British media personality, journalist and broadcaster Janet Street-Porter appeared on last week's 10 o'Clock Live show, in which she and Peter Stringfellow, along with journalist and author Shiv Malik, debated whether or not wealthy pensioners should give some of their entitlements back, echoing sentiments made earlier in the week by Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith MP.
The show's audience is visibly below the age of 25, so the political orientation of the show and I would suggest at least two of its four presenters was always going to be in favour of the wealthy coughing up that little bit more. Stringfellow, to his credit, said he would happily hand back his free bus pass though spoiled any positive this could conjure by adding "I don't really care because I'm so rich". Malik was very much the audience's champion, advocating senior citizens really ought to take some sort of 'hit' during the recession and that the winter fuel allowance and free bus pass for those whose income is 'high' would be a good compromise.
Street-Porter's comments, however, is where my interest picked up. The former Mirror Group employee claimed that her free bus pass is actually keeping bus services running during the middle of the day. She claimed that if she and other wealthy pensioners were to surrender their passes, these bus services would not be viable and could be withdrawn.
While there's certainly evidence that OAPs make up the majority of passengers of many bus services in the trough between both daily peaks, everything hinges on the reimbursement rate paid by the local authorities. There are very few bus operators who don't hark for the pre-2006 days when OAPs paid half-fare and the local authority made up the majority of the outstanding 50%.
I wrote a piece for the Lincolnshire Echo two years ago in which I tried to explain how the free bus pass was actually seeing a reduction in services as a result of the poor reimbursement rates. Understandably, many OAPs will agree with Steeet-Porter's view, but most won't have a clue how the politics behind it causes so many bus services to be unprofitable and withdrawn as a direct consequence.
Only last week, Yorkshire Coastliner has said it is looking to operate non-stop sections (at least 15 miles between two stops) on its extensive cross-country network of services thus forcing OAPs to pay for travel as the free bus pass can only be used on 'local stopping services', defined by having no more than 15 miles between any consecutive bus stops. The Yorkshire Coastliner decision isn't bloody-mindedness, but a response to a decision by North Yorkshire County Council to reduce reimbursement rates by 40%.
NYCC dispute the amount, claiming it is more like 20%, but the figure is still so large that an operator is having to effectively alienate a sizeable proportion of its passenger base to continue making a profit.
One aspect of the politics that Street-Porter won't be aware of is that reimbursement is paid on the average fare for each service, calculated by the operator. One of the longest bus routes in England operates from Peterborough to Lowestoft, via King's Lynn, Norwich and Great Yarmouth. If someone with a free bus pass travels end-to-end, the authority in whose area the journey commences has to pay the bus operator (First Eastern Counties) the same amount as someone travelling one stop. It has been mooted this is around £7.
OAPs - be they affluent or not - have no interest in how the free bus pass scheme is administered. It's down to the government to set-up a scheme that works. Direct payment by the DfT to operators, as happens with the Welsh and Scottish schemes, from their respective assembly/parliament and as happens for BSOG (fuel duty rebate) to all national operators, would be the logical step. Though not so in England.
Local authorities receive cash from the DfT and can set whatever reimbursement level they want. Last year, DfT figures showed the average reimbursement rate (cash) for journeys taken in the shire counties was 96p. If Janet Street-Porter travelled from Lincoln to Grimsby on the InterConnect 3, Stagecoach would receive, on average, £1.92 for a return journey and not a penny more. The adult return fare is over £5. And, of course, this gap in the amount operators receive for accepting the free bus passes compared with the equivalent cash fare is replicated throughout the country.
It would be nice to see Ms Street-Porter directing her vociferous enthusiasm towards the DfT and to champion the reform of the free bus pass to secure its long-term future.
One of the niggles I have about travelling by train during the evening is that the ticket barriers are invariably left open, allowing passengers to gain free access to and speedy exit from the platform. I fully comprehend the minimum staffing levels required to man such barriers, especially at larger stations, which is where most are located.
It is possible, for example, to catch an evening First Capital Connect train Peterborough to London King's Cross and not have to show or present a ticket to anyone or anything. More often than not this extends to East Coast trains, too. What signal does this give to people wanting something for nothing?
There are plenty of people who believe they have the god-given right to travel for free if they can get away with it. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) estimates that there are 110,000 such journeys made every single day on the national network. This is estimated to cost £200,000,000 every year - and those of us who follow the trials and tribulations of life 'on the trains' know all too well what that sort of money can buy.
And then there's me. And you. And every other honest and decent user of the railway who purchases their tickets before they travel; who leaves home/the office that few minutes earlier than usual in case there's a queue at the ticket collecting machines; who takes time to print off and carry with them their 'travel documents'. If witnessing fare evasion makes my blood boil, I'm sure it does yours, too. This extends to the railway openly inviting fare evasion as well.
On Friday the long-suffering Mrs LEYTR was dragged to Stamford, Lincolnshire, in order to make a short railway journey to neighbouring Peterborough along the old LMS route. This is the only stretch of passenger line in Lincolnshire that I've never done. And not a lot of it falls in Lincolnshire, either. Still, boxes needed to be ticked and all that, so there were were on Platform 1 awaiting the 1201 CrossCountry service bound for Stansted Airport. I'd used the self-service ticket machine to purchase two singles, totalling £15.00.
The train (170107) arrived with time to spare and we found a couple of seats within the three-car Turbostar. Upon departure, the guard came to check tickets. We showed ours within our section of the train, as did a few others who had boarded. At the first vestibule two young teens were stood and one refused to show his ticket.
"Nah, mate, you'll have to call the police. I'm not showing you my ticket" one said.
The other blatantly admitted to not having a ticket and neither was willing to purchase one from the guard. I couldn't overhear what the guard said back, but it appeared he just let them off. Part of me wanted to say "Can I have a refund then, since you're letting those two off?" but I didn't know if he was calling British Transport Police to meet the train at Peterborough as it was here that the pair were travelling.
And besides, there are nice, shiny ticket barriers at Peterborough station now so in theory they'd be challenged here and possibly made to pay - especially if the guard had called ahead.
So you can imagine my utter disgust for East Coast - who maintains Peterborough station - when we exited only to find all barriers open and unmanned.
This was in the middle of the day, not in the evening when most day returns have been purchased and train companies care less about revenue loss. It was a very poor show.
But what can be done? The McNulty Report wants fewer staff at stations, in order to save money. This can only make matters worse. Clearly there was perhaps 1 member of staff short at Peterborough on Friday which then forced the gates to be left open. The saving made with 1 member of staff is greater than the amount CrossCountry lost out on but that's just one case.
Ticket barriers should be operational at all times. If there are insufficient staff to man them they should still be working. All you need is one override button to temporarily open them all if gateline staff have been engaged elsewhere and the same button can be pressed to make them operational afterwards.
Apathy is the major problem I suspect. Similar with London bus drivers not caring one jot about passengers flashing their library card when boarding, many on the railway get paid the same regardless, aren't on commission and their employer still gets £x from the government regardless.
