Matt's All line rover trip report

[m4tt]

Saturday 13th August -

Due to strike action, all services through the local were cancelled, with the only option to travel via Chiltern. The 08:28 from Wendover, formed of 165 028 + 165 037, took me to London Marylebone where I walked to Baker Street. The chiltern was not busy which I found a little strange as anyone from the south WCML would have to take one of these trains to get to London. From here I took a circle line train to London St Pancras International. My train, the 10:02 to Sheffield (222 011), was short formed due to cable theft preventing the second unit arriving from the depot. As a result the train was full and standing with first class declassified. Thankfully I got the last seat on its own, otherwise it would have been quite an uncomfortable journey. Nothing exciting happened and we arrived 16 mins late, meaning I missed all connections for the hour. TPE had a 7 hour gap on their Cleethorpes services and no XC services; the appeal to travel was very low.

In the end, I reboarded 222 011 And headed back to London. We had a 10 minute delay at Derby where we attached to unit 222 012 we were supposed to have on the up service. This service was much quieter and a first class service was served after every station. I had spicy chicken pasta, salted crisps, a rocky road bar and a hot chocolate, all of which were very nice. A selection of sandwiches was also offered.

A gap in the timetable would have left an almost hour wait at Marylebone so I chose to take the Metropolitan line to Chesham saving a bit of time and making for a more unique journey.

 

[DelayRepay]

Hey @m4tt, I'm enjoying your posts. Doing an ALR is on my bucket list. I'm currently undecided whether to spend extra on a First Class version so your reports are useful in helping me decide. You also live not far from me so your trips have given me a few ideas.

 

[Snapper37]

Hey @m4tt, I'm enjoying your posts. Doing an ALR is on my bucket list. I'm currently undecided whether to spend extra on a First Class version so your reports are useful in helping me decide. You also live not far from me so your trips have given me a few ideas.

Having done both, I would recommend paying the extra, just makes it more special, and you will appreciate the ability to get a seat when 2nd is rammed. Of course in the good old days a 1st ALR would get you a single berth sleeper for £12 upgrade as well. My advice would also to plan ahead each days moves. Of course any plan won’t survive first contact with the enemy! Also useful to think outside the box, for example getting the bus from Fort William to Inverness, or Ferry from Maliag to Kyle once you get off the sleepers rather than the 156 torture back down the WHL

 

[DelayRepay]

Having done both, I would recommend paying the extra, just makes it more special, and you will appreciate the ability to get a seat when 2nd is rammed. Of course in the good old days a 1st ALR would get you a single berth sleeper for £12 upgrade as well. My advice would also to plan ahead each days moves. Of course any plan won’t survive first contact with the enemy! Also useful to think outside the box, for example getting the bus from Fort William to Inverness, or Ferry from Maliag to Kyle once you get off the sleepers rather than the 156 torture back down the WHL

Thanks, some good suggestions. I'll start my own thread for ideas when my plans are a bit more concrete - I don't want to de-rail @m4tt's interesting topic. I wish I'd done a trip like this when I was his age!

 

[Snapper37]

Having done both, I would recommend paying the extra, just makes it more special, and you will appreciate the ability to get a seat when 2nd is rammed. Of course in the good old days a 1st ALR would get you a single berth sleeper for £12 upgrade as well. My advice would also to plan ahead each days moves. Of course any plan won’t survive first contact with the enemy! Also useful to think outside the box, for example getting the bus from Fort William to Inverness, or Ferry from Maliag to Kyle once you get off the sleepers rather than the 156 torture back down the WHL

Also it’s a really interesting social experiment on how others treat you. I’ve had a passenger get the guard to complain about the wrong sort of person for 1st and I must have stolen the ticket. I had one steward refuse food as apparently a ALR doesn’t include it. I’ve been asked to move to 2nd class by a guard as 1st was getting busy, and they had proper 1st class tickets. Gate staff can be a pain as well, not just disbelief in the ticket, but the actual problem in finding Staff to let you through. Don’t get me wrong it’s a wonderful thing to do, and you will enjoy it, but just be aware…

 

[m4tt]

Also it’s a really interesting social experiment on how others treat you. I’ve had a passenger get the guard to complain about the wrong sort of person for 1st and I must have stolen the ticket. I had one steward refuse food as apparently a ALR doesn’t include it. I’ve been asked to move to 2nd class by a guard as 1st was getting busy, and they had proper 1st class tickets. Gate staff can be a pain as well, not just disbelief in the ticket, but the actual problem in finding Staff to let you through. Don’t get me wrong it’s a wonderful thing to do, and you will enjoy it, but just be aware…

