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Any updates regarding the return of on-board catering and reopening of lounges at stations?

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Carlisle

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I bet GWR are kicking themselves they didn't take up the buffet option on IETs.
That’d depend on what fit out they’d specified, as currently shops on Voyagers etc aren’t in use due to incompatibility with social distancing I believe.
 
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Ashley Hill

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Are there any shops left on Voyagers,I thought they'd all been ripped out? On IETs if there had been a counter of some sort at least some Perspex sheeting could have been added.
 
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CrossCountry were serving a ‘static service’ from the front of the train when I used them last week. Only one person could go at a time but they had labelled some seats for other passengers to use whilst waiting. It was announced that it was a reduced offering too, but I didn’t get up to go and see what they had.

Can confirm Crosscountry started a limited catering offer from 10th July. It’s a static service at the end of the standard class portion of train on Voyagers (Coach F or L) or Coach B on HST’s.

Only serving tea, coffee, hot chocolate, bottled water, Coke and Diet Coke. Also got chocolate bars, crisps, flapjacks etc. No sandwiches, other drinks or alcoholic drinks at present. Contactless payments only as well. One passenger at a time and there is a reserved waiting area on all services too.

Most services that had catering before COVID-19 have been reinstated, subject to last minute change. I believe the Turbostar services haven’t yet had catering reintroduced though.
 
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Master29

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Can confirm CrossCountry started a limited catering offer from 10th July. It’s a static service at the end of the standard class portion of train on Voyagers (Coach F or L) or Coach B on HST’s.

Only serving tea, coffee, hot chocolate, bottled water, Coke and Diet Coke. Also got chocolate bars, crisps, flapjacks etc. No sandwiches, other drinks or alcoholic drinks at present. Contactless payments only as well. One passenger at a time and there is a reserved waiting area on all services too.

Most services that had catering before COVID-19 have been reinstated, subject to last minute change. I believe the Turbostar services haven’t yet had catering reintroduced though.
Are you referring specifically to Cross Country here?
 

Bayum

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Are TOCs still providing food and drink in first?
 
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Carlisle

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Are TOCs still providing food and drink in first?
I don’t think there’s any currently doing at seat service, it’s a case of walk to the buffet or static trolley if either’s provided to claim whatever complementary offerings are currently available, although that’s probably all changing in a few weeks time .
 
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Bayum

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Apparently I can't eat or drink before my spinal, so question is null and void haha. Thank you anyway!
 

AdamWW

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Even if they'd tried to spec a buffet, would the DfT have let them?
VTEC had to do a lot to persuade the DfT that it was worthwhile on the EC units.

So far as i know (and I may know wrongly because people on the internet have been known to say wrong things sometimes) the choice was out of their hands.
 

dk1

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Greater Anglia resumed catering around a month ago. Initially only serving hot/cold drinks along with chocolate/crisps etc. This was enhanced to Sandwiches & other snacks last week. Hot drinks are all £1. All served from the cafe bar on 745/0s but from a static trolley at the Norwich end on 745/1s.
 

williamn

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Why can you get served at-seat on a plane but not a train? It's a major disincentive to first class travel not to have this service.
 

Huntergreed

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Why can you get served at-seat on a plane but not a train? It's a major disincentive to first class travel not to have this service.
Perhaps the virus prefers rail travel, and particularly enjoys an at seat service?

I do agree it does seem a little odd that no first class catering is permitted on the railway but planes are running, often with no distancing whatsoever and a full at seat service.
 

Jayden99

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Perhaps the virus prefers rail travel, and particularly enjoys an at seat service?

I do agree it does seem a little odd that no first class catering is permitted on the railway but planes are running, often with no distancing whatsoever and a full at seat service.
Full at seat service isn't massively accurate. BA to my understanding chuck a sandwich and a water at you when you get on then stay in the galley full flight, hardly silver service
 

FQTV

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Perhaps the virus prefers rail travel, and particularly enjoys an at seat service?

I do agree it does seem a little odd that no first class catering is permitted on the railway but planes are running, often with no distancing whatsoever and a full at seat service.

Aircraft ventilation is negative-pressure, top down and HEPA filtered for recirculation, analogous to hospital high-dependency units. Aircraft generally operate on a point to point basis, with a turnaround at each airport during which surface sanitisation can take place. Daily sanitisation is also likely to have a longer half-life.