We've been advised by Delaine Buses that a slight change to the vehicle workings has taken place.
Leyland PD3 50 (RCT 3) will now work all three half-cab diagrams (ex Bourne 1030, 1230, 1430 & ex Peterborough 1130, 1330, 1530) and that Leyland PD2 45 (KTL 780) will work duplicates for the other two heritage vehicles between Market Deeping, Church Street and Peterborough, Queensgate (departing Deeping at 1050 then xx50 until 1450 and from Peterborough it will duplicate the 1130 and xx30 workings until 1530).
Although the day is to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Leyland Atlantean 72, the company is mindful that visitors will want to sample all vehicles, with Leyland PD2 45 having seen no use in service since 2008.
We're a little late in advertising this, even though there's still a month to go, as it's been doing the rounds for a while. That said, as the news reached us a day late to include in the last LEYTR, it is only right and proper that we help promote a special running day in Lincolnshire on Good Friday.
England's oldest independent bus company, Delaine Buses of Bourne, will be running their trio of heritage vehicles in passenger service on 29 March from 0930 to 1630. This is primarily to mark the 40th birthday of their Leyland Atlantean, ACT 540L, which entered service on 1 March 1973. Numbered 72 in the Delaine Buses fleet, the Atlantean (with Northern Counties body) was the highest-capacity double decker in production at the time.
Atlantean 72 is seen here at the Delaine Buses depot last year with another double decker that boasted the highest seating capacity available at the time, Stagecoach East's Megadekka.
A special timetable is in operation on Good Friday, with direct Service 101 journeys the order of the day between Bourne, Market Deeping and Peterborough. Departures are at 0740, 0900 then 00 & 30 until 1700. Return times from Peterborough are at 1000, 1030 then 00 & 30 until 1800. All services call at all stops en route, with Market Deeping being the central timing point 20 mins after leaving each end. End-to-end journey time is 40 minutes.
Atlantean 72 will be working the 0930, 1130, 1330, 1530 from Bourne and 1030, 1230, 1430, 1630 from Peterborough.
Seen in its 39th year during 2012 is Leyland Atlantean 72 attending the Morley's Running Day, based at Whittlsey Market Place. The bus made a number of shuttle services between Whittlsey and Thorney (following a former Morley's route) and a trip to the Emblings/Judds depot at Guyhirn.
The company's remaining heritage fleet are half-cab double deckers. The oldest is 45 (KTL 780), a Willowbrook-bodied Leyland Titan PD2 new to the company in May 1956. Celebrating its half-century in 2010 (and given pride of place on the LEYTR magazine covers of that year) is the remaining vehicle: 50 (RCT 3), a Yeates-bodied Leyland Titan PD3, which entered service in June 1960. Unusual for this bus is that it has been owned, maintained and licensed as a fully PCV from new with the Company. Titan 45 was sold only to be bought back a number of years later, for preservation.
Taken at the BRM Day in Bourne last October (covered in the Nov/Dec 2012 LEYTR) is the Company's oldest vehicle, Titan PD2/Willowbrook 45. New in 1956 the bus is fast approaching its 60th birthday. Photo: Peter Moore.
Titan PD2 45 will be working the 1230 from Bourne and 1330 from Peterborough - a rare outing for this stalwart of yesteryear. The last time it operated in passenger service was on the Company's Leyland Day in 2008. It had been planned to take the bus to the LVVS Rally in Lincoln last November, but heavy rain forced the company to take something newer.
Titan PD3 50 will be working the 1030 & 1430 from Bourne and 1130 & 1530 from Peterborough - both it and sister 45 will have a conductor on board and a working (if fixed!) Almex A90 ticket machine, ensuring all tickets can be issued/accepted as normal.
All other journeys on Service 101 will be operated by the Company's fleet of low-floor double deckers, with the trio of Gemini-bodied Volvo B9TLs likely to be in operation. The newest two (152/3 AD12/62 DBL) are seen here at Showbus last year.
The operation of the heritage fleet on the xx30 departures from Bourne & Peterborough will be the actual service vehicles, not reliefs/duplicates. Traditionally, loadings are low on Good Friday in this part of the country, the Company has said, and it is hoped that the running day will generate greater use of the services. Speaking to the LEYTR, Delaine Buses managing director Anthony Delaine-Smith, said that if a success there is no reason why it couldn't be repeated in the future.
A Day Rover ticket costs £5 adult (18+), £4.50 young person (11-17) and £4 child (5-10). A Group Day Rover costing £10.60 is also available, enabling up to 4 people to travel on the same ticket, with a maximum of 2 adults. A full range of single and day return fares will also be available, as the heritage fleet is operating a normal service. Free English national concessionary bus passes will also be accepted for travel.
February 2013 will be remembered on the national railway network as the month when the largest ever peace-time damage to the tracks and their foundations occurred. The landslip at Hatfield Colliery, with the striking images of its affect on the four railway tracks that run adjacent to the site, hasn't taken up many column inches in the national press, despite the route used by hundreds of trains every day being closed now until at least mid-May.
Hatfield Colliery is located north east of Doncaster, with the line that's been closed linking the East Coast Main Line at Doncaster with the former Humberside County area. For those trying to reach Hull from the ECML, alternative routes are possible via York and Goole. For the northern Lincolnshire area, that borders the Humber Estuary, alternatives are considerably fewer.
The photo below was taken by LEYTR subscriber John Nicholson on 22 February 2013. It shows a site that Network Rail still cannot access as colliery officials say the spoil heap is still moving and cannot guarantee anyone's safety.
Imagine such a sight on the Brighton Main Line or the Great Western somewhere between Reading and Bristol. Admittedly, many more thousands per hour use these two lines in the peaks than this stretch between Doncaster and Thorne, but passengers here have other, longer, more arduous alternatives. Passengers living west of Scunthorpe have nothing, other than a replacement bus. Passengers living east of Scunthorpe (Grimsby and Cleethorpes) have the option of heading south west to Lincoln, thence Newark for the ECML, though travel from Grimsby to somewhere like Leeds or Manchester (a direct, hourly service operates to the latter, seven days a week) and there is no realistic alternative other than to prepare yourself to be de-trained at Scunthorpe for a coach service to Doncaster or Sheffield.
Landslips will happen and almost a certainty is that in the coming years something will trump Hatfield as NR's worst peace-time railway damage, it's the disproportionate level of interest shown by many London-centric organisations that annoys me. Would The Sun splashing the twisted tracks on its front page make the clear-up operation happen any sooner? Of course not, but it would assist local residents who have lost their train service for effectively half a year feel they'd not been forgotten.
Unofficial reports from contacts within both train operating companies who use the route have seen the potential of a closure for a year mooted. This would be unprecedented and clearly the worst case scenario TOCs and NR are working to. As train crews are trained to a higher level than many passengers consider, losing route knowledge of any section of line they are required to work for longer than a year will prevent them from doing so until they've been effectively re-trained (re-signed). When you consider all the drivers and guards at TPE and Northern Rail alone who'd need to be re-signed, if the line didn't open for a year there'd be a month-long hiatus once the 'all clear' was given so that this process could be undertaken. As distant as May sounds, this is by far the best option for everyone and one that I'm sure Network Rail will be working to... as soon as they're allowed to assess precisely how much work is involved.
