Which train company brand names does the public know and use, and why?

[Jim the Jim]

My friends and acquaintances generally say they get "the Eurostar" to (eg) Paris. They don't specify whether they get "the GWR" to Paddington, or "the Chiltern" to Marylebone. And friends in Surrey don't say they get "the Southwest" to Waterloo. Friends in Brighton just say they can't understand the palaver about tickets for a Govia train only (allegedly) being valid if the train's the right colour.
I just say I get a train to Paris, or wherever. To me "the Eurostar" is an unremarkable train, with unusually annoying queuing and faffing before you board.
I guess, but don't know, people may say they get "[the?] Lumo" to Edinburgh, and go on to tell you it was a lot cheaper than "[the?] LNER".
What do forum members say themselves, and hear others saying?

Eurostar goes extremely fast, goes through an undersea tunnel and crosses international borders. Any one of those things by itself would likely qualify it as a remarkable service in the eyes of many people, let along the combination of all three.

I think I happily say "get the Eurostar", "get the Avanti", "get the CrossCountry", but I wouldn't tend to do the same with multi-word or abbreviated franchise names. But there I'd probably not say "get Northern Trains" or "get LNER" or whatever, but "get the Northern train", "get the LNER train".

 

[MP393]

A lot of passangers on the Stoke - Manchester still refer to the fast trains as “The Virgin one” compared to the stopper.

 

[XAM2175]

Less so a TOC itself, but I've heard departure boards people refer to some services as 'LNER Azuma', rather than just LNER.

I mean, what other class of train are they going to get?!

An LNER InterCity 225.

I also think Eurostar is highly likely to be booked in advance process and is therefore a longer process and therefore you are more aware of Eurostar along the way.

Yes, that's a good point too.

I have heard "the Met" though.

That was the official brand of the integrated system in Melbourne for quite a few years, as an abbreviation of Metropolitan Transit Authority.

 

[Astro_Orbiter]

I never heard anyone say "Greater Anglia" or the "Anglian" in this area and just refer it to the train.

I'm assuming because we have no other TOC anywhere in our line and we don't cross paths with other TOCs at all, I think that is mostly the same for places served by only one TOC such as Chiltern and GWR mainline west of Reading.

On the West Anglia side at Cambridge for example, its usually "The GN" versus "The slow one" lol

 

[JetStream]

Virgin for Avanti, Arriva for TfW, Northern, and "The Merseys" are all things I hear more often than not.

 

[32475]

Going on "The Eurostar" sounds like that awful American trait of putting the definite article where it is not needed, thus they used to talk about going on "the Concorde" and do talk about someone being in "the hospital", whereas we would just say on Concorde or in hospital.

I appreciate this is getting off topic but when you go THE toilet, do you endure personal feelings of angst and remorse at having to use an awful American trait, or do you just go to toilet? Or do you just go quietly and not announce it at all?

 

[johntea]

Less so a TOC itself, but I've heard departure boards people refer to some services as 'LNER Azuma', rather than just LNER.

I mean, what other class of train are they going to get?!

I think I've even heard the automated announcements at Leeds say LNER Azuma rather than just LNER, think it is just a marketing thing that is perhaps slightly less relevant these days!

 

[Nicholas43]

Eurostar goes extremely fast, goes through an undersea tunnel and crosses international borders. Any one of those things by itself would likely qualify it as a remarkable service in the eyes of many people, let along the combination of all three.

Interesting point. I remember overhearing a child expressing disappointment that he couldn't see any fish. But Eurostar International Limited is (currently) the only operator offering trains from London to Paris (etc). So why mention them? It's not like specifying Unilever processed yeast waste (very successfully branded Marmite).
Also, I don't hear Welsh people saying they got the GWR from London to Cardiff. But GWR's trains to Cardiff go pretty fast under some rather salty water, and then cross the border between England and Wales ...

 

[tubenutter]

My feeling is that most people consider Eurostar to be a separate mode of transport to the rest of the rail network, so comparing it to TOCs such like LNER or South Eastern probably doesn't make sense to the public in some ways.

I suspect people say they'd take "the Eurostar" in the same way they'd take "the tube", "the DLR", or "the train" (the latter tending to mean NR services) - whether or not that mindset accurately reflects how the services are operated.

