What's your favourite TOC and why?

[anti-pacer]

No further explanation required really...

 

[GodAtum]

I enjoy Southeastern because I dont have to travel on them.

 

[fowler9]

No further explanation required really...

Believe it or not its Northern for me. As I've bored people with before the staff in my local station are dead friendly and provide excellent service. They generally provide 156's for my local run (Along with the occasional 142 and 150, but hey ho, it isn't a long journey that I normally make). The staff on the trains a normally friendly, some more than others of course. Also we get a half hourly service for a good part of the day which I appreciate since it isn't exactly a public transport commuter hot spot, everyone drives in our leafy part of the burbs.

Sorry, quick edit, also the one time I had a serious complaint with them it was handled very quickly and was compensated very well.

 

[soil]

I like SWT cos they take me home.

Also you get a much better class of person on their trains compared with the parts of Sarf London Southern run through.

 

[anti-pacer]

Believe it or not its Northern for me. As I've bored people with before the staff in my local station are dead friendly and provide excellent service. They generally provide 156's for my local run (Along with the occasional 142 and 150, but hey ho, it isn't a long journey that I normally make). The staff on the trains a normally friendly, some more than others of course. Also we get a half hourly service for a good part of the day which I appreciate since it isn't exactly a public transport commuter hot spot, everyone drives in our leafy part of the burbs.

Sorry, quick edit, also the one time I had a serious complaint with them it was handled very quickly and was compensated very well.

Fowler, I'm not a religious man, but I will pray for you tonight mate!

Joking aside, Northern do have some good points, and I love travelling with them up to Carlisle. As for complaints, can't argue with you, they deal with them excellently.

 

[fowler9]

London Midland get a vote as well after I dozed off on a train once and woke up a significant distance past my stop. The conductor let me off and even provided train times for the station I got off at. I explained the situation to the conductor on the way back and he told me he would come back to me and sort it out. When he walked back through the train I made eye contact with him and he held his hand up and said don't worry about it. Little things like that can really make your day.

 

[anti-pacer]

London Midland get a vote as well after I dozed off on a train once and woke up a significant distance past my stop. The conductor let me off and even provided train times for the station I got off at. I explained the situation to the conductor on the way back and he told me he would come back to me and sort it out. When he walked back through the train I made eye contact with him and he held his hand up and said don't worry about it. Little things like that can really make your day.

London Midland are pretty good.... and their trains are generally clean.

 

[johntea]

I like East Coast, when you travel on 4 Northern Rail trains per day a trip on East Coast (even Standard class) is a luxury

I actually don't mind Transpenine Express either, as long as I can get a seat! I do a lot of travelling to York and Manchester though from Leeds so maybe slightly biased!

 

[fowler9]

Fowler, I'm not a religious man, but I will pray for you tonight mate!

Joking aside, Northern do have some good points, and I love travelling with them up to Carlisle. As for complaints, can't argue with you, they deal with them excellently.

Ha ha, I think I mentioned before. My girlfriend was heading back to Warrington and my sister and her boyfriend back to Widnes from South Parkway on the last rail replacement bus. It never turned up. The Merseytravel staff were very good as well and sorted out a replacement taxi. I e-mailed Northern to tell them what had happened and before I knew it I got a reply and a few days later an envelope with 4 free passes to travel anywhere on Northerns network on a date of my choosing. Me and the girlfriend had a lovely weekend in Leeds with a side trip to York, got a cheap deal in that hotel at the Headingley cricket ground as well. Also every rail replacement bus I caught since has stopped everywhere it was meant to which they never used to do.

 

[SF-02]

I enjoy Southeastern because I dont have to travel on them.

Ha you're not wrong. They are the least favourite. I like East Coast - had good service in times of disruption. It's when things go wrong that are out of the TOCs control where you can really judge them based on how they respond, like in the instances above. FGW as well since their troubles they've really improved performance, customer service, and again the management seem to care. They seem to go the extra mile sometimes when not necessary and are good at getting PR to push for improvements and line openings.

 

[GodAtum]

I like SWT cos they take me home.

Also you get a much better class of person on their trains compared with the parts of Sarf London Southern run through.

I have to diagree lol. Had many chavs and school kids sit in 1st class on the way to Woking or Guildford.

 

[Gricerjo]

I enjoy Southeastern because I dont have to travel on them.

A little unfair to Southeastern. Staff at Bromley South station are always friendly and courteous, and recent weeks notwithstanding, its performance has improved radically since the days of Connex. It also runs a dog of a network into five London terminals, with many pinchpoints and on knackered infrastructure.

 

[Tetchytyke]

SouthEastern are not too bad, even if their Networkers are in dire need of refreshment, if not refurbishment. But then I only use them for the odd jaunt out to Greenwich or Lewisham, rather than every day on long distance.

Of the London TOCs, really Chiltern are the best, with stock that's well looked after. I generally don't find Southern or SWT too bad either, again both with stock that's well looked after and internally modern. Same with London Midland.

The less said about First Capital Connect the better. Their trains are disgusting and their punctuality is appalling. The 313s and 319s, in particular, are barely fit for purpose. The 317s and 321s are tatty and grubby. The trains just don't feel very cared about or looked after.

Northern's staff tend to be very good, but the actual company are the absolute pits. They've taken the worst of Serco's money-grabbing and Abellio's penny-pinching and combined them into one giant TOC of misery.

 

[soil]

I have to diagree lol. Had many chavs and school kids sit in 1st class on the way to Woking or Guildford.

Well I only ever sit in standard, and Southern definitely feel chavvier (?) than SWT in Standard.

 

[Squaddie]

I detest them all and, despite being a lifelong rail fan, will only travel by train when absolutely necessary.

