This is for all of the Trainzers in the U.K.

[jordon412]

I've been reading about the new types of trains now operating in the U.K. on Wikipedia, but I feel it would be better to go straight to the source: the passengers. I am curious to know:
1. What is your favorite Train Operating Company and why?
2. What is your least favorite Train Operating Company and why?
3. What is your favorite piece of rolling stock and why?
4. What is your least favorite piece of rolling stock and why?
5. Are there any changes that would make the travel by rail better?
Just curious.

 

[edh6]

I haven't travelled widely enough to give a proper answer to 1 and 2, but I've never found any of them to be that dreadul (note: I've never used Southern ).

3) I'm not a big fan of any modern rolling stock...

4) Pacers, they are like badly built buses with the road tyres swapped for rail wheels, they are really horrible.

5) A ticketing system with an understandable fairs!

 

[amigacooke]

Well, I mostly use Southern exclusively to go to work, so can't really answer 1 or 2 from any broad experience.

3. If pushed I'd say the Flying Scotsman (for no particular reason)
4. EMU without plug sockets for customers ( got to charge the phone ;-)
5. More considerate passengers

 

[edh6]

4. EMU without plug sockets for customers ( got to charge the phone ;-)

None of the ones I've ever tried actually work...

 

[johnwhelan]

Virgin 1st class travelling from Liverpool to London isn't bad, the seats are very comfortable. If you prebook and travel about 11 am the price is almost affordable. Mind you at 125 mph the narrow boats on the canal flash past too quickly. The snacks are good as well. Comparable to Via Rail first class but Via only travels at a much slower rate.

First class on one of the other lines, well I've sat in economy aircraft with more leg room and seat width. I didn't bother too much which line it was on. I have noticed though that when travelling it is not a good idea to ask the station staff which platform for the next train to where ever they only tell you their company's next train which might not be the fastest or the next one.

Trains to avoid, local rail if its a football match on. London in the rush hour, any line.

I usually pick up a non residents 1st class pass saves having to fight the ticket system. The one that if you get off a station too early you have to pay extra fare. If you're in the Oster area of London the system isn't too bad. Dockland's light rail is fun, a bit like a roller coaster sometimes. It is driverless so you can look out the front where you'd expect the driver to be.

Catching a local train in Liverpool once only to be told they're working on the track so we'll drop you off here and send a bus. Well yes but if you're next train is a mainline with a fixed time ticket with a different company that can be fun.

Make it better - just have one company run the system. At the moment you can buy a ticket from one place to another but you can't go the most direct route because that is through another company's territory.

Railways work better if they are integrated.

Cheerio John

 

[clam1952]

5. Not finding seats reserved on a full train that remain empty for the whole journey!

 

[robd]

The only train I use, and quite infrequently, is the Northern Rail local from Greenbank to Chester and back, usually for an afternoon out in Chester with drinks. The trains are really old rattlers, usually pacers I think, they're mostly filthy and the toilets are disgusting.

As a matter of interest, the line use to be part of the CLC, Cheshire Lines Commitee system and it's quite a scenic journey, as it passes through Delamere forest.

Coming back after an afternoon out in Chester and a belly full of beer it doesn't seem so bad!

Rob.

 

[wholbr]

Hi everybody.
First Group are franchised to operate almost exclusively here in the South West of England originally running under the name of First Great Western which has now been changed to GWR. In the foregoing their performance on services to the west of Bristol is in general very good.

In recent years the company have introduced through services from London to Weston Super Mare and Taunton as against all services from the capital via Swindon terminating at Bristol Temple Meads as happened during the days of British Rail. The foregoing has been very much to the benefit of us rail commuters living in North Somerset.

That stated there has been much critical comment on the services First Group provide to the east and south of Bristol with gross overcrowding on services to Gloucester, Worcester, Porsmouth and Southampton.

