Chiltern's "clever" advertising

[bILLOO]

(Can't find a thread on this...)
Euston LU station is currently full of Chiltern's London - Birmingham advertisments. Made me smile that they've put these here!

 

[SS4]

I saw them when I was last at Euston almost a year ago now. I answered them in my head by saying it was quicker . They are/used to be on a number of black cab's in Birmingham and always outside 'spoons [the square peg if anyone knows brum]

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Just like Virgin put a massive billboard ad outside Birmingham Moor St station once? They've been going at it for months, with adverts flooding each other's stations at times.

 

[SS4]

Just like Virgin put a massive billboard ad outside Birmingham Moor St station once? They've been going at it for months, with adverts flooding each other's stations at times.

They did, I believe it played on time which is less of a factor now that Chiltern have sped up a bit

 

[Minilad]

I love the poster just before the old Curzon Street site as you leave New Street
It simply says "Still a Virgin ?"

 

[Nym]

It's Germany by way of Sunderland v Scotland isn't it?

Would like Chiltern to win out in the end though, especially if they can offer much better service than VT.

 

[aylesbury]

Chiltern deserve to win this battle as they are by far the best TOC in the UK their service and rolling stock are excellent.

 

[Failed Unit]

I don't think to be honest chiltern want 100% of the market. The irony that people may prefer a clapped out mk3 to a pendo must have virgin choking. (in fact why are virgin advertising consider how bad the mk3s are according to them)

Would love to know which is really quicker if you are travelling from Birmingham bullring shopping centre to Marple Arch.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Would love to know which is really quicker if you are travelling from Birmingham bullring shopping centre to Marple Arch.

Some dodgy calculating, but using the headline trains each morning, I get:

Bull Ring-Moor St (allowing time on station) - 7 min
Train - 90 min
Marylebone-Marble Arch (via public transport) - 13 min

Bull Ring-New St - 15 min
Train - 72 min
Euston-Marble Arch - 21 min

Totals:
Chiltern - 110 minutes
Virgin - 108 minutes

Walking across London will make Chiltern a lot quicker; however using Virgin off-peak or using taxis would make Virgin shorter time-wise.

 

[sprinterguy]

I don't think to be honest chiltern want 100% of the market. The irony that people may prefer a clapped out mk3 to a pendo must have virgin choking. (in fact why are virgin advertising consider how bad the mk3s are according to them)

Chiltern's mark 3s are very nicely refurbished thank you very much, courtesy of Wrexham and Shropshire: Nothing clapped out about them Virgin's very own Pretendolino is a very different story IMO though...

 

[monty9120]

Some dodgy calculating, but using the headline trains each morning, I get:

Bull Ring-Moor St (allowing time on station) - 7 min
Train - 90 min
Marylebone-Marble Arch (via public transport) - 13 min

Bull Ring-New St - 15 min
Train - 72 min
Euston-Marble Arch - 21 min

Totals:
Chiltern - 110 minutes
Virgin - 108 minutes

Walking across London will make Chiltern a lot quicker; however using Virgin off-peak or using taxis would make Virgin shorter time-wise.

112 mins on virgin. most of the time there at least 120 minutes. well they have been for me

 

[Ivo]

Is Marble Arch really a fair choice of destination for such a calculation? Most travellers would be heading towards the City, or at least the Oxford Circus area. In these two scenarios, Virgin would win - easily.

 

[Failed Unit]

Probably not, but in would fancy Chilterns chances for anywhere on the Bakerloo / jubilee lines.

 

[TEW]

I don't think to be honest chiltern want 100% of the market.

Well, there is no way they could cater for the whole market. Virgin operate 27 (3x9) carriages an hour, London Midland 12 (3x4) carriages an hour and Chiltern 6-10 carriages an hour, two trains, lengths varying from 3-5 carriages. There is no way Chiltern could carry everybody.

 

[Minilad]

Virgin just rely on all the sheep just doing what they have always done instead of trying something else

 

[Peter Mugridge]

When comparing the respective journey times, do take into account that getting in and out of Moor Street is much quicker and less hassle than New Street, ditto Marylebone relative to Euston.