(Unless I can extend the boundaries of the question a little, in which case my answer would be Rhätische Bahn - comfortable trains, courteous staff and unsurpassed scenery. I could travel on their trains all day - and sometimes do).

 

[Harpers Tate]

Hull Trains and Grand Central - for undercutting the "big boys" (in some cases by a huge margin even on walk-up fares); for providing direct services to places that otherwise wouldn't have had them; and for NOT issuing penalties and sky-high premium fares to people who want to buy their ticket onboard for whatever reason, be it ignorance, last minute rush or mere convenience (for being "nice" in other words).

 

[Moonshot]

Hull Trains and Grand Central - for undercutting the "big boys" (in some cases by a huge margin even on walk-up fares); for providing direct services to places that otherwise wouldn't have had them; and for NOT issuing penalties and sky-high premium fares to people who want to buy their ticket onboard for whatever reason, be it ignorance, last minute rush or mere convenience (for being "nice" in other words).

Never travelled with these........what are they like for overcrowding issues, if indeed they do suffer at all ?

 

[Gathursty]

Northern, for better and worse!

They might have a bit of an issue with their rolling stock but they make up for it in their range of destinations and unusual routes on the fringes. The staff are good and their main stations are improving and mostly well kept.

 

[tractakid]

I like Virgin Trains because they invented the tilting pendalino trains that they own and Richard Branson has a nice bread.

In all honesty, I don't have a favourite tea oh see. I haven't travelled about enough to form an opinion about most of them.

 

[bb21]

I like Virgin Trains because they invented the tilting pendalino trains

In yer dreams.

 

[bicbasher]

Southern for the stock, extending metro services to 10 car, turn up and go services during evenings and Sunday, online ticket promotions such as 10% off and Daysave alongside refunds if you don't use the tickets and providing a late night service home at 0036 from London Bridge.

London Overground for the regular services during the day and cheaper TfL fares on Oyster, although not as NR friendly as the other TOC's.

 

[Hellfire]

I know this may attract some derision but I mainly travel on Virgin and I like them. The staff are invariably efficient and polite (no I don't normally travel in First) and the train I get every week from Preston to Euston is usually on time or pretty close.

The journey is fast and quiet and actually I like the Pendolinos. If you get the seating plan out when you book a ticket you can always sit near a window if you like.

And, yes I know Virgin do not own and did not invent the Pendolino and I don't care about Branson's beard.

Northern, at least on the Ribble Valley Line, are pretty dire. Overcrowded and often dirty trains. I've stopped using them to go into Manchester because of the unreliability. May not be their fault they have clapped out rolling stock but it's not mine either.

 

[DJL]

Personally I actually think that South Eastern do a good job under very difficult circumstances.
With a complex network on sine of the oldest infrastructure in the country ( I think).
Yes there are often problems but in my experience these tend to be resolved quickly.

The exception would appear to be trains that are run under the partnership with fcc.
With these I never know who is responsible for what and i suspect that whoever it is, tgey take advantage of this to cancel trains for any excuse (N.B I do not count this mornings issues towards that last statement)

When I've used swt I've always thought how spacious and well looked after their trains seem compared to anyone elses. But I've only used them off-peak or in the opposite direction so not really a fair comparison

 

[anti-pacer]

Northern, at least on the Ribble Valley Line, are pretty dire. Overcrowded and often dirty trains. I've stopped using them to go into Manchester because of the unreliability. May not be their fault they have clapped out rolling stock but it's not mine either.

Dirty in what way?

 

[fowler9]

I know this may attract some derision but I mainly travel on Virgin and I like them. The staff are invariably efficient and polite (no I don't normally travel in First) and the train I get every week from Preston to Euston is usually on time or pretty close.

The journey is fast and quiet and actually I like the Pendolinos. If you get the seating plan out when you book a ticket you can always sit near a window if you like.

And, yes I know Virgin do not own and did not invent the Pendolino and I don't care about Branson's beard.

Northern, at least on the Ribble Valley Line, are pretty dire. Overcrowded and often dirty trains. I've stopped using them to go into Manchester because of the unreliability. May not be their fault they have clapped out rolling stock but it's not mine either.

Northerns trains are old, I'm not sure I would say they are particularly more dirty than those of any other TOC. People always said that trains were dirty under BR as well, now admittedly being able to smoke on them didn't help but still.

 

[TSR :D]

Quite surprised that nobody has mentioned Chiltern.

Oops, someone else has mentioned it. Anyway they're one of the best TOCs, and I would rank LM second best.

 

[8J]

I like EMT for the 158's and Merseyrail

 

[corin paul]

Northern for being cheap, and the fact one size dosen't fit all, with rolling stock. Unlike First Transpennine Express whose trains are always cold in winter.

 

[northernchris]

I like East Coast - had good service in times of disruption. It's when things go wrong that are out of the TOCs control where you can really judge them based on how they respond

I completely agree with judging how good an operator is based on disruption, and that's why I think East Coast are the worst by a mile, it took me 3 months to get a response out of them. On the other hand, I've found Northern to be the best. Last year I was heading from Leeds to Pontefract intending to use the 1716 Goole service. There had been cable theft in the Pontefract area resulting in the service being cancelled and the next train wasn't until 1800. I was stood on the footbridge looking at the screens near the customer information point when one of the Northern staff approached me and asked if I needed help. Once I had explained where I was heading to he advised me the 1705 Nottingham was being diverted to call additionally at Castleford where buses would take people to onward stations (there was also a bus departing Leeds at 1716 for stations to Goole). On arrival at Castleford, buses were waiting and I ended up arriving in Pontefract just 10 minutes later than the train!

 

[Trainfan344]

I like Virgin Trains because they invented the tilting pendalino trains

They were only beaten too it by about 40 years.