My favorite rolling stock without doubt would be the complete HST125 sets. When introduced in the mid nineteen seventies they turned the tide in the fortunes of passenger rail in Britain and have gone on to become (in my humble opinion) the greatest consists ever to run on the British rail network. Sadly after more than forty years of service they are to be withdrawn from the North Somerset/Bristol to London services next year.

When the last HST departs it will indeed be a very sad day for many of those who have travelled so many miles in their care, Having the memories of the scream of those turbo diesels acselerating the train as it past through Royal Oak after a long day of work in London will be for so many of us forever in our memories.

Worst train operating companies most defiantly Southern and Thameslink.

How could things be improved. Well, reducing the number of train operating companies to no more than four in England with those companies being responsible for not only train services but track maintainence also in the regions they are responsible for. The foregoing is much inline with government plans for the railway's which I feel will make for greater stability and efficiency.

The present rail structure has undoubtedly in the opinion of many regular rail commuters failed its user base compleatly in recent years.

Bill

 

[nathanmallard]

1. ScotRail by far. Excellent customer service, reasonable ticket prices, fast, modern and very comfortable trains (well, at least the 380s are. Older DMUs and EMUs not so much).
2. Bloomin' Northern Rail. Only runs tatty DMUs, ridiculously expensive tickets for very short distances (£19.90 for an off-peak, anytime return ticket for one adult from Hull to Scarborough) and makes horribly misjudged rolling stock choices, like putting two-car Pacer units on the Hull to York service which really should be at least 3 coaches and a buffet.
3. The best trains on the Network ATM, hands down, are either the HSTs or the InterCity 225 sets. Very spacious and very reliable. Also pretty much anything else using a Mk3 or Mk2 coach.
4. Pacers are more or less universally hated. Other unpopular vehicles include the 4-car 'Voyagers' (nicknamed 'Vomiters' predominantly operated by Cross-Country Trains (again operated on ridiculously unsuitable routes, on odysseys like Penzance-Bradford and Cardiff-Aberdeen. Here's what the interior looks like:

I haven't been on one for ages but one of the reasons behind the nickname is that they get very hot and stuffy when the heating's on and that when the toilet tanks fill up the smell is overpowering and apparently enough to make people literally vomit.
5. More understandable (and cheaper!) fares are must, even fairly well-off people are being priced out of rail travel now. Another change that is now thankfully taking place is the replacement of cheap DMUs with proper intercity trains.

 

[rjhowie]

I like ScotRail too as I live I the northern part of the kingdom however have always had a soft spot for NIRailways. Over there was the worst of the 4 home nations for rail closure a goodly number of decades ago. Probably around three-quarters actually gone. Whole areas of N. Ireland have no railways and what is left is well run by NIR and the supervising lot. There is no Network Rail and evena petition to bring back a short line from Portadown to Armagh city got nice words from the politicians but that was all.

 

[Vern]

Voyagers do have rather pleasant sounding underfloor engines though, usually around Seat 53 gives a good "throb". That said, I wouldn't want to do Penzance to Aberdeen on one at least not in Standard Class and the First class fare is probably dearer than flying!

 

[FiachraIR]

Although I am from Ireland, I use a Sail and Rail ticket alot which is probably the best ticket you can get if you like a ferry trip and long train journeys.
Anyway,
1. Arriva Trains of Wales, Now yes they do have the oldest of DMUs in the UK but they have the most energetic staff and the best customer service. And as its Wales, the services are quite and relaxing. And sometimes on a late train from Swansea-Shrewsbury the drunk students are a great laugh, sound chaps to talk to at 3am unlike the students heading back to London who are just noise.

2. CrossCountry, its just a service to them, no life whatsoever and its kind of depressing sitting in a seat surrounded by such miserable people on their commute to Birmingham as if its a morgue. As mentioned above the Voyagers get very stuffy and whenever I'm on one its packed full of people, not a nice service.

