There”s no doubt about it: after years of neglect, poor service, late operations and an ageing fleet that had frankly become a national joke, the train is starting to get itself noticed as a viable form of transport in the UK.
But can it become a first choice for business travellers, who, as never before, have a plethora of airlines plying up and down the country with an average flying time of around an hour?
Well, the evidence is becoming more and more clear. VLM has pulled off the London City-Liverpool route, while air services from the UK capital to Manchester are coming under increasing attack from rail.
But what about long-distance? Is there real merit for the business traveller to use train services to Scotland, for example? ABTN took a look at Virgin Train”s Pendolino service from Euston to Glasgow.
Arriving at London”s Euston Terminus will become a far more pleasant experience when the eventual planned investment kicks in, but even now, catching the 10:28 to Glasgow is a straightforward enough experience.
Bang on time, the train glided slowly out of Euston, with First Class passengers able to opt for a 2x2 or 1x1 seating configuration opposite each other. If 1x1 the table is slightly small for two laptops to operate simultaneously, but one is no problem and rests upon linen tablecloths and ready-laid cutlery.
The seats are wide and deep and although the smaller than usual windows take some getting used to, they are widely credited, along with Pendolino”s Alstom-built design, in saving a great many lives following the February crash at Grayrigg. Indeed, Virgin chairman, Sir Richard Branson, was moved to declare: ”It”s built like a tank.”
Swiftly building up speed into Hertfordshire, staff pass through the carriage offering orange in a glass or tea in a cup ” an important detail when so many airlines provide cardboard cups and plastic cutlery. Passengers can opt for either a continental or cooked breakfast and if the latter, it”s the works, although it does take a fair time to arrive. One First Class carriage on this service was situated by the kitchen ” not overly noisy but is replete with the usual kitchen bustle and aromas.
Once up to speed the Pendolino, as its name suggests, really does tilt at quite an angle, but it”s a sensation very easily accommodated and does add a certain excitement. Once the full West Coast Main Line is finished in 2009, Pendolino trains will run at 135mph (216kmh), not quite TGV speed, but not far off either and which will mean a sub four-hour journey to Glasgow from London.
A nice touch is at-seat audio featuring 14 channels of music and speech and, although several weren”t operating on this service, staff will provide good quality, free headphones. Otherwise, to while away the time, The Times is handed out free and passengers can read the extremely informative on-board magazine, Hotline.
The very hard-working and attentive staff pass regularly through the carriage, offering more tea, coffee and snacks, while after Preston and a crew change ” gloriously the Glasgow service only calls at Preston and Carlisle ” a decent lunch is served, featuring on this occasion, goat cheese and spinach tart, while alcohol and cakes pass by later.
Virgin also offers a loyalty club scheme ” Traveller for those making eight First Class return or 16 single journeys within a consecutive three month period. Benefits include: free First Class travel, including a partner, at weekends as well as all day Friday and up to noon on Monday; reserved parking at 16 UK stations, priority seating in First Class on Pendolino trains and complementary alcoholic drinks, including a partner, in Euston”s First Class lounge.
Rather oddly, just across the Scottish border, most of the detritus from the 4.5h journey was piled up on one empty seat and left for some time before collection, but really apart from that, the service was utterly faultless, relaxing and replete with a very generous catering service. The real question for the business traveller is time and although London-Manchester/Liverpool, even Preston, is perfectly feasible in a day, Glasgow is probably not, requiring an overnight stay.
Should Virgin Trains achieve its sub four-hour journey time to Glasgow, then the service might just be at a realistic cusp, but as airlines operating from London to Paris have found out, once the train offers genuine competition, very few passengers will opt for the airport slog.