The use of the Brigg Line from Barnetby to the ECML at Retford was considered for use by TPE, we understand, though ruled out in the end as this is the diversionary route for freight trains accessing the Humber Ports locations at Immingham and Grimsby. With this excess freight, the route is now considered running at maximum capacity. There was also the same route knowledge issue along this section with TPE crews un-trained. It's a shame as although passengers prefer direct services, the change at Retford for London or Doncaster would be preferable for the change to a coach at Scunthorpe.
A scene I never thought I'd see: one of the cable car stanchions high above the Thames and I was just inches away
Yesterday I had my first trip aboard London's cross-Thames cable car, making a one-way trip from North Greenwich Peninsular to the Royal Docks.
It's something that friends and I had hoped to do a few months ago, but thick fog put paid to that idea. Yesterday, however, visibility was good and it was a steady wind that I thought could scupper proceedings, though happily this was not to be.
We arrived at the North Greenwich terminus in style - by Thames Clipper, having undertaken a full journey from Embankment. It was here that we ran into a problem: how to get between the North Greenwich Pier and the North Greenwich Peninsular. The two look physically close, though after showing your tickets to the officious Thames Clipper landside staff member in order to be permitted access to dry land, you're immediately forced into choosing whether to carry straight on or turn left.
A Thames Clipper at the North Greenwich Pier terminus
We followed the crowd and headed left, hugging the line of the Thames where sure enough the high fencing did briefly part allowing access to the Air Line terminal at the North Greenwich Peninsular.
Staff there were on hand to both marshall the queue and to offer advice to the plethora of tourists wanting to make a trip across the Thames. We had One-Day Travelcards and were entitled to a discount on the standard turn-up-and-go single fare of £4.30 adult and £2.20 child. There is no discount given for a return/'360' round trip, which costs double the single fare for both classes. With a Travelcard (also included are Freedom Pass holders, TfL staff pass holders and Oyster card users) a discount single fare of £3.20 adult and £1.60 child is offered.
We were shown to a self-service ticket machine by a member of staff who set up our purchase after checking our Zone 1-2 Travelcards (we were in Zone 3) and left us to complete the purchase as I was paying by card.
We then climbed a level to the departure area where there are up to four pods under cover at any time and are travelling so slowly that people with mobility problems would be able to board them without an issue. Unlike the London Eye or more traditional cable cars at seaside resorts that travel at the same speed throughout, the Air Line's pods reduce speed to a crawl when they're at a terminal, ensuring the safe disembarkation and boarding of passengers. The doors also open and close automatically.
As we 'took off' I did wonder when the door would shut as I was sat right next to it, though reassuringly it closed the second we increased our speed. The view is excellent and the five-minute journey time felt longer. We shared our pod with a family of five from Poland who were busy taking photos and admiring the view. The nearest you'll get to the views on offer are aboard the London Eye and as of two days earlier, the 72nd floor of Europe's tallest building, The Shard, which charges almost £25 for the privilege.
We were thanked for using the Air Line some time prior to arriving at our Royal Docks terminal, which seemed somewhat sterile and then it was over. Again, there were plenty of staff to offer assistance to people with mobility problems. We headed down a level to ticket barriers where we inserted our boarding passes (as we did for the outward journey) and I was pleased to see the passes weren't retained, so a small souvenir can be kept.
Approaching the Royal Docks terminus
Many saw the Air Line as a vanity project by the London Mayor, with its planned opening by hook or crook for the 2012 London Olympic Games. I didn't follow the story of its inception to completion in enough detail to be able to comment, though the Air Line does seem under-used if yesterday's visit is anything to go by. Yes, it offers another cross-Thames option, but at a price. Even with Travelcards, you're looking at £3.20 one way and both terminals aren't exactly in the throbbing hearts of local communities.
When we arrived at the Royal Docks, we would have had to walk two blocks to reach the nearest DLR station, though in the event service was suspended between Canning Town and Beckton, so we had to catch a Rail Replacement Bus Service, which ironically, was located conveniently outside the Air Line terminal building. And it was in the form of an Ensignbus Volvo B9TL/Optare Olympus that was spotless inside, with the distinct smell of bleach adding to the cleanliness. The last time I've travelled on a bus this clean was in December 2011 when I used CT Plus's Service 701 Park & Ride.
To summarise, the Emirates Air Line is OK for a one-off on a tourist's bucket list, but nothing more. This could be its Achilles heel: once you've visited, you don't return. I honestly can't see it becoming a shining example of commercialism through regular commuters. Would I make use of it again? Possibly - if I was with friends who'd not used it before. It's not the easiest attraction to reach for tourists who are sunning themselves in Hyde Park and who spontaneously decide to have a cable car ride, and this is another of its problems.
One a positive note, my weekend in London, including travel to and from, was one of the best I can ever remember in terms of the efficiency of the transport. East Coast played a blinder heading south on Saturday - our train was punctual (literally!) and the service in First Class was attentive though not OTT. Travelling back was the usual fare evader's dream, with no barrier patrol at King's Cross and Peterborough and we didn't have our ticket checked on board, but we arrived in Peterborough in just 43 minutes. I was so unprepared it was quite a dash to leave the train.
We made numerous journeys using the Underground and I was pleased to see official references to the system's 150th anniversary displayed. I don't think we ever had to wait more than 2 minutes on any platform for a train. Everything just worked seamlessly and if I were a foreign tourist to the city, I would have left feeling very positive about London's transport network - even if they couldn't complete a Surrey Quays - Clapham Junction journey with LOROL thanks to 'planned' engineering work :-(
Happy New Year to all our readers and magazine subscribers.
I thought I'd start 2013 with a post about a perceived hierarchy between pedestrians and bus passengers.
You could work in the bus industry here in the UK and have not come across the teen comedy show, new to E4, called The Inbetweeners; but I bet you've not managed to escape one particular phrase used in the programme from over 2 years ago.
Writers Damon Beesley and Iain Morris should perhaps be congratulated for the additions to the English language rather than a very humorous comedy programme. The term 'bus w*nkers' being the most prevalent in my line of work.
In an episode in which one of the hapless teens passed his driving test, he and his trio of friends went out for a spin in perhaps the anti-Christ of 'babe magnets': a bright yellow 900cc Fiat Cinquecento. Cocky, loud-mouthed Jay (in the passenger seat) saw a queue of people waiting at a bus stop as he and his friends drove past, so thought it would be a laugh to wind down his window and shout 'BUS W*NKERS' at them all.
The rather controversial term 'bus w*nkers' was then born. I doubt many bus drivers won't have heard it either uttered by school kids as they're in the vicinity of a school or screamed at them as they pass drunken revellers, perhaps over the Christmas period.
You can even buy t-shirts with it on...