Cabin crew are principally and regulatorally present for safety (life-saving) purposes, but service of food and beverage is a fundamental component of almost all cabin crew’s contractual responsibilities. Airline schedules are vastly reduced, to a proportion way in excess of the rate of staff self-isolation. Cabin crews on airlines with overseas basis are not necessarily unionised. Cabin crews at almost all carriers are under threat of reduced hours, redundancy or fire and rehire.

Apart from that, there’s not much difference between air and U.K. rail travel at the moment.
 

route101

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If the assessments pass it will be a quick re instruction. No at seat in 1st. Tea/coffee only to start with and customers need to got kitchen to order and collect. Bar will be open for Standard with limited range.

LNER guard mentioned in announcement that catering would be coming back in a few weeks
 

FQTV

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There's now a press release on the LNER website:


In a first for the UK rail industry, LNER will begin trials of an ‘at-seat’ catering offer onboard trains this August.
The service will enable customers to order and pay for food and drinks from their phone in the comfort of their own seat, without having to visit the onboard cafe bar.
The digital in-seat app ‘Let’s Eat – At Your Seat’ will be available to customers in both Standard and First Class.
The service will also provide a layer of confidence and reassurance to customers who are looking to stay seated for the duration of their journey.
Let’s Eat – At Your Seat will offer customers on LNER trains a more enhanced, personalised customer service, with the added benefit of being more convenient for those who do not wish to leave their seat and possessions unattended. The ‘at-seat’ service also addresses the 40 per cent* of UK consumers who want to access digital ordering and payment technology to minimise physical contact and support social distancing measures.
Richard Judge, Head of Catering at LNER said: “We are always looking for new ways to provide excellence in our customer experience onboard and this new ‘at-seat’ service will allow us to extend our food and drink offer to customers from the comfort of their own seat
“Customers in both standard and first class will be able to browse the menu in their own time and order at their own convenience, enhancing their onboard experience and improving their journey with us. At Seat Ordering will be in addition to and complement our existing onboard food and beverage services. It will become available, to include our Chef prepared menus, for our First Class customers on completion of successful trials”
Let's Eat - At Your Seat was developed by QikServe, and is the first project to come out of the LNER FutureLabs accelerator programme, which is fast tracking the development of digital projects to improve customer journeys in the rail industry.
Dan Rodgers, Founder and President at QikServe said: “As part of LNER’s FutureLabs Programme, we’re delighted to be the first to deliver Let’s Eat – At Your Seat for a personalised food and drinks offering on LNER train services.
“People are accustomed to ordering food and drinks whenever they want on their phone, so why not on a train too? It has been a privilege working with the team at LNER to create technology that puts the customer at the heart of their service by allowing them to order refreshments when they want.”
With the UK Government advising food retailers to provide contactless solutions to support the economy, Let’s Eat – At Your Seat will allow customers to access the ordering platform through a QR code scan, without the need to download another app.
Developed for use on LNER trains, the Standard Class menu offers a wide range of drinks, snacks, sandwiches and breakfast items. The First Class menu offers extra meals including LNER breakfasts, hot meals and an extended drinks service.
The trial will commence in August, with plans to roll out the offering across the fleet later in 2020.
 

westv

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Isn't LNER's offering similar to what Hull Trains were/are doing?
 

island

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Why can you get served at-seat on a plane but not a train? It's a major disincentive to first class travel not to have this service.
There is no legal restriction on at-seat service on trains; the TOCs have made a commercial and/or risk-based decision not to offer it, although as noted above, this is on the cusp of changing.
 

westv

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Still no free booze on LNER. They also mention that passengers will need to go to the kitchen to collect as their coach letter is announced, so does that mean only one drink too?
 

yorkie

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Still no free booze on LNER. They also mention that passengers will need to go to the kitchen to collect as their coach letter is announced, so does that mean only one drink too?
Surely it will depend on how long the journey is and how busy the train is.

On the train I'm on now (in standard, but the announcements are still coming through) passengers were simply told to visit the kitchen, with no mention of waiting for their coach to be announced, which makes sense as I doubt there are many people in 1st class on this train. Of course, for busier trains, it will make sense.

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