 

[lancededcena]

Just to add to what I said,

When I was young I thought all trains in the country were National Express! (we didn't go out to different places in the UK back then and stayed in East Anglia\London territory)
When my parents took me to Cambridge I think, I remember seeing a First Capital Connect train and was so surprised that it was not a National Express train!

Just shows how people can get quite confused by the different train companies really!

 

[robert thomas]

Whenever I hear people complain about rail travel they say b..... British Rail

 

[Western Lord]

I appreciate this is getting off topic but when you go THE toilet, do you endure personal feelings of angst and remorse at having to use an awful American trait, or do you just go to toilet? Or do you just go quietly and not announce it at all?

Being British I reserve the right to be completely arbitrary in my use of examples of other nationalities poor use of language!!!
I also go THE supermarket, THE cinema, THE station......

 

[dosxuk]

But Eurostar International Limited is (currently) the only operator offering trains from London to Paris (etc).

But it is not the only option for travelling between the two places. Even saying you were catching the train is ambiguous - you could be getting a domestic service down to Dover and then using the ferry to get across to France. Saying you're on the Eurostar is a quick and easy way to describe your entire travel plan.

So why mention them? It's not like specifying Unilever processed yeast waste (very successfully branded Marmite).

Lots of people get the Hoover out to do some vacuuming, even though they don't own a Hoover. Why do they mention that particular manufacturer?

 

[Gareth]

I appreciate this is getting off topic but when you go THE toilet, do you endure personal feelings of angst and remorse at having to use an awful American trait, or do you just go to toilet? Or do you just go quietly and not announce it at all?

Someone on here once said that the word "exit" is American. And don't dare mention the word "soccer". That was kind of common as a kid, being a bit like saying "footy" but the anti-American stuff really took off with Bush Jr and the Iraq War and it's a complete no-no now.

 

[Jim the Jim]

My feeling is that most people consider Eurostar to be a separate mode of transport to the rest of the rail network, so comparing it to TOCs such like LNER or South Eastern probably doesn't make sense to the public in some ways.

I suspect people say they'd take "the Eurostar" in the same way they'd take "the tube", "the DLR", or "the train" (the latter tending to mean NR services) - whether or not that mindset accurately reflects how the services are operated.

When I say "getting the train" in relation to Eurostar (which I probably do more than I say "getting Eurostar") I often wonder if the people I'm talking to might think that's a bit of an odd way of phrasing it. We still think of "trains" primarily as things you use to travel around the country not to travel between to another one. And the overall experience is quite different.

So maybe you're right that it's often seen as basically a separate mode of transport - as you say, in the same way that it would be a bit weird to say "getting the train" in relation to the Underground in spite of the fact that it is, in fact, a train. If I was referring to a ride on a heritage railway I'd probably often be a bit more specific than "the train" as well. Trains refer, in the British context, primarily to National Rail services and other things get talked about differently.

 

[RPI]

At Exeter some people do use "The South West trains" when going to Waterloo (even though its been SWR for a while!)

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Stansted Express? Gatwick Express? Good branded names for the airports they serve

Don't know if the Heathrow Express brand is still around....

 

[61653 HTAFC]

When I say "getting the train" in relation to Eurostar (which I probably do more than I say "getting Eurostar") I often wonder if the people I'm talking to might think that's a bit of an odd way of phrasing it. We still think of "trains" primarily as things you use to travel around the country not to travel between to another one. And the overall experience is quite different.

So maybe you're right that it's often seen as basically a separate mode of transport - as you say, in the same way that it would be a bit weird to say "getting the train" in relation to the Underground in spite of the fact that it is, in fact, a train. If I was referring to a ride on a heritage railway I'd probably often be a bit more specific than "the train" as well. Trains refer, in the British context, primarily to National Rail services and other things get talked about differently.

I think people might specifically say they're going by train when talking about Eurostar, because unless you live in or near London the default mode for travel to Eurostar destinations is a plane.

The only time the name of the operator for domestic travel is relevant, is if something has gone wrong. Even then if I'm talking to someone who isn't a train person I'd just say "the trains were a nightmare" or something like that. It would never occur to me to say "I'm off to Huddersfield on Trans-Pennine Express"- they're all just "trains".

