Caledonian Sleeper discussion

[TimboM]

Must have been asleep, Tim, thanks.

GZ

Can't have been on a bustitute then

 

[47271]

I haven't seen anything here regarding the new fares to be introduced with the new stock. The Man in Seat61 has been briefed, here: https://www.seat61.com/CaledonianSleepers.htm

You will need to look down the page past the existing fares, to see that Classic room will be sold from £140 sole, £170 twin.

Better than I had expected, but nevertheless I have not bought what would have been my seventh Flexipass, given CS new-found approach to bustitution being an adequate substitute for a berth.
GZ

I don't know about rail replacement buses, it isn't something that I hear many complaints about from those who use the Inverness section of the Highlander.

That aside, if single occupancy 'Classic' berths are what you're looking for then the stated £140 starting price is already exceeded by the £155 per single journey charged on Flexipass, but it all depends how frequently you travel and whether you need to change things about a lot.

The full 10 journey Flexipass cost has crept up relentlessly since Serco took over. I've yet to see a First Class online price that undercuts a Flexipass single, in other words £140 with no ability to change or cancel, but that day can't be far away I suspect.

However, to be fair to them if £170 becomes absolute top end for a fully flexible single occupancy berth on the new trains then that isn't too disastrous as you say. It's a bit less than what you would pay for a flexible rate in a central London Premier Inn.

 

[tonysk14]

Could someone help me please. Next spring I will be travelling on a 1st Class All Line Rover and would like to use the Highland Sleeper to and from Scotland. Out to Fort William (and with use of a few buses) back from either Inverness or Aberdeen. I have tried to search for fares on the web but can't find the add on supplements for !st Class Ticket holders.

Any suggestions please.

 

[TimboM]

Could someone help me please. Next spring I will be travelling on a 1st Class All Line Rover and would like to use the Highland Sleeper to and from Scotland. Out to Fort William (and with use of a few buses) back from either Inverness or Aberdeen. I have tried to search for fares on the web but can't find the add on supplements for !st Class Ticket holders.

Any suggestions please.

Info here: https://www.sleeper.scot/ticket-type/berth-supplements

You can also make a dummy booking to check the price by selecting the "Berth Supplement" on the booking tab that is on the Sleeper.Scot homepage.

Current prices are £100 (without any railcard discount) - I believe that's pretty standard across the board. Prices aren't coming up by the looks of it for Spring next year, but I believe that's roughly when the Mk5s may be coming in on the Highlander, so there's a possibility they're not advertising prices until they know the switch-over date. You're probably best contacting Guest Services direct if you want to make a booking now.

 

[tonysk14]

Info here: https://www.sleeper.scot/ticket-type/berth-supplements

You can also make a dummy booking to check the price by selecting the "Berth Supplement" on the booking tab that is on the Sleeper.Scot homepage.

Current prices are £100 (without any railcard discount) - I believe that's pretty standard across the board. Prices aren't coming up by the looks of it for Spring next year, but I believe that's roughly when the Mk5s may be coming in on the Highlander, so there's a possibility they're not advertising prices until they know the switch-over date. You're probably best contacting Guest Services direct if you want to make a booking now.

Thank you very much. I will do that.

 

[nlogax]

92033 on n/b tonight.

 

[TimboM]

92033 on n/b tonight.

1S25 I assume you mean (Highlander)
90042 on Lowlander (1S26)

 

[Scotrail84]

Does some clever person know if these new coaches are cleared on the WHL all the way to Ft William? Overheard a some chat about the coaches not being able to be used due to clearance issues or something or other, as I said just overheard it so could have got the wrong end of the stick.

 

[Mag_seven]

I'm just off 1S26 the northbound lowlander - was it my imagination or have sheets been replaced by a duvet? When I was last on the sleeper back in January, I'm sure it was sheets?

 

[herb21]

Probably cost way to much, be very impractical but stagecoach must have some of their sleeper buses from the discontinue sleeper Megabus doing rather little, should hire them for rail replacement services.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Probably cost way to much, be very impractical but stagecoach must have some of their sleeper buses from the discontinue sleeper Megabus doing rather little, should hire them for rail replacement services.

Doesn't the bustitution mostly affect the older Mk2 seated coaches? If so a coach is probably a fair replacement, but in terms of space they should hire enough that everyone wanting a double seat gets one.

As there are 30 seats in a seated Mk2 and a typical coach is 53 seats, one road coach per seated coach should probably do it (on the assumption that at least some people will want to sit together).

 

[Gonzoiku]

Doesn't the bustitution mostly affect the older Mk2 seated coaches? If so a coach is probably a fair replacement, but in terms of space they should hire enough that everyone wanting a double seat gets one.

Not in my experience earlier this year - affected the whole train, coach not big enough for a double seat per passenger, and the legroom was not nearly as good as in a Mk 2 (although I was in a first class berth). Initially offered £5 (in addition to 50% for >1 hour delayed arrival to Inverness). Upped it to £40 in RTV on escalation - I thought they had completely missed the point.

GZ

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not in my experience earlier this year - affected the whole train, coach not big enough for a double seat per passenger, and the legroom was not nearly as good as in a Mk 2 (although I was in a first class berth). Initially offered £5 (in addition to 50% for >1 hour delayed arrival to Inverness). Upped it to £40 in RTV on escalation - I thought they had completely missed the point.

A full refund of the First Class berth would be the minimum I would consider appropriate - a coach seat might be a vague equivalent of a seated vehicle seat, but not even vaguely of a berth. They should also consider offering things like a hotel for the night plus a flight in the morning.

