Does anyone know anything about the Birmingham-Stanstead route on CrossCountry?

[snuk]

Hi all,

I hope that this is the right place for my question, if not please accept my apologies.

Occasionally we travel between Nuneaton and Birmingham New Street on the Stansted to Birmingham route now operated by CrossCountry - I appreciate that the journey is only about 25 miles or so.

We travelled twice towards the end of last year and on both occasions we had to stand on the return journey.

Due to health problems I find this uncomfortable. I need to visit Birmingham again in the very near future - possibly Monday and have been considering upgrading my ticket to first class in the hope of being able to find a seat - also I'd appreciate the extra room and comfort - some of the seating in standard class - the ones without the tables - have no leg room at all and I'm over 6 feet tall. I think the trains they use are Turbostars.

My main concern about upgrading to first class is - does this give me any better chance of finding a seat - that is, without booking and reservation?

Does anyone know how many first class seats these trains have?

I've been on the CrossCountry website and every option I have chosen - standard and first class says "no seats available". I wondering if this is genuinely the case or it was due to the options I had chosen?

I phoned up CrossCountry and after about 15 minutes in a queue was transferred to an offshore call centre who were worse than useless.

I would pre-book my tickets at least a week in advance but I've not been sure which day I am travelling as it is very much dependent on my health which varies from day to day.

Not sure what to do - I would love to turn up at Nuneaton station and just buy the ticket and be 90 percent certain of there being a seat available in first class but concerned that this might not be the case. I might as well just save £10 or so and stand up in standard class.

Any advice greatfully appreciated.

Kind regards,

Steve.

 

[renfespotter]

Hi steve
Cannot help with the seating details but I can confirm that the service uses Class 170s.

 

[bengolding]

Yes, the Stansted/Cambridge - Birmingham trains are always often full and standing between Leicester - Birmingham and vice-versa.

All of the 170s on this route now convey First Class accommodation - a compartment of 9 First Class seats in a 2+1 configuration. At peak times then can get busy but at off peak times are almost always empty, and the sole occupants tend to be rail staff with free passes.

There is a First Class Day Return fare at £19.80 from Nuneaton - Birmingham New St, which you can buy before travel. Note, that you may find it more comfortable to use the trains to/from Leicester (xx42 from Nuneaton and xx52 from New St), as you'll probably get the added comfort of the entire compartment all to yourself.

I use this route regularly, and my main complaints are that there is no consistency with the other XC routes:

1) Although there are catering trollies on this route, no complimentray drinks are offered in FC

2) No FC advance fares are available at all on this route, which is ridiculous given that at off-peak times the FC on the 170s is hardly used and I'm not going to justify having to consistently spend on First Anytime Returns out of my own pocket. If First Advance fares were available, I and many others would use it - and I'm sure there is plenty of time, given that it runs through some rather posh places.

 

[87015]

For £19, it must be far cheaper, and if time is no object, to pop via Cov on the shuttle (always lightly loaded apart from a few peak trains) and then have a choice of half-empty Pendos into New St (also only get busy peaks).

 

[snuk]

Many thanks for the replies. I've checked the price of a return from Nuneaton to New Street via Coventry. National Rail Enquires says that it's £15.20 and CrossCountry say that's £8.40.

To confirm, I'd have much more chance of finding an empty seat in first or standard class on the trains from/to Leicester only than the ones that go through to Stansted?

Thanks again,

Steve.

 

[bengolding]

If you only want to pay for a FC ticket, then you're much better off getting a seat on the Leicester trains (xx42 out and xx52 back). You're very unlikely to have to stand in Standard, and you'll save over £11 on the First Day return fare. On the return, you can get the Stansted train, so long as you arrive 10 mins before departure.

On the other hand, if you're only after FC, you can pay for that, or you can go via Coventry on the shuttle and get a complimentary hot drink on the Pendolino.

 

[glynn80]

2) No FC advance fares are available at all on this route, which is ridiculous given that at off-peak times the FC on the 170s is hardly used and I'm not going to justify having to consistently spend on First Anytime Returns out of my own pocket. If First Advance fares were available, I and many others would use it - and I'm sure there is plenty of time, given that it runs through some rather posh places.

But at only 9 seats per train as you previously state is it really worth XC introducing them? They would not be allowed to fill all 9 seats with Advance ticket holders as a certain quota must be left for walk-on fares so there is practically no point introducing Advance tickets on this route.

 

[yorkie]

Many thanks for the replies. I've checked the price of a return from Nuneaton to New Street via Coventry. National Rail Enquires says that it's £15.20 and CrossCountry say that's £8.40.

Nuneaton-Brum is £8.30 but isn't technically valid (but would probably be accepted) via Coventry as it's not a valid route on map WM.

However,

NUN-COV = £4.10
COV-BHM = £4.10
Total = £8.20

I think if someone went via Coventry and the guard checked the RG (unlikely) and found it not to be valid, the excess would be -10p, as you can't have a negative excess, it would be a zero excess. AIUI.

All above fares are Off Peak Day Returns (code CDR) without a railcard.

Avantix Traveller is useful for looking up fares: http://theticketcollector.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/3/

To look up routes, use the Routeing Guide.

National Rail Enquiries are useless as they employ people who appear to have had no training in the RG or fares (or, if training was provided, it went in one ear and out the other). It is possible to figure them out without training but that requires an IQ above about 90. Hence calling NRES is a frustrating experience.

 

[Philip Elliott]

Many thanks for the replies. I've checked the price of a return from Nuneaton to New Street via Coventry. National Rail Enquires says that it's £15.20 and CrossCountry say that's £8.40.

To confirm, I'd have much more chance of finding an empty seat in first or standard class on the trains from/to Leicester only than the ones that go through to Stansted?

Thanks again,

Steve.

What time are you travelling?

Coming back from Birmingham in the aftertoon the 16.09 & 16.52 always have seats. The 17.22 is now booked for a 3-car so will probably have plenty of seats (never ran particularly busy when it was a 2-car).

In the morning the 08.42 is your best bet - the 08.18 usuallt fills up at Nuneaton but few passengers are left standing (unlike last year).

 

[snuk]

Many thanks for the replies.

Philip - at the moment it looks like a mid-morning departure from Nuneaton, between 1000 and 1100 hopefully, but unlikely before 1000.

As for the journey I would guess after 1400 but definitely before 1600/1700.

Sorry I can't be more specific - which is why I haven't pre-booked.

Kind regards,

Steve.

 

[Philip Elliott]

At those times of day you shouldn't have any problems. The 10.42 is a booked 3-car aswell as the 14.52 off Birmingham.