But without exception, on the occasions I've heard it said, the context is completely wrong. Jay was in a car; he was (in his own eyes) upwardly mobile, not having to rely on public transport to undertake a journey he'd hitherto done by bus. Yet in the real world, it's shouted at buses and their passengers by people who can't afford the bus and are having to walk home from school/into the town centre to go to the pub.
Although I'm sure the chance to shout 'w*nkers' at a load of people on a bus is too good an opportunity to miss, for some people.
In the episode which gave birth to the term, to show the hierarchy between car passenger and bus passenger isn't quite what it seems, while the traffic lights were on red, two of the 'bus w*nkers' - both being built like brick outhouses - strolled over to the car and, er, threatened to redress the balance.
Again, the youths shouting out this one-liner today seem oblivious to what happened to their roll model, Jay.
My father would most definitely be put off watching an episode of The Inbetweeners after reading this post; it's not a critique of the show - a very funny and intelligently written 'wordy' comedy and winner of over 10 awards, with a movie released in August 2011 that was the highest-grossing British Comedy of all time.
To see the 21-second clip from The Inbetweeners, click here.
For the past few months, Hackney Community Transport, which goes by its initials nowadays, has been gearing up to take over the bus network in Jersey, after the company's CT Plus subsidiary successfully won the tender to operate services there from 2 January 2013.
Connex Jersey operates Caetano Nimbus-bodied Dennis Dart SLFs - similar to those operating with Island Coachways on Guernsey (and not dissimilar to those in Gibraltar, though these are left-hand drive). Photo: Wigan Airways
The current operation is run by Connex and while looking at the pay and conditions CT Plus would inherit, quite a can of worms was uncovered. So much so, that the company is not simply continuing the service from January next year, but starting new contracts of employment for all those currently working for the company after unionisation saw working procedures that HCT's chief executive Dai Powell described on his company's website as "repugnant".
The headline facts and figures do show some quite remarkable working practises and rates of pay:
Some drivers earn over £70,000 a year
Overtime is NOT allocated by management
A number of drivers are stuck on part-time contracts with full-time hours turned down
Shift allocation is NOT done my management
There are around 60 spare duties IN ADDITION to duties used to operate the buses
Time-and-a-half is paid for spare duties
A 'sick rota' exists, staffed by more spare drivers so those on the Spare Rota rarely need to drive
The employer requires union permission to recruit new staff
Staff attending a disciplinary hearing are paid time-and-a-half
Powell was keen to see changes to much of the above and has succeeded through the termination of Connex contracts and the guaranteed employment of all full-time staff to CT Plus, followed by full-time employment options for existing part-time staff and any further requirements being offered to qualified Jersey residents.
The package offered to (and ultimately accepted by) drivers sees enhancements in all rates of pay, though with management ensuring fair allocation of pretty much everything, CT Plus Jersey bus drivers could earn up to £40k p/a.
The following is the offer accepted by bus drivers (though not before threatening a wildcat strike, which was stopped at last minute following the intervention of the Jersey government):
£13.50 p/h Mon-Fri
£14.50 p/h Sat
£20.08 p/h Sun
£27.00 p/h Bank Hols
39 hours minimum on rotas
54 hours maximum on rotas
Overtime is paid at the rate for the day being worked
£6.53 towards Health Benefit
£1.3k Pension Contribution
25 days holiday
Disciplines to be paid at basic rate
£539 weekly holiday pay
£74.62 daily sick pay (after waiting days)
Sundays & Bank Holiday work is in the rota
Bank Holiday pay at 7.8 hours basic pay in lieu/when not working
Stand-by duties to be included in the rotas
Rota to allocated 5-in-7 days' work
Not continued is payment for lay-overs in between runs, shift allowance, enhanced overtime rates of pay and performance allowances.
It's quite remarkable that drivers can earn £70k+ a year when they're currently paid less than the new rates listed above, though with union-allocated work, it would appear reasonably possible. Jersey is a very expensive place to live so I wasn't expecting the new rates of pay to be less than those paid to drivers in London - and the above hourly rates are considerably in excess of bus driver pay in London.
Seen in St. Helier is 768 (J108024), operating Service 12 to Corbiere. Photo: 'Maljoe'
A 45-hour, 5-day week, with one-fifth at the Saturday rate and four-fifths at the Mon-Fri rate grosses £616.50, so annually this could see the driver earn £32,058 and that would be on the assumption of a five-day, 45-hour working week. What the options are for overtime is unknown as the 60 spare duties would presumably be reduced and the drivers removed from them allocated driving work. I suspect the company will start possibly over-staffed. If anyone knows more, please leave a comment.
At the same time I chose to write today's blog, I read Chris Cheek's analysis of Eurostar International, the new company formed last year to bring together all of Eurostar's operations. In the first year there, the average employee pay £45k and that was with employer National Insurance contribution. As a contrast to certain Connex Jersey drivers, it's quite remarkable.
I stumbled across what I'm calling the Railway Website Find of the Year on Monday when a friend posted a facebook status showing the southbound Inverness Caledonian Sleeper service running 266 minutes late due to a train striking a person overnight. In response, the creator of www.realtimetrains.co.uk left a link to his site that showed the delay and where it occurred.
A similar industry site exists that's slightly more detailed and less 'fluffy' called CCLDB. It shows the real-time progress of all trains on the national rail network. In a move that can only improve the lot for passengers and rail enthusiasts alike, Tom Cairns has produced the www.realtimetrains.co.uk website to effectively mirror that of Network Rail's CCLDB site.
Click to enlarge
As with the equally excellent www.trains.im website, there is a basic and an advanced/detailed site. Forget the basic option and use the advanced version from the start by typing www.realtimetrains.co.uk/advanced/ into the browser. The landing page allows you type a station in, plus a time or date and what kind of service you want to see.
I chose to place Scunthorpe in the location box, chose a custom time of between 0800 - 1000 on today's date (24/10/12). An option exists to choose which operator's services you want to view, or the default 'All' can be left checked. Within your search criteria, you can additionally filter the results to those running according to the Working Timetable (WTT), trains that have varied from the WTT for the 'requirements of the railway' (VAR), those that are operating under a short-term plan (STP) and trains that have been cancelled. You can also choose to show either passenger or non-passenger services. The latter refer to empty stock runs, not freight trains.
Click to enlarge
Beneath the data input area is an explanation of any terms that may cause the casual user some confusion.
My results showed all trains using Scunthorpe within the time period chosen and this can be changed by clicking either the +1hr or -1hr buttons. From the data provided, only the headcodes are clickable and doing so opens up the full working timetable for the service provided... and much more.
I clicked on 2P61 (0819 Northern Rail service to Lincoln Central) which started at Scunthorpe. The results show what you get from the 'detailed' section of trains.im as well as a real-time column which shows the train's actual progress. Data only seems to be available for the current day.
At the top of the results page there is a plethora of technical information about the schedule info, service info, passenger info and real-time info. Some of it I don't understand. In addition to the miles, the number of chains between each station is also shown. Stations the service calls at can be clicked (they're in blue) and stations/passing points the service doesn't call at are greyed out, so too are the timings for each.
