Any good? (Virgin Trains)

Member Name: AmyAmy

Product:	Virgin Trains
Date:	31/08/08 (126 review reads)
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Going on holiday is supposed to be a great thing, but not when your spirits are crushed by what I can safely say was an abysmal train journey!

I was travelling down to Edinburgh Haymarket, from Aberdeen. Going on my own was an instant guaranteed boring journey, no matter what service I was on! The minute I found my seat, I was irritated. Being crushed into a tiny window seat with no proper table would have been bad enough, but to add to that, somebody had left an empty coffee cup on the little pull-down. It seems like such a small thing to fuss over, but when you are all frustrated and tired as it is, even the slightest of issues can drive you crazy! I shifted the cup to another little table, and squished my suitcase in the little space between my chair and the one in front. This meant I could not put my feet down properly. An assured uncomfortable 'ride'.

So I was finally settled in my seat, nobody beside me (which was a relief), when the train pulled out of the station. One thing I noticed at this point was how modern the carriage was. I have to give it credit for that! Other trains I had been on still used the little paper slips in the back of the chairs saying when that individual seat is booked for, but Virgin have modernised themselves! They have LCD screens above each seat holding the same information as the little paper slips! And there was a luggage cart in the centre of carriage, which I feel is quite useful, for paranoid people such as myself! I did notice how narrow the aisles were on this train though, I could barely fit through with my suitcase, I was not happy!

Nothing was extremely tormenting with the journey, until we stopped at the first station, and all I can say is that I heard this child before I saw them! They sat on my side of the carriage so I could not see them at all, and they screamed and screamed all the way, until they got off one or two stops before mine!

I started to panic after about a half hour pulling out of Aberdeen. Yes, I was going to Edinburgh, but at that point, I did not know whether it was Waverly or Haymarket! My stepdad was going to meet me at the assigned station, and he was going to phone me to inform me which it was, but it was almost impossible to get a signal reception on my phone! I did find out which I was going to, after a lot of panicing and worrying!

Adding to the dreadful signal, the train had to stop around Montrose area, delaying it by about five minutes, because of a problem with the signalling! Things seemed to be spiralling down rapidly!


That was not the only time the train had to stop! We stopped just outside Edinburgh at a little station (of which its name I cannot remember) we were meant to just go straight through. Unfortunately for us, they were doing work to the lines ahead, and we had to wait for another train to pass us so we knew it was safe to take another route. By now, everybody seemed to be as fed up as me. I'd been stuck on the train for nearly four hours, and I was eager to get off!

This woman boarded the train about two hours into the journey, or so like. She hadn't booked a ticket, so she decided to sit herself in the chair next to me. I would not have minded if she was civil! But whatever I did, whether it was text somebody when I finally got signal, or listen to my mp3, she would stare at me, or my items! I felt like turning round and slapping her!

The general service with the train was quite crummy too! When the 'assistant' spoke on the microphone, she spoke far too quickly, and when she gave warnings such as 'You are now coming into (Carnoustie) station...', she always said it far too late, when the train was pulling to a hault! I thought this was attrocious!

If I had a choice to use either Virgin trains, or another service, no way would I favour Virgin! Luckily for me, I was not with this appauling train service on the way back to Aberdeen the following week!

Amy 2008 (2007)

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