East Midlands Railway first class

[317 forever]

I am due to travel first class from London to Sheffield with EMR early in the evening on Easter Monday.

I am wondering what catering may be on offer? Their website refers to what is available on Mondays to Saturdays, but in some contexts Bank Holidays are not included (being treated like a Sunday).

Also, even if they offer free coffee, I reckon this would just be from a trolley rather than a refreshment shop as such.

Any insight as to what is likely to be offered will be welcome, thanks!

 

[Iskra]

Water/Orange Juice/Hot drinks and biscuits/slice of cake I imagine. I travelled on Easter Sunday once and still got that from memory. In the absence of catering staff the guard has previously done refreshments.

 

[317 forever]

Water/Orange Juice/Hot drinks and biscuits/slice of cake I imagine. I travelled on Easter Sunday once and still got that from memory. In the absence of catering staff the guard has previously done refreshments.

Thank you for letting me know.

I was hoping ideally for a sandwich and coffee, but preferred to know in advance and plan accordingly.

 

[43066]

Thank you for letting me know.

I was hoping ideally for a sandwich and coffee, but preferred to know in advance and plan accordingly.

There should be sandwich options, although they’re nothing to write home about, in all honesty. I’d pick something up from M&S instead.

 

[yorkie]

I am due to travel first class from London to Sheffield with EMR early in the evening on Easter Monday.

I am wondering what catering may be on offer? Their website refers to what is available on Mondays to Saturdays, but in some contexts Bank Holidays are not included (being treated like a Sunday).

Also, even if they offer free coffee, I reckon this would just be from a trolley rather than a refreshment shop as such.

Any insight as to what is likely to be offered will be welcome, thanks!

Yesterday for me there was one trolley run, consisting of instant coffee or tea, cold drink options and unhealthy snacks. No sandwiches.

On my booked train there was no 1st class, and no seats, I had to step back a train to actually get a seat, let alone first class service.

I don't know how Easter Monday will compare but it will very much depend on the time of day, how many coaches are on the train, sporting events and other factors, but I would definitely not board the train in need of food/drink and I would also arrive early as the queuing system means that you are not guaranteed to get your booked train, let alone a seat on it.

I am going to make the same journey next Sunday, but later in the evening, so if I remember to do so, I can report back.

 

[317 forever]

Yesterday for me there was one trolley run, consisting of instant coffee or tea, cold drink options and unhealthy snacks. No sandwiches.

On my booked train there was no 1st class, and no seats, I had to step back a train to actually get a seat, let alone first class service.

I don't know how Easter Monday will compare but it will very much depend on the time of day, how many coaches are on the train, sporting events and other factors, but I would definitely not board the train in need of food/drink and I would also arrive early as the queuing system means that you are not guaranteed to get your booked train, let alone a seat on it.

I am going to make the same journey next Sunday, but later in the evening, so if I remember to do so, I can report back.

Thank you for your recommendation not to rely on a good snack or coffee.

Being in coach G I think it means there will be 10 coaches, but sometimes trains can be short formed.

I will be interested to see how you get on this weekend.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Thank you for your recommendation not to rely on a good snack or coffee.

Being in coach G I think it means there will be 10 coaches, but sometimes trains can be short formed.

I will be interested to see how you get on this weekend.

I think G features on a 5 car set.

 

[yorkie]

Thank you for your recommendation not to rely on a good snack or coffee.

Being in coach G I think it means there will be 10 coaches, but sometimes trains can be short formed.

I will be interested to see how you get on this weekend.

Very long queues at St Pancras today for Nottingham/Sheffield services, as covered by another thread.

The trains I saw (I can't speak for all trains) were declassified. There was confusion over the status of reservations, with many passengers unable to reach their booked trains due to the huge length of the queues. I am now on a train and there is no 1st class and no catering of any form whatsoever. Staff said no first class but said nothing about being entitled to claim a part refund.

Unfortunately, the experience I have is very much that neither EMR or LNER, as companies, care about customers. However, some of the staff have been great; the staff I spoke to at St Pancras were doing a great job. But there are a lot of agency staff there who really don't know anything other than which queue is for which train.

So many people are displaced from their originally booked trains, and there is a lot of confusion regarding alternatives; the result is that Corby services have spare capacity while Nottingham and Sheffield services are absolutely solidly packed with customers facing delays of up to 2 hours or possibly more. Some people are going to miss their last trains home, if relying on connections.

See this thread:

St Pancras safety concerns at top of EMR P1-4 escalator (11/02)

Possibly because of the billions (really) already spent on HS1, Thameslink, Southeastern Javelin and LUL Northern Ticket Hall all with full lift access that cut out previous schleps to Victoria, Waterloo and Pentonville Road, etc.? Thyat's because the Thameslink service on its two platforms...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[richardderby]

I gave up with EMR St pancras services some time ago, and take the LNWR from Euston and change at Tamworth.
Eight car electric trains, permanently declassified first class carriages and fares around half the price... Slightly longer journey though, and connections can be tight...