There are then 5 columns - the first shows the public arrival/departure timings, the second shows the WTT arrival/departure times, the third shows the real-time timings - the timing is in red if the train is late and shows by how many minutes, in black if it is on time and green if the train is early. The fourth column shows schedule information (platform number, line used and path information - all where applicable) and the fifth shows operational allowances. There's plenty of information to see here.
Click to enlarge (the train arrived into Lincoln 8 minutes late in the end)
I've also searched for empty journeys, such as the diagram for the first East Coast train to depart from Peterborough bound for King's Cross on weekdays (3A00). I knew this travelled dead from Bounds Green depot, but hadn't realised it departed at 0150 went to King's Cross first - presumably to collect staff - before heading north at 0438.
Click to enlarge - 3A00 (BN to PBO via KGX)
There are literally hours and hours of material to search here. All fascinating without the real-time information, too. Seeing how a service you're planning to catch performs on a typical day can be of interest to many and to see the passing times and points plus mileage and chains as well as technical information such as the lines used, is a bonus. It's certainly my Railway Website Find of the Year - www.realtimetrains.co.uk/advanced/
Only one suggestion from me - a simple search by headcode would be useful. Otherwise, it's a pretty amazing site.
The second and final part of my Virgin Trains Farewell Tour took place last Monday (15 October), on the day it was revealed that Sir Richard Branson had received a call the night before from Transport Secretary Patrick McLaughlan MP, asking him to continue operating the West Coast Main Line franchise while the DfT sorted itself out. So perhaps my Farewell Tour was a little premature. If nothing else, however, it could mean I'll have to do it all over again in up to 18 months' time!
As with Part 1, I had to get to a station on the WCML first and I didn't have it in me to endure 8 hours travelling overnight in a National Express coach on this occasion, so I left the LEYTR HQ in Lincolnshire and headed south on... a National Express coach, though only for 2:35, from Bourne to Golders Green in north-west London. The coach was Stagecoach in Peterborough's 53710 (AE10 JTX), a Volvo B9R/Plaxton Elite C48Ftl, delivered over two years ago, and now not conforming the claim National Express made in a recent interview with CBW that 50% of its coaches are under 2 years old. It's a figure I struggle to believe.
Stagecoach in Peterborough's 53710 is seen here departing Golders Green bus station bound for Victoria.
From Golders Green (where bus/coach photography is not permitted, so I found myself stood about an inch outside the station to capture the above shot) I headed to the Underground station to catch a Tube to Euston, where I'd be meeting my travelling companion for the Virgin Trains service to Glasgow. And it would not be any old journey, but the company's flagship, record-breaking London-Glasgow in 4:08 service.
Once in Euston we made use of the First Class Lounge (we were travelling in style to sample what FirstGroup would surely downgrade had they been in line to take over from 9 December). It was pretty busy in this rather stylish first-floor location, where complimentary hot and cold drinks are available, plus an unlimited number of biscuits, cake and pretzels. Free wi-fi and 240V sockets are also on offer, as is a television showing the BBC News Channel, on which Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond featured constantly as today was the day that both her and David Cameron revealed the plan for Scotland's independence, taking for the form on a straightforward Yes/No question to be put to Scots by the end of 2014.
At 1615 we headed to Platform 15 to board our 1630 train to Glasgow, calling only at Preston en route. With a headcode of 1S82, the train operating this journey was one of Virgin's 11-car Pendolino sets, recently increased with the addition of two Standard Class coaches lettered F & U towards the centre of the train. 390126 Virgin Enterprise was the set, which had been renumbered from 390026 following the modification and it was the first time I'd travelled on an 11-car Pendolino.
Pendolino 390126 (originally 390026) is named Virgin Enterprise and is loading at London Euston.
We departed on time at 1630 and ran up to 1 minute late at all passing points thereafter up to the infamous Hanslope Junction, for it was here that we sat for around 2 hours the last time I'd travelled on this journey - during the 2011 LEYTR Railrover. What a performance that was, with the train having to be driven backwards to the junction whereupon we headed north via Northampton and terminated at Preston and asked to move onto a following service. We arrived in Glasgow 2 hours late, though were suitably recompensed by the company. On that occasion, the overhead line equipment had been damaged by an item being thrown at it. Today, however, not only was there no problem at Hanslope Junction, but it was from here that we started to travel ahead of ourselves, typically 1-2 minutes early until north of Rugby (Attleborough Junction).
Henceforth we passed through Nuneaton 2 minutes late, Stafford 1 minute late, Crewe 3 minutes late, Warrington Bank Quay 2 minutes late, Wigan North Western 1 minute late and into our first stop, Preston, 2 minutes late at 1832. However, a very speedy driver and guard change took place and in just 1 minute we departed on time at 1833. I'd been told that a problem exists on this service with passengers for Carlisle boarding at Preston, only to find they're on a non-stop service to Glasgow. Occasionally, the guard takes pity on them and arranges an unscheduled stop, but he/she has no obligation to do so and it will mean the arrival time into Glasgow Central wont be attained. So, a number of non-standard announcements were made to inform all passengers that "if you're not travelling to Glasgow you must leave the train here" and to inform new passengers that they must be travelling to Glasgow.
While the guards were changing, one of the catering crew additionally made an announcement to this effect and while the purists out there would cringe at being constantly told, living in the real world I know how people simply do not do what they're told all the time. It would also help ensure we'd do the journey in the advertised 4:08.
From Preston (1833) we ran late at all passing points including Lancaster (1 late - 1846), Oxenholme (4 late - 1859), Penrith (4 late - 1920) and Carlisle (1 late - 1931). At Carstairs we were back on time and ran between up to 1-2 minutes early through to Glasgow Central, where we arrived on time at 2038 (and, by my reckoning, 19 seconds). I'm no expert in train performance, but the Class 390 had been worked very hard indeed to attain its timetable and the crew had played a blinder in Preston. Can two bus drivers swap over in less than 60 seconds?
Coach U is one of the two new Standard Class coaches being inserted into a large number of Virgin's Pendolino train sets, increasing them from 9 to 11 coaches. They stand out, looking very new and shiny.
As for the complimentary food served in First Class, this was not as good as other occasions. Firstly, there were no menus on the tables and although this was read out to us via the public address system, only the main course was offered when a host travelled through the coaches taking down people's orders. I ordered the main course I did through intrigue rather than anything else: fish, chip & pea pie. Surely it wouldn't all be in the same pie? It most certainly was and very tasty too. But it's still a far cry from the 2005 "three-course feast", which included beef bourguignon or red grape and brie sandwiches and with the evening meal came Belgian chocolates. The drinks trolley was as copiously packed, as ever, with cans of London Pride and Gordon's Gin & tonic aplenty. It's all very civilised and still a great way to travel. I prefer it to the hassle of yesteryear where you'd have to leave your seat to sit in the restaurant car and pay a fortune for food you'd never cook at home.