3. The Class 172 Turbostar ie The new London Midland Trains on the Birmingham Snow Hill Line. Now it seems pretty random but after an unusual sweltering day and walking ages in hot weather, I arrived at the station and went under shade but it was still roasting but then the train came and when I got on it was like walking into a fridge, it was such a good feeling and thats whats important, AN AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY WORKS!! I will also like to give a shout out to the 150 Class Sprinter that these trains replaced as I'll never forget the amazing roar and fast acceleration whenever leaving a station. And another shout out to the HST, what a train, I remember the first time I saw one, I was on the end of the platform and it had a pigeon lodged in at the front of its nose, station staff were closing the doors and was then signaled to leave, it slowely started off and the driver blew that iconic horn and the front of the train passed me followed by the incredible roar of the engine and after speeding up with silent carriages passing by but at the same time hearing another roaring engine getting closer and closer until it roars past and you got to see those red eyes disappearing into the distance, it gave a new meaning to the Doppler Effect anyway!

4. Them bloody Pacers, can't stand them especially at night in south Wales when bus like doors are shaking and theres a draft and the noise of the wheels coming through the doors with flies everywhere, not nice at all for a long journey. A dishonorable mention must be noted to the Parry People Mover, like the Pacer it sits on four solid wheels and so has a see-saw motion when going over worn track. Luckily the parry people mover only travels a short distance from Stourbridge but since theres not much of a barrier between the cab and the customers you get to hear all the warning sounds it makes when moving presumably from the see-saw motion.

5. Everyone talks about the benifits of Nationalisation but I'm not really fussed as connecting trains isn't that bad, what is bad is the cost of a fare. Funfact about fare prices, it is cheaper to Travel from anywhere in England and Scotland to Rosslare Harbour(which is in Ireland) using a Sail and Rail ticket THAN buying a rail ticket from the exact same place to Fishguard Harbour(which is in Wales that is the connecting port for Rosslare Harbour in Ireland). So its cheaper to travel to Ireland from Britain rather than Britain to Britain.

In Ireland, we have recently become very modern regards Rolling Stock such as high speed Intercity Trains and Versatile Commuter Trains with slightly older trains working on freight. We have very cheap fares in comparison with the UK but as our rail system is Government owned it is always shrinking, with line closures and reduced services in passenger and freight where the Government favours road transport, constructing motorways and having rail services replaced by bus services.

 

[johnwhelan]

Although I am from Ireland, I use a Sail and Rail ticket alot which is probably the best ticket you can get if you like a ferry trip and long train journeys.

Now that looks interesting, fly into Dublin then ferry / rail into the UK. Anything to avoid Heathrow. Now does the 747 bus take me from the airport to the port?

Thanks

Cheerio John

 

[Vern]

In Ireland, we have recently become very modern regards Rolling Stock such as high speed Intercity Trains and Versatile Commuter Trains with slightly older trains working on freight.

On the few occasions I visited Ireland in the early to mid-80's I used to love the Cravens coaches, similar to a BR Mark One but crossed with an early Mark 2, deep comfy seats and steam heat too. The Irish rebuild of the BR Mark 2D air-con coaches were also extremely nice inside - seats like an armchair even in Standard class (compared to the seats BR latterly fitted which were like slabs of concrete). Put a little GM on the front of the train thrashing away and it was about as genial an experience of rail travel you could get.

 

[pfx]

Put a little GM on the front of the train thrashing away and it was about as genial an experience of rail travel you could get.

In that case, you'll be pleased to hear that RPSI Dublin Operations are returning GM 121 Class 124 back to mainline standard. They've already got the engine running after the loco's extended stayover in Inchicore.

 

[FiachraIR]

Now that looks interesting, fly into Dublin then ferry / rail into the UK. Anything to avoid Heathrow. Now does the 747 bus take me from the airport to the port?

Thanks

Cheerio John

I'm not too sure about any bus service in Dublin I'm afraid.

In that case, you'll be pleased to hear that RPSI Dublin Operations are returning GM 121 Class 124 back to mainline standard. They've already got the engine running after the loco's extended stayover in Inchicore.

That's really impressive Pfx, I've seen videos of her running in and out of Connolly Shed, Great Work