WSMR: Dinner services

[MCR247]

Does anyone know which WSMR services you can get dinner on?

Thanks

 

[Daimler]

I believe WSMR serve meals all day (apart from morning trains, on which they serve breakfast) every day - same menu all day, if I remember rightly!

 

[MCR247]

Thanks

 

[Daimler]

Just been across to WSMR's website for a closer look (no sign of any refurbished stock!!) and it turns out there are three menus: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and you can choose anything from any of the three menus at any time during the day, providing you are travelling from/to London or Banbury. If you are 'making local trips between stations in the West Midlands, Shropshire, and Wrexham' you only get free drinks - or so the site suggests.

 

[krus_aragon]

They'll also serve meals in standard, see the buffet menu.

 

[Railjet]

Just been across to WSMR's website for a closer look (no sign of any refurbished stock!!) and it turns out there are three menus: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and you can choose anything from any of the three menus at any time during the day, providing you are travelling from/to London or Banbury.

Would this include Tame Bridge Parkway - Banbury? I guess so: there's enough time, about 65 minutes, which is similar to Euston - Coventry.

If that's the case, the FOR of £32 is quite a bargain.

 

[krus_aragon]

Would this include Tame Bridge Parkway - Banbury? I guess so: there's enough time, about 65 minutes, which is similar to Euston - Coventry.

If that's the case, the FOR of £32 is quite a bargain.

I should think so: The kitchen was still in full swing between Banbury and Tame Bridge Parkway when I travelled north with them.

 

[monkey]

...have to say the food on wsmr does sound amazing - if only every train provider could match it...

 

[paul1609]

...have to say the food on wsmr does sound amazing - if only every train provider could match it...

Make the most of it! there's rumours going around that at least some WSMR services will be using hired in DMUs from early in the new year.

 

[Daimler]

Make the most of it! there's rumours going around that at least some WSMR services will be using hired in DMUs from early in the new year.

Hmm? Seems odd, perhaps even somewhat unlikely, considering they've just put all their stock through a thorough (and protracted!) overhaul, with high-quality kitchen facilities precisely so that they can offer this service - which they make a big play of all over their website.

Unless they're going to offer extra services - that will stop more? But then they may as well operate them under the Chiltern name - though I thought Chiltern was short of stock as it was.

Also, what hired in DMUs? I thought there was a shortage of these things...:?

 

[Pumbaa]

I imagine it's to get the costs down, as I hear DB aren't too happy about the low profit at the moment.

 

[The Planner]

Coincidence that 168s are now route clear on all WSMR routes, and Chiltern will start 67 services from Snow Hill ?? I think not.....

 

[paul1609]

Coincidence that 168s are now route clear on all WSMR routes, and Chiltern will start 67 services from Snow Hill ?? I think not.....

I think not as well

 

[matt]

Coincidence that 168s are now route clear on all WSMR routes, and Chiltern will start 67 services from Snow Hill ?? I think not.....

Is Chiltern going to use 67s from Snow Hill. I thought they were just for a peak time service between Banbury and Marylebone?

 

[Polarbear]

Hmmm...I've heard something about a possible change as regards WMSR from December too.

My source suggested 168's on Shrewsbury/Wrexham services, operated by the company that currently runs them!

Therefore, 67's & Mk3's on a Snow Hill - Marylebone service, (I assume also to be operated by the same TOC that currently uses 168's for the job), sound plausable. Certainly, it seems daft to throw the investment completely down the drain & concentrate said investmenmt where it'll make the largest return.

 

[The Planner]

Id seriously bet on WSMR becoming no more, and Chiltern taking over the Wrexham route. The journey times would fall considerably due to the 168s taking advantage of MU speeds over the route and could potentially kill off Virgins interest in their Wrexham trains.

Before I get shot down as a heretic, simple facts are that DB wont want the running costs of it, and dont give a monkeys if its the most comfortable loco hauled stock, buffet etc.. and keeping the whole of Wrexham in work or not.

 

[williamn]

From what other people have said it seems Virgin carry very few people to/from Wrexham through to London anyway, so I dont think WSMR are worried about that.

I think it would be a mistake for them though as the quality of service is what makes them unique and is their selling point. Its a long journey time, but the service is great. 4 hours on a 168 is not very attractive option, and I suspect more passengers would go back to changing trains and using Virgin. (I certainly would!)

 

[merlodlliw]

Make the most of it! there's rumours going around that at least some WSMR services will be using hired in DMUs from early in the new year.

We tend to have our ears to the ground, this is the first I have heard of this
rumour, out of interest who started this surgestion of DMUs, and yes Chiltern
DMUs are cleared to Wrexham, football traffic was one of the reasons like Shrewsbury, unfortunate Wrexhams team were relegated.

Funny how the first thread was dinner services,now its more an execution of WSMR, I dont think
the hun have got rhe knife out just yet as WS was an inroad to UK passenger traffic.

 

[Daimler]

Id seriously bet on WSMR becoming no more, and Chiltern taking over the Wrexham route. The journey times would fall considerably due to the 168s taking advantage of MU speeds over the route and could potentially kill off Virgins interest in their Wrexham trains.

Before I get shot down as a heretic, simple facts are that DB wont want the running costs of it, and dont give a monkeys if its the most comfortable loco hauled stock, buffet etc.. and keeping the whole of Wrexham in work or not.

While I think this is a fair set of points, surely using 168s for the job would result in redundancies where the 'service' area is concerned - people concerned with the catering side of things would no longer be required.

Furthermore, 168s are without first class altogether - rather unusual for an intercity service, especially considering this means just-refurbished first class buffets (with a large, well equipped kitchen) will find themselves redundant or used on Snow Hill services (where there's no first class). And I have to say, at Marylebone on Friday, I saw a W&S service where first class was - if not fully - then certainly well-reserved - lack of first class on such a long-distance train may be ill-received by the 'business users' they seem so keen to attract.

It seems a strange and ill-thought out idea to me - if it is anything more than a rumour - though the idea of top-notch loco-hauled trains on the London to Birmingham route once more sounds nice, in a way...

 

[tbtc]

WMSR's main traffic is to London in the morning and from London in the afternoon (whereas Chiltern has more traffic in both directions).

I could see the logic in using a lower capacity DMU on the WMSR service *from* London in the morning returning *to* London in the afternoon if that freed up a higher capacity loco hauled set to run on a busier Chiltern path. However, my understanding was that there wasn't much difference between the capacities - unless the plan us to use the "spare" coaches (now WMSR have cancelled certain duties) to create a longer rake for the rush hour services?