I managed to get a bacon roll from the buffet on my last trip south on Gerald, but there was no "hot" menu and it wasn't clear what was available.
Hang on...whenever I've been on Gerald northbound Menus are available in standard, presumably offering what those in First are enjoying (but at a price of course!). That must have been an exception....NOT THE RULE!!
Neither the exception nor the rule I think. Last time I used the northbound (I've never caught the southbound), back in the summer holidays, I asked to see a menu and was told the menus had been thrown off at Holyhead (I assume the previous evening) and not replaced with new ones. I seem to remember I was offered (verbally, but it still wasn't very clear what was available) toasties, wedges or something else but nothing that sounded like a full meal (I was hopeing for Fish and Chips). Not sure if it First class passengers had more luck or were just as unable to get a full meal as me in standard.
Sounds more and more like it'll be a 67 at each end.
Via Wrexham? Top&Tail is daft if it isn't.
The price tag will be in excess of £2 million with a pair of 67's. That's the annual lease cost of 8 2 car Class 158 units.
But that £2m would include maintenance, track access etc. wouldn't it? so you can't really compare that with just the leasing cost of a multiple unit. I agree that alot more needs to be done on other routes now though, and the sooner the WAG expresses stop using franchise units (ie. the WAG2 175) the better.
Personally, I think this sort of service is vital in the nation building that Labour (and Plaid) have been undertaking....North - South links are key.
I wish there were better links and more capacity elsewhere, at least this service shows the way forward instead of Tory (and Libcon) like cuts, and delivers the mainly socialist people in Wales what they want.
I agree with you that a couple of north-south express trains (not going in the same direction like now though) is a good idea. BUT these expresses shouldn't be wasting franchise units and the stock used should work Swansea/Holyhead-Manchester services to free up 158s and 175s between the Swansea-Holyhead runs.
The real scandal is Iuean Air, they should put that money into Cambrian main-line hourly and, if it will strech far enough, express class 158 services between Cardiff and Carmarthen/Milford/Fishguard (including current daytime boat train) via the Swansea District Line. That article quoted in NW-Rail news should have been critising the air-link escaping the cuts, not the train. BBC news TV reports on the recent climate change confrence seemed to be implying that Europe was trying to pursuade the USA and China to sign up, but our governments hardly set a good example do they? Nope, they are subsidising the less-enviromentally friendly modes of transport like air and road! There's Iuean Air for one, but Westminster are at least as guilty, as one example the fuel-duty reduction in Mr Osborne's autum statement was apparently costing over twice as much as the reduction from RPI+3% to RPI+1% on rail fares. If they want to be green, why couldn't they have made rail fares RPI+0 instead and given a smaller (or no) reduction in fuel duty for motorists? I won't start on road-building, I've wandered far enough from the topic already.