 

[Agent_Squash]

There's definitely an aura around the 'Virgin train' still. Although Avanti is seeping into regular usage - never hear Northern or TPE talked about in the same way unless people are moaning!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There's definitely an aura around the 'Virgin train' still. Although Avanti is seeping into regular usage - never hear Northern or TPE talked about in the same way unless people are moaning!

Only because people fell for Dickie Pickle and his propaganda.

 

[thenorthern]

The best known brand is probably still Virgin Trains even though it no longer exists.

With branding I think it depends on how good the company was similar to ITV companies. It's still common to hear people say Granada, Yorkshire or Central when they are referring to ITV even though the names haven't been used for on air branding since 2002 or 1999 with Central. On the other hand when when was the last time you heard someone refer to ITV as Carlton?

 

[Gareth]

Personally, it's rare to hear ITV called Granada. At least here.

It was always called Granada back in the day but once the big marketing campaign took effect in the late nineties, with all the promos saying things like "next Sunday on ITV", it declined remarkably quickly. I remember someone, around the same age as me, correcting me that it was "ITV, not Granada" and that was in the period where it still had the word "Granada" on the screen before programmes.

 

[High Dyke]

An acquaintance of mine always asks me how British Rail are doing.

 

[Jurg]

Someone on here once said that the word "exit" is American. And don't dare mention the word "soccer". That was kind of common as a kid, being a bit like saying "footy" but the anti-American stuff really took off with Bush Jr and the Iraq War and it's a complete no-no now.

Soccer isn't an American word, its origins are English. The equivalent of rugger for rugby football, soccer was shorthand for association football when both sports were public school dominated. Obviously a bit antiquated here now though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Personally, it's rare to hear ITV called Granada. At least here.

It was always called Granada back in the day but once the big marketing campaign took effect in the late nineties, with all the promos saying things like "next Sunday on ITV", it declined remarkably quickly. I remember someone, around the same age as me, correcting me that it was "ITV, not Granada" and that was in the period where it still had the word "Granada" on the screen before programmes.

We just called it "the ITV", never referred to it as Granada even when that brand was widely used.

Soccer isn't an American word, its origins are English. The equivalent of rugger for rugby football, soccer was shorthand for association football when both sports were public school dominated. Obviously a bit antiquated here now though.

Many Americanisms, such as the spellings of "color", "ize" rather than "ise" etc, are how we used to do it. We changed, they didn't.

 

[Gareth]

"ize" is still correct, at least according to Oxford.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

We just called it "the ITV", never referred to it as Granada even when that brand was widely used.

ITV local news in the North West is still named/referred to as "Granada Reports".

 

[Gareth]

Soccer isn't an American word, its origins are English. The equivalent of rugger for rugby football, soccer was shorthand for association football when both sports were public school dominated. Obviously a bit antiquated here now though.

But it's considered American and thus a no-no as a result. If you look at old BBC & ITN clips, even news anchors frequently said soccer. I'm pretty sure the style guides probably explicitly tell news anchors not to use the word now.

I know the origin of the terminology and thus loathe to say something like "rugby and football" but saying "rugby and soccer" will more often than not result in a meltdown of the person you're talking to.

We just called it "the ITV", never referred to it as Granada even when that brand was widely used.

Maybe it was because of the prevalence of HTV in Liverpool. Indeed, a lot of the southside of the city and the Wirral could only get that before the Storeton transmitter was built. The Ormskirk area probably couldn't get HTV so easily and is comfortably within the Winter Hill transmitter's range.

Still, I'm somewhat surprised. It was branded Granada, all the programme promotions said "tomorrow at six, on Granada" and the announcer would always say "now on Granada..." when introducing the next programme.

 

[Agent_Squash]

Only because people fell for Dickie Pickle and his propaganda.

Dickie Pickle helped turn the image of the WCML around - you may call it propaganda but the WCML needed propaganda to recover!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Dickie Pickle helped turn the image of the WCML around - you may call it propaganda but the WCML needed propaganda to recover!

That's the thing though- Virgin's branding was just presentation, much like all the other franchised operators. The West Coast Route Modernisation would have happened with or without Virgin's involvement, and was funded by the state. The only difference would be the colour of the trains.
Branson being the public figure that he is may have had a bit more influence in the corridors of power than a comparatively unknown CEO at FirstGroup, but we've since seen that he isn't always the good guy when it comes to dealing with government.