds and Edinburgh from May 2020;
• the potential for improved services to destinations such as Lincoln;
• an opportunity for bidders to serve five new routes including Huddersfield, Scarborough, Harrogate (via York), Middlesbrough and Sunderland (via Newcastle); and
• a fund that will drive innovation and deliver long-term benefits for the franchise and wider rail industry.

It's welcome to create the five new links, but will these be at the detriment to the current Edinburgh to Kings Cross, or Leeds to Kings Cross services? i.e. less frequent.

Is it even going to be possible to further increase frequencies? Look at the traffic round Ferryhill South Jn. for example. A similar problem exists at Sunderland station.

Interesting times ahead!
Hopefully the reward points scheme is honoured too.

I quite liked this quote:

I want to see innovative bids that provide value for money for taxpayers

I wonder how much taxpayers money is used to support the successful bidder as opposed to now?
Similarly, I am also curious to see the levels of return that the Government will receive, compared to current levels.

No idea how the extensions will work, taking into account current traffic levels, not only in the two local areas you mentioned, but between Kings Cross and Peterborough, which are already busy and result in regular delays.

Had a look at the the ITT for EC one thing that stood out for me is that EC have an option in the new franchise to send seven DAR paths to Middlesbrough if requested.. Direct services to London from Middlesbrough. It wouldn't surprise me if they ran it between TP and GC at Eaglescliffe!