Train travel

[Costello]

We were in Italy last month - 4 adult return tickets from Civitavecchia to Rome booked 1 or 2 days in advance was €31 or £26. We had seats both ways, as we got very close to Rome it got busier and some had to stand butbit was nothing like I’ve experienced on our trains. The train was clean, but did end up runnng about 15 minutes late on a journey of 1+1/4 hours.

Last time I got a train to London it was bedlam. The train was late, bursting with passengers and very expensive.

The Italian train network is excellent, we could certainly learn from it. I regularly use their equivalent of HS2 between Turin, Milan and Bologna. Very good punctuality, clean trains, fast service, etc. Bologna to Milan week after next is €28 for a 140 mile journey that takes an hour.

Agreed. We did Cinque Terra, Florence, Pisa, Rome and Naples all via train a few years ago and on a separate occasion did Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp and Rotterdam. Relatively speaking, an outstanding service all round. However, the Marrakesh express to Casablanca was a bit more of an eye opener.

 

[MrSwerve]

Re: prices, we’d booked about a month ago for yesterday’s journey and were pleasantly surprised with a £74 return per person (expecting it closer to £120+ which I’m normally used to paying). I’d also driven to London last week which I would say cost about £70 in total and that is even with the crazy petrol prices and not the most economic of cars (3 litre 354bhp V6 engine).

Pricing is a subject in itself, there’s some really odd quirks out there. I have a ticket from Heathrow to Swansea on 9th Sep where first class is a pound cheaper than standard class. The seat will still be hard though.

Yeah, I don’t think I’d ever pay for first class again unless there was some pricing anomaly. The seats are literally the same except for the ‘first class’ headrest cover. Complimentary drinks however nothing that can’t be bought from a Costa or WHSmiths at the station. The last time I did it on one of these trains, we didn’t even get a drinks service. No staff to be seen. The old HSTs had lovely, big leather seats with loads of legroom…the cabin certainly felt more first class.

Think it’s the way travel is going though…cram as many people in who will pay for the privilege. I flew business class a couple of weeks ago to the states, on the way out it was in an older A330 and on the way back it was on a new A350…the older plane had much nicer leather seats, about 3 inches wider than the new plane…plus they now run 2-4-2 rather than 2-3-2. It’s almost like business/first class is the new ‘normal class’ but they’re charging people for the privilege of a bit of moderate comfort. Normal class is getting towards some form of cattle class now.

First world problems I know, but it’s a bit of a con.

 

[Cooperman]

Agreed. We did Cinque Terra, Florence, Pisa, Rome and Naples all via train a few years ago and on a separate occasion did Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp and Rotterdam. Relatively speaking, an outstanding service all round. However, the Marrakesh express to Casablanca was a bit more of an eye opener.

I had to do Moscow to Izhevsk by train a few times as the Russian regional airline safety certs didn't meet the requirements of the corporate travel policy. Those journeys are also experiences that I will never forget in both a positive and negative sense.

 

[Cooperman]

Yeah, I don’t think I’d ever pay for first class again unless there was some pricing anomaly. The seats are literally the same except for the ‘first class’ headrest cover. Complimentary drinks however nothing that can’t be bought from a Costa or WHSmiths at the station. The last time I did it on one of these trains, we didn’t even get a drinks service. No staff to be seen. The old HSTs had lovely, big leather seats with loads of legroom…the cabin certainly felt more first class.

Think it’s the way travel is going though…cram as many people in who will pay for the privilege. I flew business class a couple of weeks ago to the states, on the way out it was in an older A330 and on the way back it was on a new A350…the older plane had much nicer leather seats, about 3 inches wider than the new plane…plus they now run 2-4-2 rather than 2-3-2. It’s almost like business/first class is the new ‘normal class’ but they’re charging people for the privilege of a bit of moderate comfort. Normal class is getting towards some form of cattle class now.

First world problems I know, but it’s a bit of a con.

In flight service levels are also not what they were pre Covid.

 

[legoman]

Yeah, I don’t think I’d ever pay for first class again unless there was some pricing anomaly. The seats are literally the same except for the ‘first class’ headrest cover. Complimentary drinks however nothing that can’t be bought from a Costa or WHSmiths at the station. The last time I did it on one of these trains, we didn’t even get a drinks service. No staff to be seen. The old HSTs had lovely, big leather seats with loads of legroom…the cabin certainly felt more first class.

Think it’s the way travel is going though…cram as many people in who will pay for the privilege. I flew business class a couple of weeks ago to the states, on the way out it was in an older A330 and on the way back it was on a new A350…the older plane had much nicer leather seats, about 3 inches wider than the new plane…plus they now run 2-4-2 rather than 2-3-2. It’s almost like business/first class is the new ‘normal class’ but they’re charging people for the privilege of a bit of moderate comfort. Normal class is getting towards some form of cattle class now.

First world problems I know, but it’s a bit of a con.

In flight service levels are also not what they were pre Covid.

I don't mean to be nosey Coops, so feel free to tell me to mind my own business and do one, but I'd be fascinated to know what it was (broadly speaking) you did for a living as you seem to have travelled far and wide!

 

[Neath_Jack]

Last time i pre-booked a seat home from London, got to the train to find the carriage which my seat was in, wasn't even on the train! Had to sit on the floor from London to Reading :lol:

 

[exiledclaseboy]

I’ve grown to despise the Swansea to Paddington journey over the years. Hate it hate it hate it.

 

[Longlostjack]

In flight service levels are also not what they were pre Covid.

I don't mean to be nosey Coops, so feel free to tell me to mind my own business and do one, but I'd be fascinated to know what it was (broadly speaking) you did for a living as you seem to have travelled far and wide!

Rumour has it he’s head of an international Laverbread smuggling cartel.

 

[MrSwerve]

I don't mean to be nosey Coops, so feel free to tell me to mind my own business and do one, but I'd be fascinated to know what it was (broadly speaking) you did for a living as you seem to have travelled far and wide!

Rumour has it he’s head of an international Laverbread smuggling cartel.

Always wondered what that white stuff was on it.

 

[Cooperman]

I don't mean to be nosey Coops, so feel free to tell me to mind my own business and do one, but I'd be fascinated to know what it was (broadly speaking) you did for a living as you seem to have travelled far and wide!

Rumour has it he’s head of an international Laverbread smuggling cartel.

That stage of my working life is temporarily suspended. But don't worry, you will be the first to know when operations resume :lol:

@legoman to answer your question... manufacturing sector. 60k workforce in 150 sites across 30 countries. Plenty of scope to get out and about (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you view it).

 

[Neath_Jack]

Rumour has it he’s head of an international Laverbread smuggling cartel.

That stage of my working life is temporarily suspended. But don't worry, you will be the first to know when operations resume :lol:

@legoman to answer your question... manufacturing sector. 60k workforce in 150 sites across 30 countries. Plenty of scope to get out and about (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you view it).

Gis a job, I can do that :mrgreen: