Grand Central Discussion

[91101]

We can agree on that one!

 

[BOSCH]

We can agree on that one!

One of the drivers actually mentioned naming one "Ian Porterfield" and this guy has no NUFC/SAFC connections,quite touching I thought.

 

[Techniquest]

NO NO NO NO NO !!!!!!!!!

I can just about live with Heaton,Marilyn and New Yorker but being an NUFC supporter the other 3 are no go's for me, The Ops Director was tryng to wind me up last week by saying he wouldnt mind naming one of the PC's "Stadium Of Light"...My response is unprintable !!!!!!!

Good man! I can only imagine the response to such a suggestion!

What about 'The Great Struggle' for a name!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

To VXCFAN,I was at heaton yesterday morning to prep the set (cdl etc) and was in the cab of 43080 when it started up,OMG,the amount of clag she produced was unbelievable ! Best start getting the cryogenics sorted mate !!!

You can't tell I've not been near a Valenta for a week can't you?!

 

[djw1981]

And naming a train after a car company would hardly be great!

 

[Techniquest]

Gen from a GC e-mail:

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Passenger services begin Tuesday 18th December[/FONT]​

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Grand Central's long-awaited passenger services from Sunderland to London Kings Cross will begin on Tuesday (18 December).

The first direct passenger train from Wearside to London for almost 20 years will leave Sunderland at 06.46 hrs on Tuesday, reaching Kings Cross at 10.32 hrs. It will return at 16.50 hrs from the capital, and is scheduled to reach Sunderland at 20.35 hrs.

Until the delivery of its remaining fleet of passenger vehicles, an interim weekday timetable will then commence, with a daily departure (Monday to Saturday) from Sunderland for London at 06.46, returning from Kings Cross at 16.50. There will also be a service at 11.27 from Kings Cross to York (arr. 13.19), returning from York at 14.10 (arriving in London at 16.05).

Due to engineering work on the East Coast Main Line over the Christmas period, Grand Central services will not operate on 23/24/25/26 December. Services will resume on 27 December, with a 12.30 hrs service from Sunderland to London and the full service of three trains per day in each direction is expected to be launched in the second half of January.

All Grand Central's Sunderland to London services will call at Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe (for Teesside), Northallerton, Thirsk and York. After the Christmas/New Year holiday period, they will all feature a full restaurant service, open to both first and standard class passengers. Free wi-fi connection throughout the train will be fitted in January.

The new Grand Central services will open up new journey opportunities to the capital for passengers from Sunderland, Hartlepool, Teesside and York, and providing an opportunity for business and leisure travellers from the South East to make direct journeys to the Tees Valley and Wearside.

For up-to-the-minute details of the interim timetable, and information about buying tickets for Grand Central services, customers are advised to visit the Grand Central website: grandcentralrail.com

Our team has worked extremely hard to reach the point where we are at last able to offer our first scheduled passenger services. I would like to thank them for their hard work and commitment and also to thank all our potential passengers for their forbearance, and for the many messages of support we have received in recent weeks.

After the regrettable delays caused by late delivery of our rolling stock fleet, following its refurbishment, I am confident that we will now be able to provide the service which people in Wearside, Teesside and North Yorkshire have been patiently awaiting.

Tom Clift
Managing Director
Grand Central Railway Company Limited[/FONT]​

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Wooooooo-hoooooooo![/FONT]​

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*Makes desperate plans to get on a GC move ASAP!*[/FONT]​

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[Craig]

Quick question as I can't find it anywhere. What are the fares, std and first, single and return with my interesting being from Sunderland and York to London.

 

[91101]

£69 for a return from Sunderland and £64 from York, Bosch, has discussed this in another thread

 

[yorkie]

£69 for a return from Sunderland and £64 from York, Bosch, has discussed this in another thread

Frankly, no-one is going to pay £64 for a york-london. It has no excess value as it is TOC-specific. The Any Permitted fare is £75.10 and allows travel via various lines and various companies with total flexibility. The £64 is almost like an advance purchase in that the trains are so infrequent and you would have to be sure of getting GC trains there and back.

GC will have to rely very heavily on ORCATS revenue...

 

[theblackwatch]

Frankly, no-one is going to pay £64 for a york-london.

Are you sure about that? I am sure my employer isn't the only one where people regularly have to travel from York to London for the day, and cannot book AP tickets as meetings are not normally arranged months in advance. We regularly use the 08.37 off York which is the first train a 'cheaper' walk on ticket can be used at a fare of £114 return. GC is offering a walk on fare of £64 return on the 08.22, and the 16.50 back is an ideal time (most at our place catch a train back between 16.00 and 17.00) - so offering a saving of £50.

 

[yorkie]

Are you sure about that? I am sure my employer isn't the only one where people regularly have to travel from York to London for the day, and cannot book AP tickets as meetings are not normally arranged months in advance. We regularly use the 08.37 off York which is the first train a 'cheaper' walk on ticket can be used at a fare of £114 return. GC is offering a walk on fare of £64 return on the 08.22, and the 16.50 back is an ideal time (most at our place catch a train back between 16.00 and 17.00) - so offering a saving of £50.

Hang on, are you saying the £64 is a PEAK ticket? If you can get to London on the 0822 and 1650 back then yes I think they will sell a lot of tickets!

However the impression I got was that a supplement of £15 single is made for off-peak tickets on peak trains. I was told (or did read) that the 1650 would count as peak, however it is not clear if the 0822 counts as peak (business savers can be used, savers can't, at that time on NXEC).

If it is a straightforward replacement of the £75 saver, with £15 supplements each way applying to the 0822/1650 then I maintain they'll get no sales. After all, if you pay £64 and miss the 1650 you are stuffed! the ticket cannot be excessed for another train! you would have to buy a brand new ticket or stay the night.

 

[Mintona]

So, off the subject of fares...does anyone know if the first service has actually run today? I can't find it on National Rail's live departure boards...

 

[theblackwatch]

Hang on, are you saying the £64 is a PEAK ticket? If you can get to London on the 0822 and 1650 back then yes I think they will sell a lot of tickets!

However the impression I got was that a supplement of £15 single is made for off-peak tickets on peak trains. I was told (or did read) that the 1650 would count as peak, however it is not clear if the 0822 counts as peak (business savers can be used, savers can't, at that time on NXEC).

Any idea where you've got this £15 supplement idea from? Looking at the archive of GC's website back in May at http://web.archive.org/web/20070502075729/www.grandcentralrail.co.uk/our_service.html , it gives a fare then of York-KX at £60 and states All the above fares are for travel on any Grand Central service. No restrictions will apply.. Has there been some change in this policy, as back in May there obviously wan't any intention to start charging supplements? (The £4 is obviously just a fare increase.)

 

[Coxster]

1N26 left KGX one down.

 

[yorkie]

I think there has been a change in policy (or it may be that when the original fares were quoted they didn't think they could get a peak departure time from KGX?).

I found it here but I think have seen it elsewhere, and I did ask a member of staff about it, I was told the 1650 would incur a supplement, but he wasn't sure about the 0822 at that time (this was a few weeks ago).

I think GC really don't know how many people will be trying to use 'any permitted' fares on their services at these times, they are probably trying to assess demand and react accordingly.

I think it will be extremely difficult for them to come up with a fare structure that is very simple but also competetive at off-peak times while not resulting in overcrowding at peak times. A major problem that they have is that the nature of the industry they are working with has very complex fares. I certainly appreciate their desire for their own fare structure to be simple - but having a simple structure within a complex overall system isn't going to be without it's problems and anomalies, I fear.

 

[theblackwatch]

I found it here but I think have seen it elsewhere, and I did ask a member of staff about it, I was told the 1650 would incur a supplement, but he wasn't sure about the 0822 at that time (this was a few weeks ago).

Perhaps one of the GC guys on hear could clarify things for us with regard to supplements?

 

[richa2002]

NO NO NO NO NO !!!!!!!!!

I can just about live with Heaton,Marilyn and New Yorker but being an NUFC supporter the other 3 are no go's for me, The Ops Director was tryng to wind me up last week by saying he wouldnt mind naming one of the PC's "Stadium Of Light"...My response is unprintable !!!!!!!

As far as I remember though, GC doesn't run through Newcastle . Bring on those names, except Reg Vardy, that's a bit much!

*Speaks as a Sunderland supporter*

 

[Tom]

AFAIK, the ECS do

 

[richa2002]

AFAIK, the ECS do

Bah, Sunderland is still more relevant . Nice to see 1N26 running 3 early through Peterborough!

 

[Demps]

got the 13:16 york, allbeit a few minutes late, thrashing up to york. Looked pretty empty onboard.

 

[richa2002]

Not surprised really, I guess Grand Central will have to really publicise the fact the service has started to get more passengers.

 

[adambro]

Was in London to see the first service arrive, a few minutes early if I remember correctly. I've uploaded a couple of photos to http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Grand_Central_Railway.

 

[Sir_Clagalot]

7 early in the Cross! There were a few passengers on board, including one with an expensive ticket, who couldnt believe the GC fare!! Also picked up a few at Northallerton and Thirsk this morning!
KGX did have us as a charter on the boards (eventually), but they did Announce our Arrival!!

 

[adambro]

Indeed, saw the York departure listed as a charter. The arrival announcement did note that it was the very first service. I guess I'll have seen you SC.

 

[BOSCH]

Indeed, saw the York departure listed as a charter. The arrival announcement did note that it was the very first service. I guess I'll have seen you SC.

You probably saw me as well then,I was the Senior Conductor at the door of the TRSB.

Pssst,dont tell anyone but Sir Clagalot nearly didnt make it today,lazy boy knocked his alarm off and went back to kip ,lol,

 

[Sir_Clagalot]

*cough*, erm yes! I was so tired that I just rolled over and went back to sleep!! Woke up an hour later, cue much swearing and cursing!!

I did, however, still make it with plenty of time to spare!!

 

[Demps]

you boys see me?

I was going to go to the station this evening, but, i couldnt hitch a ride.

 

[adambro]

GC have now launched an e-ticketing system, see http://www.mobitix.thetrainline.com/gc/advancePurchase.aspx.

 

[Sir_Clagalot]

Looks like it could be on the Avantix tomorrow then! Yippee!

 

[me123]

GOod to hear you're up and running at last: may you have many successful years running up the ECML.

 

[BOSCH]

GOod to hear you're up and running at last: may you have many successful years running up the ECML.

Cheers for that,