I actually quite liked Beam. The selection wasn't extensive but I thought it was a nice option to have.
Never used it but did many people use it?
I actually quite liked Beam. The selection wasn't extensive but I thought it was a nice option to have.
Newark and Retford also have them.I didn't have time to take a photo, but all the "Stand Here for Coach X" signs at Peterborough are now in LNER branding.
It's coming!
I completely agree, it was quite a slow, battery draining service, but definitely made the journey quickerI actually quite liked Beam. The selection wasn't extensive but I thought it was a nice option to have.
What did you want to know about them?No mention anywhere regarding e-tickets, P@H etc.
That they wouldn't be deleted as happened when VTEC changed websites although it's been confirmed elsewhere that that won't (shouldn't?) happen.What did you want to know about them?
I didn't have time to take a photo...
Definitely not this time.That they wouldn't be deleted as happened when VTEC changed websites although it's been confirmed elsewhere that that won't (shouldn't?) happen.
Definitely not this time.
In general I found Virgin to be a more friendly face for the East Coast. From day 1, the guys over at Twitter Towers began to spread the Virgin brand, and started to offer a more friendly way of service. It felt less corporate, and more of of an incentive to choose Virgin over flying. The guys over at design were (and still are) great to communicate with, and were always happy to share some of their designs, for what could've been, and what should've been... I still think it was a shame that they didn't use the same West Coast livery, but they did an amazing job with the livery, which felt like a mix between the original West Coast livery, and the second West Coast livery... I wish we could have seen their full plans for their unified livery post WCP. Even down to the MD David Horne, who was always happy to communicate with passengers! It became a much more personal experience.
Onboard, they enhanced the service in First class, with leather seats, and better catering... Their full refresh of each set, despite their imminent retirement, made the trains have a more warm look on the inside, with the red, and black seats. With the new Beam service along side the West Coast, travel in standard became more competitive with the airlines.
Lounges were overhauled, and brought up to the West Coast standard. It seemed as if the East Coast was becoming 'cool' again, just like their West Coast sister is... The new Azuma branding, gave trains that some may perceive as boring new trains, a name that everyone recognised, and now refers to even away from the East Coast.
VTEC had its problems, and I am completely aware that in some cases they didn't go far enough, especially in the loyalty scheme of running. That being said, Virgin in some aspects revolutionised the East Coast, and gave it a bit of character, which it hadn't seen before. I think in general, some people on this forum haven't treated VTEC with a lot of the credit it deserved. They were only 3 years into their franchise, and the majority of changes couldn't be implemented due to the failure of the PUBLIC network rail. Despite all the failures pushed at VTEC, they did a good job with the bad lot they had, and for that they can't be knocked. I can't help but believe the DFT are making a mistake by introducing an operator of last resort, when Virgin had so much to offer.
To all the staff, and the management, thank you for a great 3 years!
VTEC had its problems
Check the TVMs as wellThe coach marker boards on Newcastle platform 4 now have LNER branding, however the VTEC branding remains on the marker boards on platform 3
Edit: the coach marker boards on platforms 2 and 3 have been replaced in the last hour, meaning that all of the VTEC coach marker boards have now been removed at Newcastle
The lounge refresh was also a good thing...
Over the last twelve months it really feels like VTEC have become about style over substance. To give an example which felt like VTEC in microcosm. Whilst waiting in the first class lounge in Kings Cross yesterday afternoon they had a masseuse providing free massages. In the hour I was there I think she had one taker. It's an nice headline perk. However I can't help but feel that more passengers would prefer that VTEC spend the money that they're spending on providing that service on providing glasses for cold drinks in the lounge rather than plastic coffee cups.
Where was a passenger expected to leave their luggage while having a massage?
Opening the lounges to all and sundry (resulting in overcrowding) and replacing desks which provided space to work with 'futuristic' chairs was not, in my opinion, 'a good thing'. I think most passengers holding First Anytime tickets just want a quiet space to rest and/or work, not a crowded boisterous space with the option of a free massage. As usual with Virgin, get rid of the useful, basic things (e.g. reliable catering, first class quiet coaches) and replace them with gimmicks.