390126 arrives at Glasgow Central and is being unloaded prior to heading to the Polmadie Depot.
And so there it was. Up until the very morning of the trip, this was to almost certainly be my final trip aboard a Virgin Trains service. Living on the opposing side of the country and making considerably more use of their East Coast counterpart, my trips with VT have been for leisure purposes only and I've been told this has caused me to don rose-tinted glasses. That said, I thought their decision to replace loco-hauled trains on their CrossCountry franchise with 4-car Class 220 'Voyagers' was ridiculous. In one fell swoop they cut capacity by an eye-watering amount. I travelled frequently between Birmingham and Oxford with them at the time and saw first-hand how poorly they treated their passengers when a single Voyager set arrived on a run that had hitherto been a seven-coach Class 47-hauled loco service.
But, unlike many 'industry watchers' I quite enjoy travelling in the Voyagers, Super Voyagers (Class 221s which has the ability to tilt, though none do now) and Pendolinos. Yes, the Voyagers are a little noisy but feel sturdy and for me that means comfortable. Yes, the Pendolinos have intermittant problems with their toilets but I've never witnessed this and yes they do have small windows that you most certainly CAN see out of. The interiors are stylish and modern and I understand that a 9-car Pendolino seats the fewest number of passengers of any inter-city express train, so to say that all modern trains are universally cramped isn't necessarily true.
Much of this, of course, FirstGroup would have inherited, had the DfT not made their monumental cock-up, which lead to the franchise awarding to First being stopped and around £40 million given back to the four shortlisted bidders to cover their costs. I think it made eminent sense to ask Virgin Trains to continue operating the service until the second attempt at awarding the franchise takes place (which could be in around 18 months' time). Sir Richard had already said that any profits he and his co-franchisee Stagecoach make will be donated to charity during this period. And the prospect of both Anglo-Scottish inter-city express franchises being operated in government hands for at least a year would have made the country a laughing stock (unless a decision to re-nationalise is subsequently taken).
A very nice day was had at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambs, the other Sunday. It was the annual Showbus Rally, the UK's biggest bus and coach gathering with stalls aplenty. As has become customary (well, last year anyway), below is my take on the gathering with some not-so-standard shots.
As popular as ever - the New Bus For London, lovingly (?) referred to as
the Borismaster by both those in and outwith London. Wherever this
integral Wrightbus-designed bus is, a lot of interest is shown. I've
ridden on one of the Borismasters once before, in service in London and
enjoyed it. Was it better than a Gemini-bodied Volvo? Perhaps a little
bit, though much if it was down to the novelty trim and interior design.
Is it a bus, a Tube or a train? This Daimler DMS conversion was very unusual and was entered by the Epping Ongar Railway. Upon closer inspection, the two train wheels were add-ons, covering the Fleetline's rear wheels. Inside, it was possible to walk from one end to the other.
Both types of vehicle Stagecoach East employs on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway were in attendance. I've made my feelings known before about which I prefer. It is very rare for Stagecoach to purchase the Volvo/Wrightbus combination (left), though I understand this was a personal preference of the company's local MD. It's just a shame he didn't get his way with the double deckers.
Delaine Buses of Bourne - now England's oldest independent operator following Chambers Coaches being snapped up by the Go-Ahead Group earlier in the year - entered their two newest Volvo/Wrightbus 'deckers and were hopeful of winning the Best Modern Bus award, though rather predictably this went to the Borismaster.
Hull Bus Restorers entered a Bristol VR (WKH 526X) in East Yorkshire's NBC poppy red livery. The destination was of note - Humberlink - the trans-Humber service operated jointly with Lincolnshire (and continues to be so today, albeit with Lincolnshire's reincarnation as Stagecoach). I have a tie with the Humberlink logo on, as depicted below 'Hull'. I don't think I've seen this bus before, which has very strong links to the LEYTR area.
The former British overseas territory of Malta - now a thriving country in its own right - was again represented with one of the country's Leyland Tiger Cubs in the immediately recognisable yellow livery. I took a photo last year so concentrated on this very well turned out badge this year.
Wow. Megabus brought two coaches and, boy, did they have pride of place. Displayed side-by-side was one of the Rugby-allocated Volvo B9R/Plaxton Panther 2 coaches that operates the UK to Europe services and one of the company's integral Van Hool Astromega TDX25 double-deck coaches. The former's £1 signage can be seen as being €1 in the reflection shot - this being the bargain basement fare offered for those boarding in Paris, Amsterdam or Brussels.
Midland Classic brought one of their Wrightbus-bodied Volvo B7RLEs specially branded for Service X12 (the Burton-Litchfield flyer), yet the branding above the windows doesn't actually make sense (though I can guess what it probably means).
King's Lynn-based Norfolk Green operates one of Lincolnshire County Council's flagship InterConnect services, between their home town and Spalding. The company has purchased two new ADL Trident 2s with the ADL Enviro400 body and one is allocated to this service. The company is also introducing a new livery and is in the process of applying this to its fleet - and has even designed a special branding to show this.
A very early Stagecoach board - the original font style the company's name was shown on their buses and coaches - was placed next to the Megabus coaches, complete with its cobwebs (to the bottom right).
I very much enjoyed what the Telford Bus Group has done to this Greater Manchester PTE logo. By cutting the stems off, the M has sort of become a T.
There aren't many Mk1 Bristol VRs in preservation nowadays, but two were parked together at Showbus. The one on the right is former Lincolnshire Road Car 1904 (JVL 619H), preserved by LEYTR Treasurer Richard Belton. The one on the left is former Eastern National 3000 (CPU 979G), entered by the Blackwater Preservation Group.
This video is quite a shocker. The only reason why I knew he'd not been squished into an early grave is because it was filmed on the streets of London and we don't allow that sort of thing to find its way online.
This video was shown to me at the Driver CPC course I undertook at the start of the year. I've got nothing against cyclists whatsoever and am hoping the great results Team GB won so deservedly during the Olympic Games will spur on a cycling revolution.
The problem cycling clubs have in promoting their sport, however, is that absolutely anyone can jump on a bike and cause havoc on the roads. Not so for lorries, buses, coaches or cars. Cyclists are generally untraceable and often have no or very little knowledge of the road/path on which they're cycling. Their cycles do not need to meet minimum safety standards every year - there's no need for them to be checked by anyone, ever.
All the above makes cycling very accessible, but more elements than ever are left to the conscience of the cyclist themselves and this is where the problems are located.
Although as I write the chances of a Judicial Review into the way the Department for Transport awarded the Intercity West Coast franchise to FirstGroup is a possibility, I've got two days over the next month in which I'm able to make good use of the West Coast Main Line, travelling between London and Glasgow with Virgin Trains. This blogpost forms part 1 of 2 and as with our Top 'n' Tail 2009 jaunt (John o'Groats to Land's End as quickly and cheaply as possible) the journey itself is only half the story.
Thanks to a friend who works for National Express driving on their scheduled coach network, I have recently been officially issued with his Nominated Persons pass, allowing free travel on the NX network. This was instrumental in my Virgin Farewell Tour part 1 as I was to travel overnight from London to Glasgow and catch Virgin Trains back the following morning.