So far I haven't experienced anything like this thanfully, actually more the opposite! I have had staff ask me what my plans are and wish me a good trip. None have given me any grief but getting them to open the barriers can be annoying, especially if they are new or inexperienced. At Waterloo a member of gateline staff had to get her manager as she had never seen a ticket like that before. Thankfully he opened it but if I was in a rush I may have missed my train. Keep that in mind as the ticket does not open barriers

 

[DelayRepay]

Keep that in mind as the ticket does not open barriers

That sounds annoying. And slightly strange - I would have thought that out of all the tickets you can buy (which probably number in the millions), an ALR would be the easiest one to programme at ticket gates. Basically, if it's in date, let it through!

 

[Snapper37]

So far I haven't experienced anything like this thanfully, actually more the opposite! I have had staff ask me what my plans are and wish me a good trip. None have given me any grief but getting them to open the barriers can be annoying, especially if they are new or inexperienced. At Waterloo a member of gateline staff had to get her manager as she had never seen a ticket like that before. Thankfully he opened it but if I was in a rush I may have missed my train. Keep that in mind as the ticket does not open barriers

Sorry didn’t mean to hijack your thread. I do love reading of other peoples trips, brings back happy memories of the times I used to do one or two a year - pre marriage and children…. Promised myself I’ll do another one as a retirement treat. I think it makes a real difference in that you are going home most nights, but in my day you would do the night trains and basically never stop. Only a couple of lounges had showers, plus you carried everything for two weeks in your head bag. I can understand why I got some odd looks in 1st.

 

[m4tt]

Sorry didn’t mean to hijack your thread. I do love reading of other peoples trips, brings back happy memories of the times I used to do one or two a year - pre marriage and children…. Promised myself I’ll do another one as a retirement treat. I think it makes a real difference in that you are going home most nights, but in my day you would do the night trains and basically never stop. Only a couple of lounges had showers, plus you carried everything for two weeks in your head bag. I can understand why I got some odd looks in 1st.

I would have liked to use the Caledonian most nights but apparently they enforce the no under 16 rule and I wouldn't want to be stuck in Inverness with no train home for the night if they refused. Next year when I do a standard one I will aim to utilise it more

 

[furgus2]

Also it’s a really interesting social experiment on how others treat you. I’ve had a passenger get the guard to complain about the wrong sort of person for 1st and I must have stolen the ticket. I had one steward refuse food as apparently a ALR doesn’t include it. I’ve been asked to move to 2nd class by a guard as 1st was getting busy, and they had proper 1st class tickets. Gate staff can be a pain as well, not just disbelief in the ticket, but the actual problem in finding Staff to let you through. Don’t get me wrong it’s a wonderful thing to do, and you will enjoy it, but just be aware…

You‘ve certainly had some interesting experiences. Thankfully, I’ve not had anything so bad. The most irritating gateline is at Euston. Several times, they have read the name of the issuing station and took that to mean where the ticket is valid to. I‘ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been told the train doesn’t go there. I always dress for comfort when travelling so, for instance, shorts for much of the year. I’m sure I must look quite scruffy compared to what might be considered a ‘traditional’ 1st class passenger.
Only once was I asked if I had a 1st class ticket and that was by a woman passenger on a Thameslink service. In reply, I asked her if she worked for the railway. When she said she didn’t, I told her it was none of her business. Similarly, I followed a man into the Virgin 1st class lounge at Coventry. He turned to me and said he’d had to show his ticket to the camera to gain entry but I hadn’t. He then went on at me that I clearly didn’t have the right sort of ticket. My first inclination was to show him that I had but quickly thought better of it and just ignored him. I was really hoping that a staff member would come into the lounge at some point and that this man would accuse me of not having ticket to them. Unfortunately, no one did come in while I was there.
What is great is when a member of staff chats to you about the ticket, about where you’ve been and what plans you have.

 

[furgus2]

I would have liked to use the Caledonian most nights but apparently they enforce the no under 16 rule and I wouldn't want to be stuck in Inverness with no train home for the night if they refused. Next year when I do a standard one I will aim to utilise it more

It‘s just a pity that the sleeper supplement is so much more expensive these days.

