MrEd
Member
- Joined
- 13 Jan 2019
- Messages
- 587
Speaking for myself, I've used the sleeper purely for utility reasons rather than treating it as a tourist attraction. Living in southern England and enjoying an annual hiking/backpacking trip in Scotland it is a very convenient way of doing a very long journey without consuming a full day, and getting me there at a very convenient time to start my hiking trip as soon as I leave the train. The timing of the sleeper form Euston is conveninent as I have time to cook and eat an evening meal before leaving home, so don't have to worry about whether I'll be able to eat on the train. If I were to travel to the Scottish highlands on a daytime train I would have to buy split tickets and break the journey in Glasgow or Edinburgh long enough to find a nearby pub/restaurant for an (early) evening meal. That's quite tricky if I want to go to Fort William as the train journey from Glasgow is long and infrequent, so needs some careful timing, and will likely be expensive.
That’s so true. I can’t imagine you’re alone in your experience. For many people, the sleeper is all about convenience. I think there is very much a market for a convenient overnight service (aimed more at those who need to get from A to B for work or leisure purposes) as opposed to an attraction in itself, and a market which CS neglected before Covid.
I heard some very positive things about how well the CS staff treated essential travellers during the lockdown, and I’m sure that their offer of free travel for NHS workers during that awful time was very much appreciated. I do hope that CS do everything they can to support these essential workers and make them welcome on the trains post-Covid; these are the very people that CS should be supporting; it is for them, after all, that this train is subsidised and ran throughout the lockdown. It’s almost like they found a heart and a soul they never knew they had.