Vending Machines

[Egg Centric]

I've been on trains in other countries with vending machines. Why can't we have them here? Ideally they should do hot drinks.

 

[webbfan]

I've been on trains in other countries with vending machines. Why can't we have them here? Ideally they should do hot drinks.

Preferably original flavour maxpaxs.

 

[TheSeeker]

Lots of them here in Belgian stations. The beer ones are the best. A couple of years ago the law changed and ID card readers were installed to stop children under sixteen buying beer. None on trains unfortunately.

 

[markymark2000]

I've been on trains in other countries with vending machines. Why can't we have them here? Ideally they should do hot drinks.

generally, vending machines take up space which could be used for passengers. The trains which do have space for vending machines are intercity trains though. There is potential to make these shops into vending machines. First Class for example scrapping hosts and replacing them with vending machines would be a decent cost saving while still providing the offering for FC customers. The issue here comes though from non eligable people using the machines, you would need a way of verifying who is eligible for the drinks/snacks. I think Avanti/XC shops could go maybe and replace them with vending machines but it's long distance intercity and you kind of want the experience to be there as well to encourage people to travel again.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Preferably original flavour maxpaxs.

Essence de la plastique? Yuck.

One thing we do now get right in this country that we didn't used to is tea and coffee.

That said, Costa Express machines make very good coffee, sometimes it's even better than that made by the baristas at their stores. The trouble is that to make a good coffee with milk (be that a simple white coffee, a latte or whatever) you cannot use powdered or UHT milk (because they taste vile), so your machines need frequent and proper cleaning and restocking, which precludes the traditional way of "fit and forget until it gets low" operation of vending machines. If you're going to need a person to look after it frequently, you might as well put them behind a counter serving when they're not maintaining it. Which is why those machines are in shops (garages, newsagents and the likes) rather than just on the street.

 

[Hadders]

Any vending machine on a train would have to be capable of fitting a lid to the cup and placing it in a bag as part of the vending process.

 

[WideRanger]

Has anyone tried bottled teas and coffees that are provided hot in vending machines in Japan?

 

[swt_passenger]

An earlier thread from October:

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/coffee-vending-machine-on-mid-distance-regiona-trains.209795/

and from last April:

Onboard vending machine

I've seen some number of trains such as Italo High speed, SNCF, Shinkansen's etc, Even some commuter trains and see they have onboard hot & cold drinks and snacks vending machine as well as having onboard trolly/buffet service, Out of curiosity why dosen't tains here have onboard vending...

www.railforums.co.uk

this has been one of those regular topics over quite a few years...

 

[6Gman]

And I regularly point out that, being old enough to have used - well, tried to use - one on a BR train there are a number of problems.

1. Vandalism.
2. Maintaining stock.
3. Space.
4. H&S if hot drinks are dispensed.
5. Robustness of equipment.

Presumably some of these issues are overcome in those foreign places and I'd be interested to know how.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Has anyone tried bottled teas and coffees that are provided hot in vending machines in Japan?

You got that here (from shops) for a bit, in cans. It tasted like it had been in a Thermos all day.

 

[randyrippley]

Best bet would be those hot pasty and pie dispensers you see in Holland

 

[Bletchleyite]

Best bet would be those hot pasty and pie dispensers you see in Holland

Those are an interesting quirk, but there are usually staff behind them restocking who could as well be serving (given that in small chippies the same person sometimes serves and cooks). They are more comparable in terms of needing attention to Costa machines than unattended vending machines.