On Sunday because of the WCML engineering work the Chiltern service was very busy, we were on our way to visit the Beeches Light Railway near Bicester and found ourselves standing next to a diverted passenger. When I pointed out to him that a return, even in the peak, from Marylebone to Birmingham was £25, he was delighted - he travels regularly and was paying £75 a time to go from Euston; he also commented on how much nicer the train was despite the crowding. ( It was a 168, by the way, not a Mk3 set... )

 

[Clip]

Chiltern deserve to win this battle as they are by far the best TOC in the UK their service and rolling stock are excellent.

Not a little bit biased there are we

But they have been doing ads like this for years. Chiltern in the past have even been onto FGW territory and vice versa too. It has to be healthy for the railway as a whole.

 

[SS4]

Chiltern deserve to win this battle as they are by far the best TOC in the UK their service and rolling stock are excellent.

It's relatively easy to run a good service when it's only you running on most of the line. Rolling stock is of course entirely subjective, give me a 350 over a 168 any day
When it comes to time and refreshments Virgin beat Chiltern although Chiltern win on price

Some dodgy calculating, but using the headline trains each morning, I get:

Bull Ring-Moor St (allowing time on station) - 7 min
Train - 90 min
Marylebone-Marble Arch (via public transport) - 13 min

Bull Ring-New St - 15 min
Train - 72 min
Euston-Marble Arch - 21 min

Totals:
Chiltern - 110 minutes
Virgin - 108 minutes

Walking across London will make Chiltern a lot quicker; however using Virgin off-peak or using taxis would make Virgin shorter time-wise.

Why not time it to Marylebone? It's much the same thing, what about Liverpool Street or Bank?

15 minutes from Bull Ring to New Street? You're having a laugh, more like 5 depending exactly where in the Bull Ring you start - the Bull would be fairest as it's roughly equidistant between the two.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Not a little bit biased there are we

But they have been doing ads like this for years. Chiltern in the past have even been onto FGW territory and vice versa too. It has to be healthy for the railway as a whole.

It certainly is healthy, you only need to look at Birmingham to London routes to see that the price is relatively low.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Why not time it to Marylebone? It's much the same thing, what about Liverpool Street or Bank?

15 minutes from Bull Ring to New Street? You're having a laugh, more like 5 depending exactly where in the Bull Ring you start - the Bull would be fairest as it's roughly equidistant between the two.

Timed it to Marble Arch as that's what Failed Unit enquired.

I may well be having a laugh, I can walk it well within 5 (indeed, I once managed Moor St-New St platform to platform in a shade over 6 minutes), however, I factored that on what Google Maps told me, plus additional time for the complexity and busyness of New St in comparison. Not to mention the fact that you always seem to end up behind the world's slowest walker whenever you need to go somewhere quickly . Seriously though, I also thought about how easy it would be to find if you didn't know how to get there, plus the usual in good time for your train carry on. Thinking about it, 15 may be a bit liberal, maybe 10-12 is better. Still, quite close.

 

[DownSouth]

A bit of advertising warfare is not a bad thing, because the real competition is for new rail users, not existing users switching. Sure, there might be a few people for whom the different rail options are near enough to equal that switching could be a good move, but if the campaigns work properly you'll see all three operators gain numbers.

Birmingham-London and Scotland-London are probably the only two major journeys in Britain where the competition aspect of privatisation actually has a chance to work at the moment. HS2 might add extra journeys where this could work, because while the journey on the classic lines might be slower it will be cheaper and attractive to people not on a tight time frame.

 

[Eagle]

It certainly is healthy, you only need to look at Birmingham to London routes to see that the price is relatively low.

Especially London Midland; they're making a big deal out of their ridicu-cheap Birmingham/Coventry to London advances and thrice-hourly frequency (and failing to mention the two-and-a-half-hour journey time).

By the way, Virgin also have a billboard right outside Leamington station too, saying that Coventry to London takes 65 minutes. Bearing in mind that Leamington to London is itself only 68 minutes, and Coventry station is over 10 miles away, I'm not entirely sure who they're trying to influence.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Birmingham-London and Scotland-London are probably the only two major journeys in Britain where the competition aspect of privatisation actually has a chance to work at the moment.

