What is wrong with CrossCountry?

[davetheguard]

I had similar issues when booking from Edinburgh to Reading. The XC fare (changing at Newcastle) was far more expensive (£70:50) than travelling East Coast via London (£56:00). Both were advanced fares.

Yet in B.R. days travelling cross-country was ALWAYS cheaper than via London - often significantly so.

As well as the Saver Return, there was an even cheaper Super Saver Return valid any day apart from Fridays.

Cheap tickets were valid on any train (restriction A1) - no one ever had to pay what is now called the Anytime SOR or SDR fare on long-distance trips on the cross-country routes (unlike via London).

Yet now, unless you split tickets, travelling with Cross Country is often more expensive than via London. And the quaility of the train and the on-board service is often less.

No wonder they're not very popular with many people.....

 

[60163]

Travelling to York last year for the Railfest event, I sat on the floor in a Voyager's vestibule between Burton and Doncaster.

Earlier, I had passed a luggage compartment and internally chuckled at the thought of someone trying to squish themselves into such a space in desperation.

And what did I see later? A woman, approximately in her thirties, doing just that.

My jubilation at seeing a HST turn up for a Taunton-Birmingham trip in June was off the charts.

 

[tbtc]

Sorry, I miss counted.

Given we are likely to be talking about 2019, there is a chance that the ICWC franchise will have been relet and therefore any improvements in service will be enabled by the provission of a new IC EMU (given how many services the 221's run totaly under the wires).

By 2019 we'll have wires to Bolton and Blackpool (two proposed destination for Euston services), so the only diesels required by the WCML TOC will be for Crewe - Chester - Holyhead and for any potential Shrewsbury service.

That should free up a lot of the 20/21 Voyagers that the WCML TOC currently has.

 

[Beveridges]

The air conditioning is extremely unreliable on all types of trains. 158s especially but at least the windows can open. Unlike Voyagers.
If it fails on a HST you got opening windows in the vestibules.

 

[HSTEd]

The air conditioning is extremely unreliable on all types of trains. 158s especially but at least the windows can open. Unlike Voyagers.
If it fails on a HST you got opening windows in the vestibules.

Every time I have seen an air conditioning failure on an East Coast Mark 3 rake that vehicle has been effectively evacuated.

The droplights are of absolutely no use for ventilation, and they significantly degrade the noise environment in the carriages.

 

[Beveridges]

The droplights are of absolutely no use for ventilation

Unless you lean out of the windows, haulage-bashing style!

Just standing near one that's open will work.

 

[nathanclass323]

In response to the OP, XC aren't that bad. Though they're not the best (which will always be GC IMO) they often run to time and they do what the DfT expect them to do. They said that they would invest in the HSTs, which they have. It was not a thing they would have been expected to do if they had not said it. They provide extra capacity on the North East - South West routes like they said. They do not have to give as many services with them as they do surely. I think we're lucky that they did invest in them.

 

[HSTEd]

Unless you lean out of the windows, haulage-bashing style!

Just standing near one that's open will work.

So the entire carriage has to crowd into the vestibules and endure the stupid loud noise from the air rushing past the droplights that makes conversation almost impossible?

 

[D1009]

Even the editor of Modern Railways in the latest issue is shouting Hurrah for the Mk 3 droplights so I can smell the sea air at Dawlish!

 

[CC 72100]

They said that they would invest in the HSTs, which they have.

All they need to do is use them now.

Last year we had 4 diagrams Monday - Friday, this year we have the standard (as per Winter) 3 on a Monday, 3 on a Friday, 2 the rest of the week. On Monday I used one of the diagrams which is always a HST (the 06:06 Edinburgh - Plymouth) which was full and standing leaving Bristol Temple Meads and was still rather full when I got off at Tiverton. I can't help feeling that the other 2 diagrams don't go from requiring a HST one day a week to being fine on a 4/5 coach voyager the other days - I could imagine that it would get rather cosy.

It is disappointing that the same higher utilisation of the HSTs hasn't been replicated last year, despite them claiming that they were 'pleased' with how it worked last year. Ah well...

 

[Beveridges]

So the entire carriage has to crowd into the vestibules and endure the stupid loud noise from the air rushing past the droplights that makes conversation almost impossible?

At least there is some relief from the heat, while on a voyager or pendo, I know I'm screwed if the air con does not work

 

[185143]

At least there is some relief from the heat, while on a voyager or pendo, I know I'm screwed if the air con does not work

I've been on a few pendos where the air conditioning hasn't worked! I've also been on a few pendos recently where the air conditioning worked too well and it was actually quite cold!

 

[Beveridges]

I have yet to travel on a Unit where the air con is working too well - but my last unpleasant experience was a night on a Pendolino, the air con was not on at all and it was roasting! Extremely uncomfortable. What is even more strange about it was that this was at midnight!

 

[SamanthaJ1989]

How do they get away with allowing the fumes of the toilet pass down the whole train?? Thats jus gross

 

[HSTEd]

At least there is some relief from the heat, while on a voyager or pendo, I know I'm screwed if the air con does not work

So how do you propose to get "relief from the heat" to every person riding in the carriage through tiny droplights at the end?

Its a surprisingly rare fault considering the number of installations.
Meanwhile having droplights means you have significant noise of rushing air everywhere in the carriage all the time.

 

[CC 72100]

.
Meanwhile having droplights means you have significant noise of rushing air everywhere in the carriage all the time.

Not if the vestibule door is working correctly so it is closed though...

 

[HSTEd]

Not if the vestibule door is working correctly so it is closed though...

On many East Coast FOs you can hear the droplight through the vestibule door, even if it is closed.

 

[D1009]

How do they get away with allowing the fumes of the toilet pass down the whole train?? Thats jus gross

They don't.

 

[Beveridges]

Never had many issues of toilet smells on Pendos, but had air con failing plenty of times. Or just set too low.

Don't care which, the result is still the same. The pendo gets very hot and is stuffy. Even at 12 O Clock at night.