 

[BRX]

A full refund of the First Class berth would be the minimum I would consider appropriate - a coach seat might be a vague equivalent of a seated vehicle seat, but not even vaguely of a berth. They should also consider offering things like a hotel for the night plus a flight in the morning.

I agree.

The last time I was met with a bustitution on the sleeper, they were happy to let us travel the following night instead, which seemed reasonable (obviously not an option for everyone though).

 

[Gonzoiku]

A full refund of the First Class berth would be the minimum I would consider appropriate - a coach seat might be a vague equivalent of a seated vehicle seat, but not even vaguely of a berth. They should also consider offering things like a hotel for the night plus a flight in the morning.

For clarity, in my case it was not a bustitution for the whole journey, but from Perth to Inverness - woken on approach to Perth, hung around for half an hour for a 30 seater, then called at all stopping points to Inverness. I did not expect a full refund, but would have been happy to accept a reinstatement of the Flexipass voucher, at trivial cost to CS - instead they insisted on giving me 50% cash for the delay (which is a cost to CS), and offering £40 in RTV for the downgrade (which I couldn't use to buy an online Flexipass!).

By contrast, a couple of years ago, woken on approach to Edinburgh, hung around for an hour or so, finally taxis arrived. Arrived on time in Inverness, but proactively given full refund.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ah, OK, that makes more sense. I thought you meant throughout.

 

[Gonzoiku]

Ah, OK, that makes more sense. I thought you meant throughout.

I assume that applies to your second sentence (hotel for the night), not your first (not even vaguely equivalent of a berth), no?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I assume that applies to your second sentence (hotel for the night), not your first (not even vaguely equivalent of a berth), no?

Yes, mainly that.

 

[Scotrail84]

Does some clever person know if these new coaches are cleared on the WHL all the way to Ft William? Overheard a some chat about the coaches not being able to be used due to clearance issues or something or other, as I said just overheard it so could have got the wrong end of the stick.

Anyone??

 

[Scotrail84]

Doesn't the bustitution mostly affect the older Mk2 seated coaches? If so a coach is probably a fair replacement, but in terms of space they should hire enough that everyone wanting a double seat gets one.

As there are 30 seats in a seated Mk2 and a typical coach is 53 seats, one road coach per seated coach should probably do it (on the assumption that at least some people will want to sit together).

There are 31 seats in the Mk2 seated cars. There are also be 31 in the new Mk5 vehicles.

 

[Scotrail84]

I'm just off 1S26 the northbound lowlander - was it my imagination or have sheets been replaced by a duvet? When I was last on the sleeper back in January, I'm sure it was sheets?

Always been duvets with sheets underneath and at one time there was tartan blankets as well.

 

[Scotrail84]

Was looking at a old High Speed Services timetable from 2002 , i think due to engineering work on some Fridays , the lowlander departed Glasgow/Edinburgh at around 8pm and got into Euston around 3 or 4am . Yikes thats early

The passengers will have been left sleeping until it was time to wake them up to get off.

 

[Highlandspring]

Anyone?

Will have a look tomorrow.

 

[Scotrail84]

Will have a look tomorrow.

Cheers.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There are 31 seats in the Mk2 seated cars. There are also be 31 in the new Mk5 vehicles.

I sit corrected. But my point stands, really - most passengers would get a double seat, only a few wouldn't and some may not want one e.g. couples might prefer to sit together anyway.

 

[cambsy]

The 2002 very early sleeper arrivals was due to the West coast route modernization, with long weekend posessions to make the line ready for tilt and the Pendolinos, a lot of the fast line track was renewed and the overhead wires were re tensioned etc for 125 mph running from Crewe-London and also Euston had a big track layout change, so in order to beat the possessions the sleeper arrivals were very early, cant remember the exact works going on, but is was major at the time.

 

[philjo]

What time does boarding normally start on the sleepers at Euston?
The PDF timetable on the CS site shows 2200 for the Lowland but when I have used it in the past it was rarely before 2300, though not used it recently. I'm on the Highland Sleeper next week to Corrour - I think that boards around 2030?

 

[Mag_seven]

What time does boarding normally start on the sleepers at Euston?
The PDF timetable on the CS site shows 2200 for the Lowland but when I have used it in the past it was rarely before 2300, though not used it recently. I'm on the Highland Sleeper next week to Corrour - I think that boards around 2030?

I was on the northbound lowlander last night and it started boarding at about 22.15.

 

[47271]

I'm just off 1S26 the northbound lowlander - was it my imagination or have sheets been replaced by a duvet? When I was last on the sleeper back in January, I'm sure it was sheets?

Duvets since the end of BR.

Until then it was sheets and a beigeish tartan blanket to go with the rest of the beigish interior. On reflection the 1980s colour scheme would look retro funkier now than the sickly National Express purples and greens we have, but it isn't going to change now. One original condition inside and out mk3 sleeper would be fun for the final hurrah though - including an attendant in that extraordinary burgundy uniform they put them in. Groovy...

First did supply a wee tartan blanket at the foot of the bed, so maybe that's what you're thinking about. No blankets, tartan or otherwise, under Serco.

 

[amarshe]

Duvets since the end of BR.

Until then it was sheets and a beigeish tartan blanket to go with the rest of the beigish interior. On reflection the 1980s colour scheme would look retro funkier now than the sickly National Express purples and greens we have, but it isn't going to change now. One original condition inside and out mk3 sleeper would be fun for the final hurrah though - including an attendant in that extraordinary burgundy uniform they put them in. Groovy...

First did supply a wee tartan blanket at the foot of the bed, so maybe that's what you're thinking about. No blankets, tartan or otherwise, under Serco.

Definitely had sheets and blankets until around 2010; I was a fairly regular passenger on the ScotRail sleepers until round then and remember the introduction of duvets.