 

[urpert]

Monday 8th August -

Today’s travels took me down to Cornwall, somewhere I have not really explored whilst out travelling. The 07:47 LNWR took me into London Euston today, formed of 12 coaches (350 111 + 350 101 + 350 245) which was a nice surprise. Arrival into Euston was 7 minutes late, meaning I would miss my connection at London Paddington so I settled for the slightly slower service 30 minutes later giving me more time to get across London. A quick visit to the Avanti lounge was warranted for some breakfast. The selection is much much better than any other lounge I have been to, there were cinnamon rolls, croissants and some other pastry all in plenty. Drinks and light snacks were also available. Compared to LNER’s lounge at Kings Cross it really puts it to shame.

I then took the northern line to Tottenham Court Road, surprisingly quiet for 9AM on a weekday, where I changed for the Elizebeth line to London Paddington. Another visit to a lounge was had at Paddington. No food or snacks from what I observed but there were drinks in the fridge. I boarded the 09:37 service for Paignton, a 5 car 802 016 vice 9 car it was booked for. If you have read along so far you will know how much I liked the TPE 802’s and I found the GWR equivalents to match in quality. I do slightly prefer the interior on the TPE units however. The train took me as far as Teignmouth. A fairly limited catering service was offered including drinks and biscuits.

I went back on myself to Dawlish, where after a little searching for a way onto the sea wall, I made my way up to Langstone Rock. I did not expect it to be so physically challenging to climb, only to find the cause was due to not going up the intended path hence it was basically a rock climb to the top. The views were amazing providing clear views of the coast and track below. The journey back down was even worse after I again went down the wrong way, this time through a hole in the floor. Safe to say I will not be making a revisit before studying the path to climb. A hasty walk along the rest of the coastline to Dawlish Warren was not enough to make my connection for the 13:48. I caught the 14:28 (150249 + 150248) to Starcross where I changed for the 14:43 (150216 + 1502430) to Newton Abbot. A few minute connection for the XC service to the terminus of Plymouth, a pair of voyagers (220014 + 220015). It was strange to have first class to myself on a cross country service. A 10 minute connection for the 15:55, my first castle set operated by 43198 + 43040. This took me as far as the beautiful town of Lostwithiel where I popped to the shops for a refreshment break. Lostwithiel has some amazing signals which are well worth a look at alone. It was nice to have a talk to the signalman who left the box for a smoke break. He told me about a track issue further up the line at Bodmin Parkway, a kink in the rail causing delays. My service to Par was 35 minutes late operated by another castle set, 43010 + 43029. Trains were parked up at stations south of Bodmin awaiting the track to be fixed. We passed multiple on my next train, the 18:15 to Penzance formed by 9 car 800 319. Upon arriving at Penzance I attempted to enter the first class lounge only to find out it ceases to be one after 18:00! Thankfully the host allowed me in which was nice.

The day went from good to great when I was upgraded from a seat to solo berth on the night riviera sleeper. He initally offered to take the price down from £90 to £60 but he changed his mind and gave me the room for free! This means that i’ll be able to offer a review of the bunks as well as food and shower facilites at London Paddington.

At the time of writing we have just left Penzance on our way to Paddington. Scheduled arrival of 05:03

I hope you enjoyed reading my trip report today and I will let you know in the morning how the night went.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Matt

Really enjoying reading these - thanks!

 

[m4tt]

Really enjoying reading these - thanks!

Glad you are enjoying them!

 

[185143]

That's the thing with CSs no unaccompanied under 16s rule, surely they wouldn't willingly leave a child with a valid ticket stranded overnight on the other end of the country?

I could fully understand a rule of having to have verifiable parental consent in writing, and/or having to be boarded or met by a parent at either the origin or destination, but is it really any different to an overnight transatlantic flight, for example?

 

[m4tt]

That's the thing with CSs no unaccompanied under 16s rule, surely they wouldn't willingly leave a child with a valid ticket stranded overnight on the other end of the country?

I could fully understand a rule of having to have verifiable parental consent in writing, and/or having to be boarded or met by a parent at either the origin or destination, but is it really any different to an overnight transatlantic flight, for example?

