Virgin Cross County (Virgin Trains)

Member Name: Mrs-LT

Product:	Virgin Trains
Date:	18/02/09 (221 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Like the idea of the shop on board, nice modern trains

Disadvantages: Not enough luggage racks, no WiFi

Last week I travelled with Virgin Cross Country from Leeds to Newcastle. I recently reviewed the First Transpennine and National Express East Coast services - love National Express, hate First - and I would say that Virgin Cross Country ranks perfectly between the two.

I neither like nor dislike it, it is just 'OK'. I know that is a pretty bland description, but it captures the essence of my feelings well. I would not seek out a Cross Country service in the future but I would not actively avoid it either.

The train was running 2 minutes late although it did make up the time. I hate it when trains are late as you are invariably left standing on a freezing cold platform waiting for it to turn up, but in the grand scheme of things this was not a big deal.

What I do like about the Virgin Cross Country trains is that they have their own shop in one of the carriages where you can buy drinks, snacks and magazines. Now I know this is not massively revolutionary as all trains offer drinks and snacks but I love the fact that you can go and buy them any time rather than waiting to see if the trolley is brought round (which it sometimes is not).

This has pros and cons of course. When I used to regularly travel by train for work (pre baby) I only carried a handbag and laptop. This meant that the seat I had fought hard for I could not keep unless I had a reserved seat because I had nothing that was not valuable that I could leave behind to keep my seat. Even with a reserved and guaranteed seat it meant carrying a large bag and a heavy laptop bag to get a packet of crisps or a drink, and with a little baby to look after too (as I have now) it is just not possible so I cannot take advantage of the shop. In those circumstances I guess a trolley would be better.

The thing that I really hate is that despite the trains being ultra modern, they do not offer WiFi, and this is something that really annoys me. If National Express offers it as part of their service I see no reason for the other companies not to follow suit. For this reason I will always try to travel by National Express East Coast whenever possible, as I can catch up on emails en route.

The carriages were clean and tidy, although there were quite a few newspapers left lying around although it meant if you were bored you could pick one up and read it (which a lot of people were doing).

I also felt there was insufficient room for storing luggage as there was only one very small rack per very large carriage. This resulted in suitcases being left strewn all over the place creating a huge trip hazard and it is something that could have been easily avoided when the trains were designed.

The toilets were clean which is important to me. There are also ample facilities for the size of the train.

There is a Quiet Coach on the Cross Country service too which is a good idea in theory but I'm not sure it actually works as people still chat so I see no difference between this and using mobile phones.

The trains themselves are very new and they have electronic screens above the seats telling you if they are reserved which is a great idea. The seats feel generally too crammed together though, and the toilets are huge so I think this space could have been better used for wider gaps between seats and more luggage storage, as well as just normal sized toilets.

Overall though, it is a pleasant service to travel on and I would not be disappointed to travel with Virgin in the future.

Summary: OK service