 |
First ScotRail
by J Rivers-Vaughan
I have used this service on a number of occasions and it has always been special. To anyone who even remotely appreciates the romance of travel, this is a journey you should make at least once.
My most memorable journeys on the service involved 'incidents' which in no way detracted from, but rather, enhanced the occasion. ... The first was in 1997, when I took my son on a sailing holiday in the Great Glen (Loch Ness, Loch Lochy, the Caledonian Canal). We travelled from Devon with the intention of joining the Fort William service at Crewe, which involved a change at Birmingham New Street. On arrival at the latter, we found the connecting train had been cancelled owing to football hooliganism further down the line, and were just wondering what to do when we were summoned to the information desk. As my son and I were the only ones travelling on to Fort William, we were put in a taxi and taken some thirty miles to join the train at Stafford, where the Station Manager was standing waiting for us on the steps. The train was specially stopped just for us, hence it was a two minute pause, we climbed aboard, and the train continued. What great service! We then enjoyed the ambiance of the almost unique lounge car for the rest of the evening in which we much enjoyed hot and cold snacks and an ample supply of beverages - it is one of very few carriages on the rail network with movable seats - which it still has today. You meet a different kind of fellow-passenger in the lounge car - usually one that loves the railway, Scotland, and the whole experience, so it is an occasion for good socialising.
I cannot say that one necessarily has a great sleep on the sleeper - it lurches and rattles rather, and on that occasion the loading of mail at Preston was particularly disturbing - but the novelty of the experience more than makes up for it, and one is conscious of the whole unseen night world of the railway, which is something special in itself. There are mysterious bumps and shunts in the early hours as the train is split and rearranged, and, as if by magic, one wakes in the morning to find the train has shrunk but is crossing some of Britain's most spectacular and remote scenery - the grandeur of Rannoch Moor. Breakfast of any kind is a must, and should be eaten while passing through this wonderful scenery, the diesel locomotive chugging cheerfully up the gradients and over amazing viaducts as the train is dwarfed by the grand vistas of mountains.
Inevitably, we arrived at Fort William to the patter of rain, but, amazingly, it was the only rain we had for what proved a most memorable holiday. Those who travel in the summer to Fort William can often add to the whole of this great travel experience by continuing, on the West Highland Line, to Mallaig, aboard the steam-hauled 'Jacobite', passing even more spectacular scenery including crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct, and thence across the sea to Armadale on the Isle of Skye, where cosy log chalets can be rented from Lord MacDonald's fine estate.
Which leads me to my second anecdote - on another occasion my wife drove up to Skye several days ahead of our son and I, and we again travelled up by train, spent a little time in Glasgow and Fort William, and somehow managed to miss the last ferry to Skye from Mallaig. Comment was "Och, ye'll never get to Skye tonight", but down at the harbour a large motor launch was manoeuvring and I commandeered it (for a price) and leaving dumb-struck locals gaping ashore, we sped off to Armadale - my wife called it my 'Bond' moment when she arrived in time to see the boat creaming towards the pier.
Do not expect great comfort on the night sleeper - the rolling stock is getting rather old, the cabins are rather small, and the sound of the motion can disturb one's sleep - but do expect a great experience, and make the best of socialising in the lounge car and make sure you roll up the blind in the morning in time to see the train arrive at Crianlarich junction before crossing wonderful Rannoch Moor.
Read the complete review |
 |
National Express
by RegularCustomer
I am a regular customer of National Express, but only because I have to be.
My main issue is with their ticketing system and amendment policies. If you purchase a "fun fare" ticket and have to amend it, it is quite expensive.
It seems pretty clear that National Express mainly sells "fun fare" tickets. Since ... their main customer base is purchasing these tickets, I do not understand why they do not change their policies. Their current policies are a recipe for a very unhappy customer and a driver who has to deal with it. Sadly, the drivers are unable to deal with ticket issues, so they are left with a very irritated customer and cannot do anything about it, which probably leaves them feeling frustrated.
I once arrived for my regular 5:45am service and realized I had a ticket for the 5:00. This was my mistake, but mistakes happen. I pleaded with the driver to let me on as I did not have enough cash to buy a new ticket and I was unable to call National Express to buy a new ticket. The driver was unable to do anything and left me behind. When I finally got my phone working I amended my ticket and it cost me four times the original ticket value. I complained about this situation, as this is a service I take regularly and it is just bad to leave a regular customer behind for a minor mistake. I received a useless voucher.
I also had recommended national express to my friends who were catching a service from Gatwick. Their flight was delayed and they missed their coach and wound up having to buy entirely new tickets for the next one.
I am not going to complain about the extreme heat or bad smells I have experienced as a customer of National Express, I understand that there are some things that you have to deal with. There are things I appreciate, like how many services run and that they tend to be on time. They also have pretty decent seats. It just seems so strange that they have a ticketing system and policies that are so clearly a recipe for disgruntled customers. It makes me believe that they truly do not care about their customers or providing a positive experience.
I hope that national express does a survey and assesses these policies. I also hope the find a way to make a system that rewards their regular customers instead of penalizing them.
Read the complete review |