Only some of the TVMs have been updated, the card only ones still have VTEC branding on the screensCheck the TVMs as well
You think they provided a private room for this? It was just done in a quiet corner of the lounge! No need to lose sight of one's luggage.
Personally opening the lounges to holders of 1st Advance tickets made sense as otherwise, outside of London, they were all dead. Before that restriction lifted I used them when I had a Reward Lounge Pass and I'd regularly be the only passenger taking advantage of the facilities at which point they're surely pointless if no one uses them?
I can see an argument for having the £10 fee still being in place in London Kings Cross as that lounge does get very busy (but I've always been able to get a seat) but outside of London it would be crackers in my opinion.
Under DOR East Coast, anyone purchasing even a moderately priced (£34+) 1st AP ticket received enough Rewards points for a lounge pass (and, not being lounge-specific, this pass was valid at both departure and arrival stations).* Under Virgin Stagecoach / VTEC, the eqivalent is 34p off at Sainsbury's - not enough even for a bottle of water. DOR's system worked fine. Anyone who wanted a lounge pass got one (within reason), overcrowding was avoided and maintenance costs were kept low. (*Also of interest is that anyone holding a Standard Anytime Single ticket got enough points for a lounge pass and plenty more besides, whereas Virgin / Stagecoach run a lounge pass lottery for less loyal customers while offering no lounge passes for high-spending standard class passengers.)
stand around on draughty platforms or try and find a seat in tiny overheated waiting areas aka Darlington,
In general I found Virgin to be a more friendly face for the East Coast. From day 1, the guys over at Twitter Towers began to spread the Virgin brand, and started to offer a more friendly way of service. It felt less corporate, and more of of an incentive to choose Virgin over flying. The guys over at design were (and still are) great to communicate with, and were always happy to share some of their designs, for what could've been, and what should've been... I still think it was a shame that they didn't use the same West Coast livery, but they did an amazing job with the livery, which felt like a mix between the original West Coast livery, and the second West Coast livery... I wish we could have seen their full plans for their unified livery post WCP. Even down to the MD David Horne, who was always happy to communicate with passengers! It became a much more personal experience.
Onboard, they enhanced the service in First class, with leather seats, and better catering... Their full refresh of each set, despite their imminent retirement, made the trains have a more warm look on the inside, with the red, and black seats. With the new Beam service along side the West Coast, travel in standard became more competitive with the airlines.
Lounges were overhauled, and brought up to the West Coast standard. It seemed as if the East Coast was becoming 'cool' again, just like their West Coast sister is... The new Azuma branding, gave trains that some may perceive as boring new trains, a name that everyone recognised, and now refers to even away from the East Coast.
VTEC had its problems, and I am completely aware that in some cases they didn't go far enough, especially in the loyalty scheme of running. That being said, Virgin in some aspects revolutionised the East Coast, and gave it a bit of character, which it hadn't seen before. I think in general, some people on this forum haven't treated VTEC with a lot of the credit it deserved. They were only 3 years into their franchise, and the majority of changes couldn't be implemented due to the failure of the PUBLIC network rail. Despite all the failures pushed at VTEC, they did a good job with the bad lot they had, and for that they can't be knocked. I can't help but believe the DFT are making a mistake by introducing an operator of last resort, when Virgin had so much to offer.
To all the staff, and the management, thank you for a great 3 years!
You can fly two people return between London and Edinburgh for less than £100? You'd spend a third of that on transport to the airport...Totally agree the service improved so did the trains. Back under public ownership I believe it will be like when the trains were grey it will be a worse service.
Virgin only owned about 10% but always seemed more with the branding.
For me the issue is price. London Edinburgh is about £100 for two even with a railcard. I can fly cheaper. That said I looked at same joruney on West coast line as it was double and this is fares for October 2018..
That's surely to compensate for the biting cold on the platforms!? When the wind is blowing just the right direction Darlington is downright freezing