London to Gatwick and Brighton is also highly competitive at the moment, although the 2015 franchise merger will see that off.

 

[cle]

Marylebone's not great for the City (can walk to Baker St I guess) but good for West End on the Bakerloo and for getting a cab, including to Paddington if needed.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

By the way, Virgin also have a billboard right outside Leamington station too, saying that Coventry to London takes 65 minutes. Bearing in mind that Leamington to London is itself only 68 minutes, and Coventry station is over 10 miles away, I'm not entirely sure who they're trying to influence.

They had one on the wall by the down bay a while back which was aimed squarely at passengers who got on at Warwick Parkway who would all be able to see it from the window of their train heading towards London. Warwick Parkway is definitely taking passengers from Coventry station, and I guess it is just as quick and arguably easier to get to by road from the affluent areas of south Coventry too.

 

[RPM]

I love the poster just before the old Curzon Street site as you leave New Street
It simply says "Still a Virgin ?"

This is the one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpmarks/6809222465/
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Just like Virgin put a massive billboard ad outside Birmingham Moor St station once? They've been going at it for months, with adverts flooding each other's stations at times.

They've still got a big advert there but it faces away from the station, towards the car park behind Moor Street. IIRC Chiltern have an advert on the station side of the same hoarding.

 

[Waddon]

Chiltern had some people standing at the entrance to New Street yesterday promoting their service (which I did on the 50p promotion yesterday)
It's much improved, although there are still one or two niggles, such as the MKIII draught you always get due to windows being left open or not closing fully and the vestibule doors not shutting... when are they getting their automatic door stock? Same issue is one reason I'm reluctant to use Grand Central in the winter unless I have a blanket!

Also, returning on an evening train from Moor Street platform 1, I realised how cramped that platform is becoming when busy, they need to consider opening it out more in some way (Or. the better option, running more loco-hauled sets from the other platforms!)

 

[Robinson]

I do remember seeing the "Why are you here?" hoarding a while ago; it was on the way from the Underground station to NR. Last couple of times I've used Euston, though, I haven't seen it. Is it still there?

 

[Failed Unit]

It certainly will be an interesting battle.

Speed? Depends on where you are going - northern and Victoria line destinations virgin, Bakerloo and Jubilee probably chiltern. Don't know where the on foot boundary will exist.
Price? Probably chiltern
Comfort? Don't go there

We will see which is most important. Wrexham and Shropshire had a loyal base despite the longer journey. I often used to do Lincoln - London with a split at Peterborough to take advantage of WAGN before the APs were so widely available. If the overcrowding on the virgin Birmingham route is as bad as some mention I am sure virgin won't miss the passengers anyway!

Not sure why virgin is advertising so hard, most people would not consider chiltern as it used to take so long. There product has not changed. Are they really that worried. Surely advertising at Marylebone is to recover lost custom, in which case they need to fix why they lost it first!

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Also, returning on an evening train from Moor Street platform 1, I realised how cramped that platform is becoming when busy, they need to consider opening it out more in some way (Or. the better option, running more loco-hauled sets from the other platforms!)

Platform 1 at Moor Street gets so busy as pretty much everything from Snow Hill arrives on it so you can have people waiting for London trains, Stratford trains and Dorridge stoppers all on there at the same time. It does cope quite well unless a large group of people from New Street all arrive at once, as tends to happen if the WCML is having problems or an XC to Leamington/Banbury is late or cancelled.

It is however *very* unusual for a loco hauled train to Marylebone to leave from the through platforms at Moor Street. They are all booked to depart from bay platforms 3 & 4.

 

[Eagle]

Speed? Depends on where you are going - northern and Victoria line destinations virgin, Bakerloo and Jubilee probably chiltern. Don't know where the on foot boundary will exist.
Price? London Midland
Comfort? Don't go there

Fixed that for you.

 

[TomJ93]

If anybody fancies a race, I'm happy to organise one? Be nice to have two cars as well, M40 and M1.

I volunteer to take VT, if anyone's interested PM me and I'll start a thread?