Virgin Trains can't serve coffee without bags?

[najaB]

I'd imagine...

You don't need to imagine, LordCreed clarified the situation in post #58.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Of course the answer to the hot drink bag problem is to always travel 1st class.

Or buy your coffee at the station before you board: it's nicer, better value for money, and you don't get patronised by the staff!

 

[Chrisgr31]

Or buy your coffee at the station before you board: it's nicer, better value for money, and you don't get patronised by the staff!

But then you have the issue of having to juggle drink cup, luggage, whilst trying to find your ticket and insert it in the barrier.

 

[jopsuk]

Well, there's often coffee stands beyond the barrier. But in your scenario it is of course much easier with a bag.

Although on a five hour train journey that only sees you through the first ten minutes

 

[LLivery]

That makes no sense. In First Class EMT they gladly give you a scalding hot coffee in a mug.

 

[najaB]

That makes no sense. In First Class EMT they gladly give you a scalding hot coffee in a mug.

At your seat though, or do you walk through the carriage holding it?

 

[AlterEgo]

That makes no sense. In First Class EMT they gladly give you a scalding hot coffee in a mug.

That's service at your seat though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

But then you have the issue of having to juggle drink cup, luggage, whilst trying to find your ticket and insert it in the barrier.

Put down cup on barrier, insert ticket, retrieve ticket, replace ticket in wallet, pick up coffee, walk through barrier. They stay open for ages, I never bothered to work out how long but it's plenty of time to do that.

Not recommended, of course, at a very busy station, unless you like a brolly in the back!

 

[fairysdad]

Put down cup on barrier, insert ticket, retrieve ticket, replace ticket in wallet, pick up coffee, walk through barrier. They stay open for ages, I never bothered to work out how long but it's plenty of time to do that.

Not recommended, of course, at a very busy station, unless you like a brolly in the back!

Or, walk up to the manned disabled gate, vaguely show your ticket in the direction of the harassed staff member who opens up the gate for you to go through. Helps if you've also got a couple of bags of luggage as well though...

 

[PaulHarding150]

Not in Scotland!

Nor Wales.

However - bags on trains are - regardless of which nation they're in.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I remember years ago, paper cups with hot drinks in were supplied with an outer sleeve, protecting your hand so you could carry it safely. That doesn't stop spillages caused by the train lurching though. You don't seem to get those sleeves now, which means hot hands or asking for a second cup to put the first one inside.

In any case, in the event of a wobble I'd have thought that a paper bag full of scalding hot liquid is more dangerous than a cardboard cup full of the same liquid.

 

[ExRes]

In any case, in the event of a wobble I'd have thought that a paper bag full of scalding hot liquid is more dangerous than a cardboard cup full of the same liquid.

If the liquid is in just the cup then it spills directly out, if it's in a cup in a bag then it needs to get through the bag as well, that's obvious, surely, or perhaps in your area they put the liquid straight into the bag?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I remember years ago, paper cups with hot drinks in were supplied with an outer sleeve, protecting your hand so you could carry it safely. That doesn't stop spillages caused by the train lurching though. You don't seem to get those sleeves now, which means hot hands or asking for a second cup to put the first one inside.

In any case, in the event of a wobble I'd have thought that a paper bag full of scalding hot liquid is more dangerous than a cardboard cup full of the same liquid.

Starbucks certainly still use those sleeves. Costa insulate the cups with similar material (corrugated cardboard, basically) stuck to them instead. On-train there's no need as you get a bag.

 

[graham11]

Buy yourself a Contigo mug and make some proper coffee at home .

The mug can be shaken , dropped , tipped upside down and will not leak and keeps coffee hot for at least 5 hours.

Better than a cardboard cup .

Graham

 

[Llanigraham]

Buy yourself a Contigo mug and make some proper coffee at home .

The mug can be shaken , dropped , tipped upside down and will not leak and keeps coffee hot for at least 5 hours.

Better than a cardboard cup .

Graham

And how does that work when I want a coffee on the train at 1000, having left home to catch the train at 0630?
(As will be the case next week)

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If the liquid is in just the cup then it spills directly out, if it's in a cup in a bag then it needs to get through the bag as well, that's obvious, surely, or perhaps in your area they put the liquid straight into the bag?

There's no need to get smart. :roll: If it spills out of the cup, it is then in the bag- and I don't fancy carrying a paper bag with hot liquid in it. The issue I have with this is that if we need protecting from the hot liquid, a paper bag is scant protection. The aforementioned sleeves (or a better cup design) and a lid that actually stays on would be better protection, and the high-street seems to manage to provide that. This is yet another reason not to bother using on-board catering, and therefore another reason it will continue to die a slow death.

