Comments on: End of a GNERa

By: Penfold

Penfold — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:22:13 +0000

I’ll be interested to read your perceptions on whether NXEC improves this rather far-flung (compared to the one I blog about) service.

By: akatsuki

akatsuki — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 08:52:18 +0000

GNER used to get me to London with a lot less fuss and greater reliability than bloody British Midlands or whatever they’re calling themselves these days. Somehow, my brother had no such luck and was always stuck on the “suicide” lines, getting into Edinburgh at 3am after over 10 hours on a train that quickly ran out of food and water. So, mixed feelings about its loss.

By: mr mackenzie

mr mackenzie — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:37:30 +0000

Vicky!

How’s you?

By: Vicky

Vicky — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:13:12 +0000

I fourth the thumbs-up for GNER; I loved the 4pm from Glasgow to Edinburgh as it was almost always empty and arrived at Waverley just in time for me to get the fast train to Fife (and the Cafe Bar staff would often hand out leftover fruit which would otherwise be chucked)

You’ve been lucky with Scotrail. They desperately need to get a handle on their stock - I’ve moaned about it at length all over the internet for years - empty rolling stock on the Fife outer, chocka trains at Haymarket at rush hour; it’s a bloody miserable place to be after a day at work.

Gawd bless you, GNER. Sniff.

By: mr mackenzie

mr mackenzie — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:12:04 +0000

Have to agree with MatGB here. I have always preferred the GNER service to the Virgin service. Virgin stock might be newer but I have suffered a lot more at their hands than GNER. In fact, I much prefer taking GNER down south than travelling my car or taking my chances with budget airlines.

By: Angry Steve

Angry Steve — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:21:36 +0000

I do love the diesels… The scream of the Paxman Valenta turbos as they speed up coming off the Forth Bridge, and the reek of diesel as they pass by the platform…

I have travelled first class from Auld Reekie to the Big Smoke a few times - not as many as some of the serious rail commuters though - all but one of my journeys was on time or early using GNER. Why more people didn’t take advantage of the £30 first class advance singles, I do not know.

By: MatGB

MatGB — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:41:26 +0000

Strangely, I much prefer GNER over most other lines I’ve travelled with in the last year, definitely better than Virgin, although the way the Virgin driver dealt with a delay once was top “I’m sorry ladies and gents, I just found out we’ve been redirected due to problems on the line, no one thought to tell me until I radio’d in so I’m trying to find out what’s going on now”.

GNER carriages just seemed more comfortable in a weird way. But I’m weird like that.

By: Rob F

Rob F — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:16:35 +0000

Thanks for the link… I only ever used the electrified service, but can sympathise with your experience of that crappy rolling stock as I used to use the same trains to commute between Bath and Swindon on First Great Western.

After six months I used to get up and stand by the door when we were 5 minutes out of Swindon just to make sure I’d be the one opening the door, and wouldn’t have to watch as some hapless sod at the front struggled to work out what to do.

If NXEC keep the ye-olde-style railway caps on the conductors, I may yet be happy.