Reasons To Go Virgin Or East Coast
I went up to the Commonwealth Games on the 08:30 Virgin out of Euston arriving on time at 13:01 give or take a minute or so.
The best thing about going Virgin before 09:00, is that you get a proper breakfast, which includes a gluten-free option. I had plenty of tea, some delicious scrambled egg and smoked salmon and a glass of juice.
I didn’t get my gluten-free roll though!
As I was meeting someone in Glasgow, who’d come through from Edinburgh, I could have gone up with East Coast and then across to Glasgow with her.
But it would have meant an earlier start and I had to see the builders.
I think it’s true to say that if you’re going to Glasgow or Edinburgh from London, it’s probably better to go direct. But even so, the distance between the two big Scottish cities isn’t great, with the fastest trains taking between fifty minutes and an hour.
So as Virgin run twenty trains a day up the West Coast and East Coast run eighteen and the fastest trains take about the same four hours sand a bit, it’s very much a case of you pays your money and takes your choice.
The trains are different with Virgin running tilting Class 390 trains and non-tiliting diesel InterCity 125 and electric Inter City 225 trains. My preference is for the non-tilting trains.
The only certain thing is that in the next few years, train routes between England and Glasgow and Edinburgh will gain more capacity and will get faster.
As an example, over the last year, Transpennine Express has introduced new faster Class 350 electric trains to and from Manchester. I thought I heard several northern families in Glasgow, who looked like day trippers up for the Games.
A Transpennine Class 350 In Glasgow
So is this illustrative of how fast, comfortable, high-capacity railways change our lives?
The biggest changed will be Network Rail moving to in-cab signalling, which will allow running over 200 kph on both the West and East Coast Main Lines. This could bring the journey time from London to Scotland much closer to the magic four hours, using the current trains.
When I went to Edinburgh recently by easyJet, security problems meant that I took five and a half hour from my home to Edinburgh city centre. So a four hour journey will be fast enough to give the planes a run for their money. But not everybody goes between London and the major Scottish cities and possibly the biggest beneficiaries of a faster service will be those who have easy access to intermediate stations like York, Peterborough, Preston and Carlisle.
The biggest problem will be track and train capacity on the East and West Coast routes. On the West Coast, there will probably be a further increase in the Class 390 fleet and on the East Coast the Class 800 and 801 are coming.
As with so much on Britain’s railways, the elephant-in-the-room is freight, which is increasing substantially. So will we see extra routes and tracks opened up to held the freight through, just like we have with the GNGE between Doncaster and Peterborough via Lincoln. Of course, we will!
Perhaps, in Scotland, we might even see the return of freight to a Waverley line extended to Carlisle.
Then there is the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Program, a project that seems to have lost its way a bit recently. But the main aim of getting about a dozen services every hour between Edinburgh and Glasgow, with some taking just over half-an-hour must be a goal for Scotland.
Not All Important Projects Are Visible
I have recently come down the East Coast Main Line from Edinburgh to London. Starting at 05:40 in the morning there are up to 23 trains on that route during a typical day.
That is a lot of trains, carriages and seats and it only needs something small to go wrong for all the services to be delayed and even cancelled.
One of the biggest problems is that the line is crossed by other important routes, where say a freight train has to cross from east to west. So a slight problem can have a tremendous knock-on effect.
Last year, one of these crossings was eased by the opening of the Hitchin flyover, where Cambridge trains join and leave the main line.
Now another of these crossings has been eliminated with the opening of the North Doncaster Chord, which now takes heavy coal trains over the main line. A level crossing was also eliminated.
This is a quote from the linked article in Modern Railways.
The movement of coal to generate electricity is vital in keeping the UK’s lights switched on. Over 35 per cent of UK-consumed electricity is generated by coal moved by rail
I didn’t think that coal was still used to generate that amount of electricity.
Both the Hitchin and North Doncaster projects cost a few tens of million pounds and will help the East Coast Main Line to be more punctual.
But I have not seen either of them in mainstream media.
We need to find a way to tell the frustrated passenger on the train, that things will be getting better and that the engineers are doing their utmost.
One of the good things about the troubles in Dawlish, was all the high profile media attention that the project received.
Edinburgh – Plane Or Train?
I have just been up to Edinburgh and the Borders to see friends. I went up by EasyJet from Stansted and came back in First Class by East Coast.
I took the 11:50 flight and that meant I left home about eight in the morning. That sounds early, but as I needed to get there as the gate closed at 11:20 and the train took an hour or so, I wasn’t taking any chances. I also wanted to have a good breakfast on the way to the airport, as I know that there isn’t a good gluten-free restaurant air-side at Stansted.
I also had to take my passport for security purposes.
A Passport For Scotland
I suppose if Scotland votes for independence, this will become the norm for every journey across the border.
The plane was a few minutes early and after getting slightly lost in the Terminal, I was met by one of old friends and we were soon on one of the new trams to the city centre.