However, in order to do any of this I needed to get to London. This involved travelling with England's oldest bus company, Delaine Buses and Britain's only nationalised train operating company, East Coast. I caught the latter from Peterborough where my first moan begins:
I've travelled from Peterborough to London by train on a number of occasions over the past few years and ever since King's Cross has had automatic ticket gates installed, they're never operational after the evening peak. Now Peterborough has them and when I returned from my most recent trip to London by train, they were all open in the evening, too. I paid £29.60 for my Off-Peak Day Single with East Coast and knew the barriers would be open at Peterborough station when I arrived to catch the 2046 train to London (1E24) and that they'd almost certainly be too at King's Cross upon my arrival. And that there'd almost certainly be no ticket check on the southbound journey either.
In the latest LEYTR magazine, readers will have spotted I made a trip to York to attend Railfest 2012 from Peterborough and for the first time printed my ticket off at home. Ticket gates weren't operational at Peterborough in June and aren't going to be installed at York and not once was my ticket checked. It's a very poor show indeed. It was also repeated on Tuesday evening when I headed to London. The temptation must be so strong for people not necessarily ticket cheats to simply board a First Capital Connect train to London in the evening (who don't even have a conductor) and save almost £25 on that service. I get the impression the rail industry isn't too bothered about this kind of fare evasion, pricing day return fares at just 10p more than singles. So, for every single fare sold, they are only 10p out of pocket for every equivalent single fare evaded.
However, aboard the Class 91 propelled service to London all was fine. I opted once again for the Quiet Coach where everyone was being quiet. This is becoming commonplace! We ran punctually to King's Cross, arriving 2 minutes ahead of schedule, although 2 minutes late according to the Working Timetable. 91132 was providing traction, while 82228 was driving.
Shaking my head and tutting as I walked through the open ticket gates, I made my way to somewhere that I knew took fare evasion more seriously - London Underground. Here, thanks to Union pressure, the company has to man stations for as long as they're open. This makes eminent sense at King's Cross St. Pancras, but is also enforced at all other stations, too. Insufficient staff is, I believe, the reason train operating companies give for opening their ticket gates. Of course, Network Rail TOCs don't benefit from being bankrolled by the state - except the very one I'd just travelled with, that is.
Reasonably quiet on the Underground - in the leading coach of a Victoria Line service to Brixton.
I've become accustom to the best carriage to travel in on the Victoria Line south to Victoria station. As near the front as possible, ensuring as fast an exit as possible. It worked well today as the carriage was very quiet, too. In Victoria I made the two-block walk to the Victoria Coach Station, which was a hive of activity at this time of night. I'd booked myself on the Bruce's Coaches-operated Service 588 to Inverness - the longest scheduled coach service in the UK now the 336 (Edinburgh-Plymouth) no longer extends to/from Penzance. But I'd travelled on this service before at the start of the Top 'n' Tail and had considered showing my Nominated Persons pass to the driver of the Stuart's of Carluke-operated Service 592 if something more interesting (or less patronised!) turned up.
As it happened, Bruce's Coaches was using FJ57 KHU, one of their usual tri-axle Scania/Levante coaches with just 53 seats, so additional leg room is afforded and is very welcome for such a long journey. The registration made me titter as it's 'Forest & Fens' based and the last three letters could indicate Kingston upon Hull, yet it operates Anglo-Scottish coach services for a Scottish operator for almost all of its life (it was new to NX-owned ops in 11/07 and passed to Bruce's once they acquired additional work from Stagecoach in Caithness (Rapsons) and First Devon & Cornwall). It was one of the first coaches Bruce's operated for NX that wasn't a Bova. By contrast, a Bova was being used on the Service 592 in full Stuart's of Carluke livery. I'm not keen on Bovas and SF10 GXK had 53 seats like Bruce's FJ57 KHU but the clincher for me was the lack of an air con pod on the roof. It might be that Bovas have this fitted elsewhere, but for an eight-hour overnight journey, I want the internal temperature to be controllable, so opted for my booked 588.
There were only 24 on when we and the 592 left together at 2300. The 592 is booked to operate the fastest London-Glasgow journey NX offer, in 8:10, while my 588 took 8:15 and continued north to Inverness via Perth and Aviemore. Curiously, the scrolling destination on my 588 included such destinations at Toddington and Abington - both motorway services and we didn't even call at the former. Neither are bookable destinations with National Express either. A little perplexing - or was it Bruce's Coaches sticking two fingers up at the silly NX ruling that at least one via point is shown with the ultimate destination. It is one of those bonkers decisions taken by someone who can't drive a coach and the end result is that you make everything more complicated as the destination displays become too cluttered and, besides, NX only ever deals with service numbers - and this extends to their e-tickets printed off and used by passengers.
The 588 operated via Golders Green, Milton Keynes Coachway, Penrith and Lockerbie, while the 592 departing at the same time called only at Glasgow. Both services had a duo of drivers and ours were typical dour Scotsmen. I've genuinely got no complaint about how they were, but if you weren't aware of how dour the Scots can be you'd be a little surprised. I was very impressed when the second driver asked someone to turn their music down they were listening to on their headphones "because it's a night-time service, ya'noe?" However, his attention should have been drawn to the manner in which the entire rear portion of the left-hand overhead rack was rattling like hell. It really was intolerable and I'd resigned myself to having no sleep at all tonight except as soon as we got onto the M1 it stopped - and never returned! It was as if someone was looking down on me.
Feeling blurry-eyed at Charnock Richard Services at 0315. We joined the 2230 Service 592 (Park's tri-axle Volvo/Plaxton) and the other Glasgow-bound 2300 departure, Stuart's Service 592 (VDL/Bova).
We had a 20-minute break at Charnock Richard Services from 0310-0330 and then onto Lockerbie (no one got on/off at Penrith) and we had a second stop at Abington Services on the A74(M) at around 0530. I thought this was a little late in the journey to have a second stop, since we were in Scotland and had no more stops until Glasgow - and we were only given 10 minutes. I can't remember many people taking up this offer to use the loo. We arrived in Glasgow a little earlier than 0715, at 0700, and onward passengers were told to be back on the coach for 0725.
Very shocked to see the old-style 'A to B' National Express logo given pride of place in Glasgow Buchanan Street Coach station.
It was my first overnighter on a coach since the erstwhile 336 from Edinburgh to Penzance and I'm starting to think that I'm getting too old for them now. Despite the generous leg room, I struggled to get comfortable. I hung around taking some photos until 0730 and then headed off into the city, ultimately bound for Glasgow Central station.
They're the longest rigid vehicles allowed on British roads. Measuring 15 meters, they're quite a length. Stagecoach operates most of this length of vehicle in Scotland and on its Megabus network throughout the UK. A number of Citylink vehicles are however operated by Park's of Hamilton.
Seen outside Central station is this VDL/Wrightbus single decker, wearing Arriva livery but now operated by McGill's, following a recent take-over, which was coincidentally cleared by the Competition Commission days before I visited Glasgow.