 

[headshot119]

And how does that work when I want a coffee on the train at 1000, having left home to catch the train at 0630?
(As will be the case next week)

As stated it keeps it warm for 5 hours. So you have 90 minutes of warm coffee.

 

[najaB]

If it spills out of the cup, it is then in the bag- and I don't fancy carrying a paper bag with hot liquid in it.

But at that point, as you say, it is in the bag rather than the lap/face of the person who you happened to be passing at the time. Giving you time to recover your footing and dispose of said bag containing hot liquid.

 

[cjmillsnun]

In the mid 1980s on London-Leicester trains, it could be hard work to get a hot drink back to you seat intact. The timetable was such that some services got a clear run with no scheduled stops, arriving at Leicester well ahead of the public timetable. Nobody complained about the relatively rough ride as they knew it worked to their advantage. Driver got a short tea break as well (observed). No paper bags then.

Paper bags have been mandatory for 40+ years now I certainly got them whilst travelling on the MML.

 

[Clip]

Im amazed this thread got this long this quickly but all the H&S reasons aside it is just so much easier to carry stuff back from the buffet in a bag thus keeping one hand free to hold on to seat backs where necessary.

Im amazed anyone would get a little bit irate at this too as its the one thing the railway actually gets right.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There's no need to get smart. :roll: If it spills out of the cup, it is then in the bag- and I don't fancy carrying a paper bag with hot liquid in it. The issue I have with this is that if we need protecting from the hot liquid, a paper bag is scant protection. The aforementioned sleeves (or a better cup design) and a lid that actually stays on would be better protection, and the high-street seems to manage to provide that. This is yet another reason not to bother using on-board catering, and therefore another reason it will continue to die a slow death.

Cups used onboard are identical to those used in coffee shops. And they can and do burst open if dropped.

The bag contains the liquid for long enough to put it on the floor, where it will not cause any bodily harm, just a need to get the Vax out.

And with a bag you can still grab a pole if necessary.

 

[Deafdoggie]

I once spilt a coffee in the bag, it made the bag soggy and fell through it! London Midland would not sell coffee (when they did refreshments) if the train had no tables! They used to wheel the trolley up and down, unable to sell anything!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not fitting tables to the 350/2s was about the most stupid design decisions they could possibly make, given that coffee is almost mandatory for commuters.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Not fitting tables to the 350/2s was about the most stupid design decisions they could possibly make, given that coffee is almost mandatory for commuters.

Plenty of commuter trains without tables.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Plenty of commuter trains without tables.

And all of them should have them. I don't mean full sized ones, I mean coffee shelves.

 

[Joe Paxton]

And all of them should have them. I don't mean full sized ones, I mean coffee shelves.

Aha, that makes all the difference!

 

[sheff1]

...it is just so much easier to carry stuff back from the buffet in a bag thus keeping one hand free to hold on to seat backs where necessary..

Indeed it is, if you are going through the train, but when you are transferring the drink from the buffet counter to seat 44 on a VTEC Mallard set, a bag is totally unnecessary and, despite accusations of petulance, I see nothing wrong in pointing that out to someone who states that a bag must be used.

 

[swt class 450]

I am currently on a Virgin Train to Glasgow Central and there has been an announcement several times that the Virgin Shop in Coach C is unable to serve coffee, tea or hot food as they don't have any bags.

Is this a regulation and is it unique to Virgin Trains or across all companies?

In the end on my train a trolly service came up and down the train to serve people hot drinks to people who wanted them.

This is just completely and utterly ridiculous! The health and safety rules on our railways are just constantly getting more and more ridiculous!

This is also a complete waste of paper bags. They must unnecessarily go through thousands and thousands of paper bags just because of their over the top policies.

Many people buy hot drinks just a few minutes before boarding their trains and i have never heard of any major problems with people spilling hot drinks onboard the trains. And even on the trains there is nothing stopping the person from taking their hot drink out of their bag before they reach their seat.

 

[Temple Meads]

This could be too much of a balanced sensible thought, but perhaps the best policy is to use paper bags where they are available but if they happen to run out, to continue to serve hot drinks?

The waste is a concern as the bags do inevitably seem to end up in mixed waste not recycling.

 

[najaB]

This is just completely and utterly ridiculous! The health and safety rules on our railways are just constantly getting more and more ridiculous!

As has been pointed out already on this thread, hot drinks in paper bags has been 'a thing' for nearly 40 years.