The flight up had cost me £47.93 for the actual flight, £13.85 to get to Stansted and £9 to get into Edinburgh. Which makes a total of £70.78.
Coming back yesterday, I bought my First Class ticket at nine o’clock in the evening on Wednesday for £64.35.
This cost surprised me and should I say my hosts in the Borders, thought it was good value.
It did of course include snacks on the way down, which I declined, as they we’re gluten-free, but I did keep myself plied with free drink all the way. It was mostly tea, but I did have a miniature of whisky (Scotch of course!) and was offered a second.
On the flight up, all I’d got on board, was an excellent lemonade in a box. Paid for at £2.50. If EasyJet keep selling these, it’ll certainly mean when I fly, I’ll know where to book.
If we look at the time taken. From my house to the centre of Edinburgh, it took me an elapsed time of about five and a half hours. I did give myself a lot of time to get to Stansted, but I needed it, as security took nearly an hour. Gone are the days of turn-up-and-go at London’s third airport.
Coming back, the train left at 14:30 and I just missed the end of the One Show, which means that the time was about seven-thirty. So it was just over five hours.
I don’t think I’ll be flying up to Edinburgh again from Stansted. Both journeys took about the same time, but the train was cheaper, more luxurious and included as much free food and drink as I wanted. Even if as a coeliac, I couldn’t eat the food. On the train, I also got a proper table on which to lay my paper flat out. And of course, security was more noted by its apparent absence.
Over the next few years the train will get faster as new trains, in-cab signalling and track improvement will mean that large portions of the line will be capable of 140 rather than the current 125 mph.
So city centre to city centre travellers like me will probably always take the train. For me, all that East Coast Trains need to do is get some decent gluten-free food. As Virgin do it, why can’t they?
East Coast Didn’t Impress
It had been a long time, since I travelled all the way up from London to Edinburgh in one go. Once a few years ago in the days of GNER, I did a trip from Peterborough to Edinburgh and back in a day. That must have been after I had been diagnosed as a coeliac, and I can remember discussing my meals with the on-board chef.
As it was I didn’t get any breakfast on the way up, as they had nothing that was gluten-free. So I might as well have saved money and travelled in Standard Class. Compare this with Virgin Trains, who now serve an excellent gluten-free breakfast.
I also had a seat with a table that rattled a lot and shook tea everywhere. I just think it needed the tightening of a couple of screws.
I think that next time, I go to Edinburgh, I’ll combine it with an intermediate stop like Liverpool or Newcastle or perhaps take the soft option and fly.
Mainly because I was getting distinctly hungry by the time I finished my journey.
I could have taken a packed lunch or bought sandwiches in Marks and Spencer in Kings Cross, but that really nullifies the advantage of First Class. Obviously with a shorter journey to say Leeds, York or Newcastle, this lack of food is less of a problem, as I can eat well at both ends of the trip.
As I Can in Edinburgh, but surely one of the reasons to take long distance trains, is to enjoy the travel and the views and hopefully some well-served food.
Over The Border Into Scotland
Compared to some railway journeys in the UK and Europe, the East Coast Main Line doesn’t have the best of views and give many photo opportunities. Perhaps crossing the Tweed into Scotland is one of the few.
I was on the western side of the train and in many ways the other side is best for the views, which include the cathedrals at Peterborough and Durham, the bridges of Newcastle and the sea once you’ve passed Newcastle.
Speeding Past The Hitchin Flyover
The Hitchin Flyover, is compared to HS2, a fairly miniscule piece of railway infrastructure.
According to this article, it will cost £47 million and save 30,000 minutes a year in train schedules.
I have this feeling, that engineers know of similar schemes, that would benefit UK railways all over the country. But most of them aren’t very sexy for politicians.
Over The Digswell Viaduct
As the train went over the Digswell Viaduct just north of Welwyn Garden City, I took a couple of pictures of the view. I usually do.
Over The Digswell Viaduct
But none in my opinion, are anywhere near as good, as this one, with the shadow of the viaduct on the valley floor below.
I would love to claim, I planned it all and actually booked a train north on a fine day, at the right time to get the shadow.
But it was all of course, down to luck.
I do bet though, that it’s not the first time, this picture has been taken. Perhaps with an iconic Stirling Single or a Gresley A4 Pacific blowing plumes of steam into the sky.
Kings Cross In The Morning
I started my trip to Edinburgh at Kings Cross by getting the 09:00 to the city.
Kings Cross In The Morning
I took this picture from the lift, that took me from the overbridge to the my train on Platform 1.
A guy with me, said he had been one of the engineers, who worked on the cleaning of the roof. He said, they got enough pigeon muck to power the country for several months.
Off To Scotland
I’m off to Edinburgh today by train to see an old friend. Then it’s over to Glasgow and on Saturday down to Bolton to see Ipswich play.
I’ll be having a good breakfast at Leon in Kings Cross, as it would appear that gluten-free food on East Coast is a bit thin. I may be wrong, but we will see!
The Anonymous Widower 