It does seem strange to me, I managed to travel on the GWR sleeper to London with no troubles. The ticket helped me get a free beth upgrade too which was handy

 

[m4tt]

A quick question for you all -

What do you enjoy most about the trip reports? I would be happy to write up in more detail about particular things I do or see if anyone is interested

 

[furgus2]

A quick question for you all -

What do you enjoy most about the trip reports? I would be happy to write up in more detail about particular things I do or see if anyone is interested

I enjoy the information about the catering experiences

 

[185143]

It does seem strange to me, I managed to travel on the GWR sleeper to London with no troubles. The ticket helped me get a free beth upgrade too which was handy

That's excellent.

Mainly because if you'd done those seats, I doubt you'd have wanted to step foot on a train ever again frankly. They're relatively tight 2+2, very firm (understatement of the decade) and fixed armrests in the window seats. Put it this way, I got the Sleeper to Penzance a week earlier and spent most of the week desperately hoping the 57 would fail and an IET would substitute. Partly as I'm a big fan of them, but mainly as the comfort is FAR superior. And yes, I do mean in Standard Class.

I fell asleep at Reading the second, and last, time I was in those seats... heading to London! And the Police turned up at Exeter to remove someone who'd decided to make himself comfy at the table across the aisle from me. At least it was peaceful afterwards! Was a relief to hear a couple of people introduce themselves as "PC X of Devon+Cornwall Police" though. Thought I might get some sleep then, but nope.

 

[185143]

Breakfast looks great - apart from the black pudding! How is it that you were able to go on that service before 10?

The refurbishment looks good but I miss the table lights as I think they made things feel cosy on dark evenings.

Going back to yesterday, travelling so much everyday is surprisingly tiring so it’s good and sensible to have an easy day now and then to help recharge batteries. Regarding your fading ticket, you’ll remember that I mentioned that the exact same had happened to me on a previous ALR. It really is ridiculous to issue a 14 day ticket in that format. It costs a bit more because you have to pay for Special Delivery but the last two times I’ve bought an ALR, I’ve used the GWR website which still prints them on card and which can then be kept safely in a traditional ticket wallet.

Anyway, enjoy your day and I hope the aircon works on all the trains you use.

That breakfast really does look excellent.

I suppose really the restriction is mainly about stopping Business travellers buying them to save a fortune on Anytime tickets to London. I doubt many staff, even if they are aware of the restriction, would be bothered when heading away from London, unless at a London terminal of course, particularly if they were approached before boarding. Plus there are loopholes of course, which I'm not pointing out here.

 

[m4tt]

That breakfast really does look excellent.

I suppose really the restriction is mainly about stopping Business travellers buying them to save a fortune on Anytime tickets to London. I doubt many staff, even if they are aware of the restriction, would be bothered when heading away from London, unless at a London terminal of course, particularly if they were approached before boarding. Plus there are loopholes of course, which I'm not pointing out here.

I did try my luck once at Euston a few days ago but station staff said no. If I would have been able to get to the train and ask the onboard staff i'm sure they would have been more lenient.

Are these loopholes things like getting on at Rugby instead of Milton Keynes or are they different? If you wouldn't mind could you message me about them? Thanks

 

[m4tt]

I doubt many staff, even if they are aware of the restriction, would be bothered when heading away from London

The guard on my train just now said he had never seen one before, like quite a few I have encountered

 

[stephens]

Only once was I asked if I had a 1st class ticket and that was by a woman passenger on a Thameslink service.

My answer to being asked that question by a passenger for a 1st class ALR is 'I've got an Absolutely Fabulous ticket, thankyou'. Shuts them up immediately!

 

[DelayRepay]

I enjoy the information about the catering experiences

Me too, especially seeing what's on offer post-Covid on the various TOCs. It's better to read another passenger's experiences than rely on the TOC's websites, which are not always correct.

 

[DelayRepay]

That's the thing with CSs no unaccompanied under 16s rule, surely they wouldn't willingly leave a child with a valid ticket stranded overnight on the other end of the country?

I could fully understand a rule of having to have verifiable parental consent in writing, and/or having to be boarded or met by a parent at either the origin or destination, but is it really any different to an overnight transatlantic flight, for example?

I imagine they'd say it's similar to hotels, which don't let under 18s stay on their own.

What they'd actually do if an unaccompanied teenager turned up to board, I don't know. As you say it would not be safe to simply refuse boarding.

