End of the buffet car

johncas · Post by **johncas** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:36 pm

On local news today when east midland railways starts there will be no buffet car so my question is how do you get food and drinks on a sheffield to London train? Bring your own thermos flask and a sandwich. will there be a trolly service and will the free tea and coffee end.

The meridians and hst's have buffet cars.

phat2003uk · Post by **phat2003uk** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:39 pm

If that's true, it's ridiculous. I'm sick of franchises being given to companies who things worse and not better.

Richard

johncas · Post by **johncas** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:44 pm

Check it out http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nott ... 980550.stm

Just a trolly service no buffet cars on meridians or hst's because to have a dineing car \ restraunt car needs 2 seats one for traveling and one for dineing and one seat is empty for most of journey.

phat2003uk · Post by **phat2003uk** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:46 pm

Why wasn't MML kept...? Also, free tea and coffee is going, never mind, it's what happens when these greedy companies take over.

Richard

trainmad · Post by **trainmad** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:48 pm

MML were doing a good job. Why on earth those cowboys at Stagecoach are let near any transport services - bus, train or whatever, is a mystery to me.

Now if Trent Barton buses ran a train service...

fairlie · Post by **fairlie** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:51 pm

Hey, they run the Isle of Wight alright.... and SWT isn't too bad from my limited experience of it

chrisj94 · Post by **chrisj94** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:48 pm

trainmad wrote:
Now if Trent Barton buses ran a train service...

It might just be the best train service in the world...oh wait,thats beer.

rwaceyw · Post by **rwaceyw** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 11:03 pm

chrisj94 wrote:
trainmad wrote:
Now if Trent Barton buses ran a train service...
It might just be the best train service in the world...oh wait,thats beer.

Carlsberg? Beer? I laugh at you!

Childrens booze.

Dave

bruce16 · Post by **bruce16** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 5:40 am

Hi Guys,

The same thing was going to happen to the Voyagers when Arriva took over, the voyagers were built with a shop (so according a virgin trains guy I know and he knows his stuff) therefore removing the shop removes the structural stability of the coach. The shop forms part of the structure and if it is removed it weakens the structure, therefore Arriva might go back on the decision of removing the shops to gain extra seats. I would think that Stagecoach after having a proper look will probably also go back on the decision they have made, as it does weaken the coach. Also the Virgin Trains guy said that they tried a trolley service one day on a Birmingham to Southampton train and it didn't work at all

Cheers
Bruce

AlistairW · Post by **AlistairW** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 6:12 am

I hope this is crossed wires even if Tim Shoveller made the annoucement.

I thought a lot of passengers used the dining service, espeically in peak hours, if not then this will be the 3rd Inter-City operator to remove the buffet facilities.

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 7:42 am

The MML dining service is pretty mediocre from what I've heard (not available on many trains, 1st class only, and it costs extra).

Odd really, considering that the other NatEx outfit with a dining service is 'one', and that's fabulous.

I think removing buffet facilities is hugely short-sighted. You simply cannot provide anything like the service that you get from a buffet with a trolley - the stock levels are much smaller, and how would you do hot food from a trolley?

The free tea & coffee was a great idea. How much does hot water, some UHT milk and a tea bag actually cost? I reckon it's less than 10p a cup - when I travelled on MML I went to get my free tea, and decided to have some other stuff from the buffet. Had the tea cost money, I wouldn't have bothered, and they would have missed out on the sale of the other stuff I bought.

45002 · Post by **45002** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:44 pm

BR fazed out load of Buffet cars services in the 70's they where running at at loss.

Stagecoach now getting rid of the Buffet cars,well we know why they cant make a Profit and they got to keep the share holder's happy and stuff the Public

MARTIN

enotayokel · Post by **enotayokel** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 5:04 pm

emm How much is their Premium again?

jonfun · Post by **jonfun** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 5:43 pm

trainmad wrote:Now if Trent Barton buses ran a train service...

TBT- The Really Good Train Company!

johncard · Post by **johncard** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:14 pm

I think I discovered Trent Barton when we went to the (sadly closed) American Adventure theme park, and was wondering why on earth a bus company would call itself "rainbow". Their website is really good *groan*, interesting reading through the "big issues" though in one article they're just pointing out they have the same issues with congestion as everyone else.

This year we went to Derbyshire and went to the Odeon cinema, and they displayed 2 professional poster adverts for their coach services which was quite surprising, though it seemed to raise a couple of sniggers. Maybe that was from the "OMG it's a bus" brigade as opposed to "last time I travelled with them...."

OT maybe but striking while the iron's hot

Atomic Systems

End of the buffet car

End of the buffet car

BR

Re: End of the buffet car