I've been meaning to post this for a while.
I'm used to Virgin Trains weekend crew announcing that they're not doing any first-class service because the train is too busy. This happens quite a lot on the trains I find myself on. Granted there are some occasions when a train is rammed, but they're not the ones I'm talking about. Most often it turns out that there are three people stood in a vestibule somewhere in the first-class section and this is the justification.
But for over-reactions, the Train Manager on the 18:47 Liverpool to Euston on Sunday 29 November takes some beating. First-class had no congestion and no-one standing, and the vestibules were empty, but, because there were a handful of standers in standard class, first-class service was suspended.
The two ladies who were supposed to be serving, and had all the tea and coffee ready to go in the coach K galley area, were most embarrassed, and wanted to serve, but said they couldn't go against the orders of the TM. I'd overheard the TM telling them this earlier when he walked through coach J, so I knew it was true.
I took the attached pics between Runcorn and Stafford where I got off. As you can see, the aisles are not blocked, apart from one person who stood up to get something down from the luggage rack just as I took the pic and another who was waiting for the toilet. The vestibules were deserted. The situation was no different before Runcorn.
If this were infrequent, I'd let it go, but it's not. In my experience, when a lot of the passengers are travelling to/from a football match, some TMs will find any excuse not to do the normal service.
I'm used to Virgin Trains weekend crew announcing that they're not doing any first-class service because the train is too busy. This happens quite a lot on the trains I find myself on. Granted there are some occasions when a train is rammed, but they're not the ones I'm talking about. Most often it turns out that there are three people stood in a vestibule somewhere in the first-class section and this is the justification.
But for over-reactions, the Train Manager on the 18:47 Liverpool to Euston on Sunday 29 November takes some beating. First-class had no congestion and no-one standing, and the vestibules were empty, but, because there were a handful of standers in standard class, first-class service was suspended.
The two ladies who were supposed to be serving, and had all the tea and coffee ready to go in the coach K galley area, were most embarrassed, and wanted to serve, but said they couldn't go against the orders of the TM. I'd overheard the TM telling them this earlier when he walked through coach J, so I knew it was true.
I took the attached pics between Runcorn and Stafford where I got off. As you can see, the aisles are not blocked, apart from one person who stood up to get something down from the luggage rack just as I took the pic and another who was waiting for the toilet. The vestibules were deserted. The situation was no different before Runcorn.
If this were infrequent, I'd let it go, but it's not. In my experience, when a lot of the passengers are travelling to/from a football match, some TMs will find any excuse not to do the normal service.