 

[Techniquest]

A quick question for you all -

What do you enjoy most about the trip reports? I would be happy to write up in more detail about particular things I do or see if anyone is interested

The important thing to do is to make the trip report 'yours'. That is, type it for your gain/enjoyment/keepsake/whatever, as you'll end up putting more passion into it that way. The minute you start writing it specifically to please a particular set of people, it'll become work and an effort, so you won't enjoy typing it up.

I left trip reporting alone for absolutely ages, then I decided to go back to it after a long time away. There's no getting away from the fact my trip reports go on quite a bit, but the detail is what makes them more interesting to read in years to come. Looking back at what was enjoyable and what wasn't at the time, where the travels went, all sorts of things like that. As I say, if you've got the passion in there it'll shine out to all your readers, and it'll keep people coming back for more, to find out what happens next and so on.

I haven't commented too much, admittedly, but it looks like you've had a good time overall. It shows in your trip reports that you have, apart from that day when you went to Sheffield and gave up, but that's understandable. I could give you suggestions on what to add or take away from the trip reports, but I haven't anything to suggest in terms of the content. I would like to see some more of your excellently framed photos if you have more, no rush of course, but aside from that keep doing what you're doing

Like I say, keep it kinda like a passion project and you'll enjoy it as will the readers. It might take a lot of experimenting to find what works for you, after all I've tried many different ways of making my trip reports interesting but I'm pretty happy with how they are now. Where possible, I try to immerse the reader in the experience as if they were there themselves, and as you will notice if you read some of my trip reports I have a habit of telling long stories!

 

[m4tt]

Sunday 14th August -

A more lengthy day compared to my past few days, I hope you find this report interersting and informative

Today started from Berkhamsted on the 09:00 service for Birmingham New Street formed of a singular 350 123. The train was busy but seats were still available. I wonder how busy it would have been after Northampton. This service took me as far as Milton Keynes where a same platform change occurred and I moved onto 390 016, a 9 car pendolino. The train was rammed but my seat reservation came in handy, although it did not provide a nice seat as I was stuck in the corner of a 4 with 3 others. I only received a drink but no food order was taken despite seeing others having breakfast. Considering I was travelling for around 2 hours I felt that this was inadequate.

I alighted at Preston where I heard over the tannoy that first class was declassified, perhaps explaining why no food was served. I changed to TPE’s 397 009 which was working a short service from Lancaster to Manchester Airport due to staff shortages. I had the whole coach of 1st class to myself, helped by the fact that not many would be travelling from Lancaster or Preston to Manchester. I was greeted promptly by friendly staff who brought me a bag of drinks and snacks due to how quiet the train was. I found the interior to be nice and modern and not as much of a bumpy ride as last time, presumably due to sitting in the middle of the coach. The journey was quiet and pleasant, running nonstop from Preston to Manchester Oxford Road, arriving 7 minutes early. I continued on to Piccadilly to do some spotting.

I have always heard that Manchester Piccadilly is not very tolerant with spotters but today I had no issues, even seeing a security guard pass me without comment. I stood at the top of platforms 9/10 which gave views of all trains into Piccadilly as well as plats 13/14 for trains to the airport. After around 25 minutes I made my way back down to photograph trains at the bottom of the platforms, again with no issues. The highlight here was the 13:30 to Swansea, formed of a 153, 156 and 158 (150 217 + 153 323 + 158 825)

I rejoined 397 009 back to Preston where again I was served drinks and snacks, something that seems to be hit or miss on many Avanti services despite having ample hosts on board. Usually, Bolton is a pick up/set down only stop however due to TPE’s emergency timetable we did not stop in either direction, although we coasted through at walking pace.

Due to Avanti running late, unsurprisingly, I managed to catch an earlier train in the delayed 13:53 to Edinburgh Waverley formed by a pair of voyagers (221 106 + 221 103) originating at Birmingham New St. This service was much quieter in 1st class with only 3 or 4 others after the manager kicked out a few for having TPE first class, apparently only valid in Avanti standard. We had no onboard catering host but the train manager was able to prepare some meals which was above and beyond what she had to do. I went for the ham and cheese toastie and some pretzels. We ran into more problems down the line as we were held for 10 minutes at Lancaster for what I think was overcrowding as well as being stuck behind a broken down train at Penrith. We were told that the train in front had overheated and as a result terminated at Carlisle.

