Thin gruel at DfT threatens Open Access!

Exciting news from Great Minster House!

This important announcement seen today…

We may safely assume that DfT's former chilly support for on-rail competition, will now be as stone-cold as their canteen food.

Arriva Trains Wales premier service on film

Nice bit of video - but what an extraordinary piece of demode music...



With a bowler tip to @andylaird25 via Twitter

UPDATE: This from PZT over at errr.. Peezedtee...

What do you mean, "an extraordinary piece of demode music"?

It's very nice music - PROPER music, for a change.

Presumably to chime with the fact that the chef is talking about it being an old-fashioned service.

Nothing extraodinary about it at all!

Worst dining experience

Telegrammed by The Master
Intending bon viveurs aboard today's 12:06 Paddington to Penzance soon wished they had packed their sarnies.

The train had just reached Reading, 30 minutes into the five hour journey, when the Chief Steward announced the "last and final" call for luncheon!

As the next stop was Exeter and the train was near full it was a pretty piss-poor show.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, plucky National Express East Anglia manage multiple sittings on their London - Norwich services (with more stops and a shorter journey time).

It has come to a pretty pass when the little Great Eastern can show the mighty Great Western how on-train catering should be done. Mind you with Worst in charge of the latter nothing should come as a surprise.

XC blockade

Telegrammed by our man in ICOBS
Arriva Cross Country has decided to dispense with the ludicrously named "Shops" aboard the former 'Virgin' Voyager fleet.

Arriva says "customer research" indicates that passengers would prefer an at seat trolley service.


The Fact Compiler suspects that the researchers may have faired better than the trolley service in getting through this train.

NEEC healthy breakfast

A rail gourmet rants:

08:30 Kings X to Newcastle - No chef

09:00 Kings X to Edinburgh - Chef but no food!

The Fact Compiler wonders whether NEEC might also struggle to combine a brewery and a piss up?