 

[Andy Pacer]

Very long queues at St Pancras today for Nottingham/Sheffield services, as covered by another thread.

The trains I saw (I can't speak for all trains) were declassified. There was confusion over the status of reservations, with many passengers unable to reach their booked trains due to the huge length of the queues. I am now on a train and there is no 1st class and no catering of any form whatsoever. Staff said no first class but said nothing about being entitled to claim a part refund.

Unfortunately, the experience I have is very much that neither EMR or LNER, as companies, care about customers. However, some of the staff have been great; the staff I spoke to at St Pancras were doing a great job. But there are a lot of agency staff there who really don't know anything other than which queue is for which train.

So many people are displaced from their originally booked trains, and there is a lot of confusion regarding alternatives; the result is that Corby services have spare capacity while Nottingham and Sheffield services are absolutely solidly packed with customers facing delays of up to 2 hours or possibly more. Some people are going to miss their last trains home, if relying on connections.

See this thread:

St Pancras safety concerns at top of EMR P1-4 escalator (11/02)

Possibly because of the billions (really) already spent on HS1, Thameslink, Southeastern Javelin and LUL Northern Ticket Hall all with full lift access that cut out previous schleps to Victoria, Waterloo and Pentonville Road, etc.? Thyat's because the Thameslink service on its two platforms...

www.railforums.co.uk

Unfortunately I think this is just a normal weekend on EMR. Gets even worse when the West Coast or East Coast is down.

I live near Leicester (in fact right next to the MML), but prefer to drive to Rugby and use the WCML to London for more comfort and substantially cheaper.

 

[30907]

Unfortunately I think this is just a normal weekend on EMR. Gets even worse when the West Coast or East Coast is down.

The East Coast was down yesterday (and today).

 

[WesternLancer]

I am due to travel first class from London to Sheffield with EMR early in the evening on Easter Monday.

I am wondering what catering may be on offer? Their website refers to what is available on Mondays to Saturdays, but in some contexts Bank Holidays are not included (being treated like a Sunday).

Also, even if they offer free coffee, I reckon this would just be from a trolley rather than a refreshment shop as such.

Any insight as to what is likely to be offered will be welcome, thanks!

When provided refreshments are served from a trolley in 1st, at seat, from end carriage galley

the free 1st class offer - if provided in full is usually:
Tea / coffee / water / juice
crisps / biscuits / cake slices
Cold sandwiches - if lucky choice of 3 types but hit and miss - if they are short on stock they do not always bring them all round - so I tend to ask the trolley person if they have any sandwiches on board today.

I personally find the quality of the sandwiches not up to much - below standard of the M&S sandwiches on sale at St P in my view

Basically do not rely on it if you think you might be hungry and you are going all the way to Sheffield - pick up a drink and something to eat before you board at St P or from home.

If you get the full offer treat it is as a bonus!

But as per here they claim not to offer the 1st class offer on Sundays and a bank holiday may class as a sunday....

The 1st class seating and carriages are more pleasant than the tired state of most of the standard class interiors, and with luck will be less crowded.
From late on the day before travel Real Time Trains will show what unit is allocated to your service and thus how long you can expect the train to be.

If 10 cars made up of 2 units it may be worth checking with crew before departure if they have catering in both of the units (if any 1st class offer on b - holiday that is)

Food and drink | EMR

From breakfast to supper, discover a range of refreshments on board our trains.

www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

First Class​

Choose from a selection of quality complimentary food, tasty treats and drinks, all served at your seat by your on board host throughout your journey. Our complimentary offer will be available to First Class customers Monday to Saturday.

On our Monday to Friday morning services, you will be offered a choice of a hot filled breakfast roll which includes a gluten-free option. Whilst we will make every effort to avoid any cross contamination, there is always a possibility of trace amounts of gluten crossing over within our small galley kitchen, therefore we cannot guarantee that our breakfast roll menu items are free of gluten. The hot breakfast rolls are served along with individually wrapped snacks including pastries, breakfast bars and biscuits.

On our Saturday morning services you will receive a cold breakfast offer of a sandwich, along with a selection of biscuits, yogurts and pastries.

Please note the breakfast options are provided up to and including the following services: 10:00 leaving Sheffield, 09:50 leaving Nottingham, and the 10:05 leaving London St Pancras.

In the afternoon there will be a choice of either a sandwich, wrap or salad, cakes and crisps, along with a selection of hot drinks, waters and fresh juice. You can now purchase alcohol on board, see the full range of alcohol available below.

The food provided during our on board First Class catering service is subject to availability.

We do not offer the First Class complimentary offer on Sundays.