I bid farewell to my home for the past 8 hours. When we caught this service during the Top 'n' Tail jaunt, both drivers left the coach at a roundabout north of the motorway 15 minutes after leaving Glasgow and one driver took over, driving the coach the remainder of the way to Inverness.The scrolling destination listing Milton Keynes and Penrith could actually CONFUSE passengers here.
A trip to Glasgow cannot pass without making use on the world's third-oldest subterranean railway. The Glasgow Subway has been dubbed the Clockwork Orange for a number of reasons, and I reviewed the network a couple of years ago. I paid the very reasonable £1.20 for a single journey and caught train 102 from Buchanan Street to St Enoch, which looking at the map is just one stop away. Naturally, I used the Inner Circle so did an almost entire circuit in the opposite direction. It is a fascinating subway to ride - a dinky version of the London Underground. In 1996 I was lucky enough to visit Granada Studios and walk down Coronation Street. Initially I refused to accept this was THE actual street used in one of the world's most popular TV soap operas, but upon vigorous inspection of all episodes immediately afterwards, can confirm it was. Granada build the set two-thirds the actual size and use wide-angle lenses when filming. This is most evident when you compare a parked car to the size of the houses along Coronation Street, for the car is standard size. Well, the Clockwork Orange is not dissimilar to this.
The female driver doesn't control the train at all, as can be seen in the above video.
Amidst a little drizzle I walked up from St. Enoch station to Central Station in order to catch the train I'd endured an overnigher for - the 0840 Virgin Trains to London Euston.
390009 was to be my train to London, departing at 0840.
The diagram for the train working this journey (VW942) is reasonably light for the usually hard-working Class 390 'Pendolino' trains that ply their trade along the West Coast Main Line. The set departed Alstom's Polmadie depot at 0759 and travelled empty as 5M09 to Glasgow Central for 0815. It then left with me on board at 0840 as 1M09 to London Euston for 1307 and returned north at 1430 to Glasgow Central as 1S71 for 1912 before returning to Polmadie depot at 1931 as 5S71 for 1946 and covered a total of 806 miles.
A reasonably quiet Glasgow Central station, though most local activity was happening at the other end of the station.
As I walked onto Platform 1 at Glasgow Central a Virgin Trains employee was stood at the entrance by the 'information' sign, and it later transpired that this was the guard for the journey. I was impressed he was stood welcoming passengers and availing himself to anyone who wanted information. This can, of course, help him out in the long run, by ensuring those with advance tickets for a later service do not catch his by mistake and for there to be lots of animosity on board when they're stung for a £100+ fare. That's assuming they query their ticket in the first place, though. This guard also collected mine and others' used breakfast plates in First Class to kill some time. It was very impressive to see him 'mucking in' - and quite the opposite of East Coast's guard on the 2046 from Peterborough the evening before. I have the upmost respect for all train guards/conductors, but so many have the tendency to be last on/first off; to breeze through the train once and never to be seen again.
Two local liveries in evidence here, from inside Coach H of a Pendolino: Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and ScotRail. The former looks very dated indeed, though many prefer the traditional look.
Our service departed on time at 0840 and ran punctually throughout Cumbria and into Lancashire, calling at Carlisle, Penrith and Lancaster before a crew change at Preston. We were served hot drinks and a choice of toast/pastries for breakfast almost immediately. An option for juice also existed. Naturally, when travelling in First Class, you take full advantage of everything you're offered so I didn't turn anything down. The breakfast options were listed over the public address system and I opted for the full English breakfast. Sadly, this is not all it used to be, owing, I understand, to the original menu being difficult to prepare, serve and collect on the shorter London-Birmingham journeys. So, out went the fried bread and beans, but what is served today is very tasty indeed.
The service was attentive and considerate. There was no let-up on the number of times tea and coffee were offered. All very good. From Preston we called at Wigan North Western and Warrington Bank Quay before the non-stop 178.3-mile journey bound for London Euston. We departed Warrington 2 minutes late and were held north of Tring, notching up a delay of 7 minutes at Harrow & Wealdstone and arrived into Euston at 1312 - five minutes late. Except it wasn't, as the 1307 arrival was according to the Working Timetable - the public timetable showed 1312, so we technically arrived on time. That said, I can't think any others on board were equipped with the Working Timetable and so would have been contented with their 'punctual' arrival.
South of Warrington the drinks trolley came round and I found myself with a G&T before noon! The sandwich options weren't as good as they were - during the 2005 Railrover I enjoyed brie and red grape sandwiches, but today had to make do with cream cheese and cucumber. They were still very nice, as were the expensive crisps and weird-looking cookie. And pretzels. And more tea. And a can of London Pride.
Will this all continue under FirstGroup's tenure? I suspect not, though to be fair, Virgin Trains had made it known that they planned to cut in order to meet the new terms of their franchise. For example, Virgin had planned on removing one First Class coach and replacing it with Standard seating. With one less First coach, it would undoubtedly mean fewer staff needed to cater therein.
I headed to the full-size subway and caught another Victoria Line train to Victoria station and headed over once again to Victoria Coach Station to catch my next service - National Express Service 448 to Grimsby at 1400, though I'd be leaving at Peterborough at 1620.
I had to research Gray Line as part of me felt it was owned by Stagecoach (or at least I remembered seeing 'Part of the Stagecoach Group' written below its name when visiting New York in 2008). Gray Line is a separate company, though Stagecoach operates its New York Sightseeing Tours. From what I can gather, they're the parent company of Golden Tours - the newest London Sightseeing Tour bus company, using converted open-top ex-London Dennis Tridents/Alexander ALX400s.
Back in London Victoria Coach Station, my coach was a little busier than last night's 588 to Inverness. Over 30 were on board as we left. And despite the bog-standard leg room, the leather seats were a marked improvement on those found within Bruce's Coaches's Scania/Levante last night. I suspect I could have fallen to sleep easier on this Plaxton Elite-bodied Volvo B9R.
Visible (just) is our driver, Ronnie, who coincidentally has featured once on the blog - Showbus 2009. Not "via Peterborough" on the destination. The majority of this journey is BEYOND Peterborough, thus making the destination display inaccurate for the majority of the route.
There were issues in the Brent Cross area with a burst water main causing havoc and this was causing traffic chaos in Golders Green. It took us over 20 minutes to enter, load and leave the station - woefully inadequate for the size of the coaches that use it. We headed north to Temple Fortune and thence via the A1 to Fiveways Corner and towards Edgware, avoiding Brent Cross completely. We arrived into Peterborough 30 minutes late at 1650. It was still an enjoyable journey and the air conditioning was working well.
Total miles covered are as follows:
76.4 - Peterborough to London (East Coast)
406.7 - London to Glasgow (National Express 588)
397.6 - Glasgow to London (Virgin Trains)
85.0 - London to Peterborough (National Express 448)
965.7 - TOTAL
Part 2 of my Virgin Trains Farewell Tour will take place in October.