We eventually arrived at Carlisle where I alighted with my original plan to take the 17:02 to Edinburgh, however upon seeing it was late I hopped on the 16:14 TPE service instead, formed of 397 004. Once again I was the only one onboard a 397 in first class, not helped by both being shuttles of the main service. We had 4 staff members in 1st class which seems a bit overkill to me. I was offered complimentary drinks and snacks (lots of biscuits) before the retail trolley came around and I was offered a beer! Sadly I had to decline for legal reasons being 15 and to not get him in trouble, To say he was shocked I was 15 would be an understatement but that is one of multiple times now staff have assumed i’m over 18. The scenery was stunning on the way to Edinburgh and I witnessed the first rain in around a month. Definitely made the air cooler when we arrived. A quick hop to platform 9 put me on 801 216 working the 18:00 service to London Kings Cross. I was offered a drink and a choice of a tuna or egg sandwich, neither of which I like so settled for some crisps. Considering this is LNER’s flagship route you would think they would offer a hot meal on all trains rather than selected ones. My ticket was checked to which the guard said he had never seen one of these tickets before.

A crew change saw another round of catering including alcohol, soft drinks and snacks. Once again the ride was very bumpy with my drink sliding across the table at any slight curve in the track. In the end I asked for some napkins to place under them to keep them still. We arrived into York ontime, allowing a connection for the 20:44 XC service to Birmingham New St which left 6 minutes after us from Edinburgh. After the challenge of explaining the ticket to the inspector, I was given a diet coke and a pack of biscuits for the 20 minute journey to Leeds which I thought was very good. Arrival at Leeds was on time at 21:07 where I met my dad. We are spending the night in Leeds

A selection of my fav pictures will be uploaded tonight hopefully.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[DelayRepay]

Are you just eating on trains, or are you having to 'top up' with stuff you've bought yourself from home/shops/cafes etc?

I'd be a bit cross to find no catering available (or limited to crisps etc) when paying for a first class ticket. But then I am old enough to remember the days of proper dining cars and on board chefs on intercity services. It is the seemingly hit and miss nature of provision that puts me off spending extra on a first class ALR. For example I would have probably set off without eating breakfast, so I would have been very hungry by the time I arrived in Preston if I was doing your journeys.

I agree that just offering sandwiches on an 18:00 service isn't really great. I think most people would expect/appreciate hot food at this time. From LNER's website, it looks like they offer the Dish menu on this train, but only on Tuesday - Thursday.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Are you just eating on trains, or are you having to 'top up' with stuff you've bought yourself from home/shops/cafes etc?

I'd be a bit cross to find no catering available (or limited to crisps etc) when paying for a first class ticket. But then I am old enough to remember the days of proper dining cars and on board chefs on intercity services. It is the seemingly hit and miss nature of provision that puts me off spending extra on a first class ALR. For example I would have probably set off without eating breakfast, so I would have been very hungry by the time I arrived in Preston if I was doing your journeys.

I agree that just offering sandwiches on an 18:00 service isn't really great. I think most people would expect/appreciate hot food at this time. From LNER's website, it looks like they offer the Dish menu on this train, but only on Tuesday - Thursday.

I recall on my last 1st ALR which was pre Covid, I managed not to have to buy any food except I remember a Greggs move in Plymouth - after a day or so of limited 1st offerings (XC and GWR) coupled with some non 1st class options (GWR Castles HSTs) I needed something warm inside me!

 

[m4tt]

Are you just eating on trains, or are you having to 'top up' with stuff you've bought yourself from home/shops/cafes etc?

If I feel really hungry then I may grab something from a Greggs but other than that no. Most services provide at least a bacon roll in the morning so I haven't found it to be much of an issue.

I agree that just offering sandwiches on an 18:00 service isn't really great. I think most people would expect/appreciate hot food at this time. From LNER's website, it looks like they offer the Dish menu on this train, but only on Tuesday - Thursday.

The dine menu's (the ones with actual meals) only cater for commuters, with all breakfast services going south into Kings Cross whilst all the dinner services leaving Kings Cross in the evening. Why should your direction of travel dictate what service I get?

 

[Andy Pacer]

The dine menu's (the ones with actual meals) only cater for commuters, with all breakfast services going south into Kings Cross whilst all the dinner services leaving Kings Cross in the evening. Why should your direction of travel dictate what service I get?

Must be down to a perceived demand.
I think the old Friday night dinner trains (pre Covid) were all in the down direction too.