Could be great - but these trains need abit of TLC (East Midland Trains)

Member Name: bucksfizz66

Product:	East Midland Trains
Date:	27/07/09 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Doesn't get as busy as the West Coast Mainline

Disadvantages: Poor state of toilets on board and restricted buffet car services

Used East Midlands Trains last week to travel from East Midlands Parkway station to St. Pancras. We had booked online with the maximum notice we could which is three months through the trainline.com via topcashback for a start, that coupled with using our family railcard meant that the journey (as a return) for the 3 of us was £85, as we were away for 3 days the cost of the congetion charge and parking fees and fuel meant the car would have cost more.

Booking with this much notice meant for some reason we could not reserve seats but the website did advise that we could call nearer the time to book seats. This I did but only received the seat reservation tickets for our outward bound journey. Ironically if I hadn't of called I wouldn't have been aware that there were engineering works on the line and infact our train for the return journey had been cancelled and we were re-scheduled for a slightly earlier train. Bit odd that you book with an email and mobile number but they don't communicate on these matters.

On the day we travelled down I was grateful we had travelled off peak. Although we had reserved seats there were people in our seats when we boarded the train, we luckily were able to sit elsewhere in the carriage. I felt East Midland Trains did not adequately police the allocation of reserved seating.

The trains themselves are pretty much on a par with the pendelino's on the West Coast, but there cold coloured livery leaves them feeling a bit stark, and they need cleaning abit more.

For the return joureny we were advised that there nobody to open / operate the buffet car facilities - then eventually somebody was found but the service was only for a limited period. My daughter required to go to the toilet and in the end I had to guard the door as it wouldn't close and inside the toilet was though a battle had occurred. I ended up having to dash back to get some napkins as the toilet roll had run out.

Everything just needs abit more TLC and the whole service would be greatly improved.

Summary: The routes this company serves require EMT to give abit of TLC to its flight