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Terravision
by JFKP DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! My partner and I used Terravision from Rome Termini Station to the airport in early August 2012. After being rudely told we were not allowed to place our small carry on luggage on board (or even small items) we reluctantly stored our luggage into the cargo hold underneath the bus and watched as others ... placed their bags on top of our 2 bags to make sure no one crushed our luggage. We then entered the bus and waited for another 10 mins as others placed their luggage underneath and boarded. At all times the cargo area was in clear view of Terravision staff. Upon arrival when going to get our bags we found our luggage had been stolen. We immediately ran and caught up with any passengers to see if they had mistakenly taken our bag, but that wasn't the case and in any event if that had happened there would of been one spare suitcase under the bus, which there wasn't. When we got to the Terravision stall at Rome airport we were met with feigned ignorance and sarcastic comments from both the driver and the sales woman. The only small bit of information they were willing to give out was that it was probably at Termini station that it was stolen. I think the whole charade between the driver and sales woman sounded like a well practiced little act. Luckily we had arrived at the airport early and were able to fill out a police report (which was a whole new problem in itself). Now we are trying to make an insurance claim with our insurance company, which requires a claim being made with Terravision and despite 8 emails, 2 forms on their website being filled out and several unanswered calls to them we have had no contact back from Terravison since the incident happened nearly 3 weeks ago, save them closing an online enquiry on their website. We have contacted our embassy and are now in contact with lawyers to see what our next step should be, as there was close to $5000 worth of items stolen. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE! In my opinion they are either unbelievably incompetent or they are complicit in the theft of their customers belongings. Either way, they should be avoided at all costs. You only have to google "Terravison stolen luggage" to see other instances much like this one. Be warned. Read the complete review |
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CrossCountry Trains
by Emma1973 I was trying to think of a train related song before I started writing this, sat on the train as i am at this moment. Perhaps you can. Light bulb moment 'the runaway train came down the track and she blew, she blew', actually that's probably not really something you want to sing or think about as you are hurtling along at God knows how ... many miles per hour. I don't anyway, just give me the quiet zone, let me be and drive! I travel quite often from Manchester to Bristol and after weighing all the options up it's always the train that does it if I'm on a my own. It does help that I have a disabled rail card which gives me 1/3rd of journeys and that National Express takes an unbelievable 5hrs 50mins to get down here. It doesn't do that many stops either, so the train it always is. The only train from Manchester to Bristol direct is the Cross Country service, it runs twice hourly and there is a change every other journey in Birmingham, it does carry on down the deep South West towards Penzance. It usually takes around 3hr 11mins to do the journey,although we're currently 10 minutes behind due to a slow moving train in front of us, looking out the window though I think that's a lie and we're a bit further behind than that! Booking is quite easy with Cross Country, but then booking every train journey is easy these days, all the train companies book every body elses trains! I say easy, the actual finding a way to book is easy, however there is still the pain of finding a journey that is relatively cheaper finding a cheap one and it not taking 7 hours and with a 4 hour wait in The Outer Hebrides! You know the tricks, breaking up your journey on the way, Mancs to Brum, Brum to Bristol and back again. I've not seen that work so far so I tend to go straight for the in, out trip. It's quite strange the website, especially when checking the times and prices. What I did like though was the way it was grouped. So you could look for journeys that cost between certain prices which then gave you an indications of what times you could travel. The prices are decent but no more than you pay on any other websites. The website does give you other interesting info about the places that the train takes you to which can be useful. You book the ticket then you can either print it straight off or have it sent to your e-mail, you then pick up the actual tickets at the station. I've never had a problem getting the train itself, the current delay is the only one I've ever known and they always leave promptly, even if it is a little behind it usually makes up the time. The actual trains themselves are of course the most important thing. There's usually about 6 or 7 carriages, one of which is the First Class and another the Quiet carriage. I must admit that I usually end up in the Quiet carriage in order to try and avoid as many children as possible! The carriages themselves are usually neat and tidy and the journey from Manchester to Bristol usually consists of 2 clean ups by the staff. I cant say the same for the toilets though, that although they are usually well stocked with toilet paper a full clean seems to be out of the question and is often the case as soon as you get on the train. I would recommend taking some hand gel with you! There's plenty of space to stow your stuff unless you are intending to get on with several suitcases at which case other grumbles from fellow passengers at taking up all the space! There's also space above the seats and underneath the seats. Which really annoys me when people insist on putting their suitcases next to their seat and blocking the aisle! The seats are OK, enough for me at 5' 6" but I'd hate to be over 6 foot, I always used to sit at the tables but soon realised if you had a leg stretcher in front of you there's no leg space at all. Now the priority is to get a window seat so I can plug in my tablet. The seats are quite narrow as well, so I can get squashed in. The carriages aren't overly new so it is that scratchy material covering the seats which can irritate bare skin. Of course First Class is entirely different. Nice big seats and tables with a lovely steward offering drinks and snacks. There isn't actually a Buffet car just the old fashioned chap and chappesses pulling along a trolley with a limited amount of things on it. No fridge either so there's no chance of a cold drink, and make sure you get a sandwich before you get on the train as you wont get one there either! I would say my main gripe is the sanctity of the so called Quiet Zone. This basically means no mobile phones, mp3 players, games consoles, etc, and it's amazing how many people jut ignore this as well. Nor should I have to ask a guard to ask someone to keep it quiet. When I can hear someone I-Pod 4 seats away I'm damn sure that the guard to hear them when they walk past. It's enforced quite strongly on the likes of Virgin so I'm can only assume these guards consider it too much bother or are just too nervous to do so. Perhaps people reading this will now take notice when they do it! It's not too bad a journey except in rush hour and we stop at Birmingham which means a lot more commuters getting on. Hence the reason I go for the no change train so I can just plonk myself in a seat and stay there all the way to Manchester! It's still preferable to National Express which can be a horrendous journey on the old coaches, I just think its time for Cross Country to start updating their carriages! Read the complete review |
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Jubilee Line
by Goonerette89 With the Olympics on its way the London transport system is going to be under even more scrutiny than ever and the moaners are going to be louder no doubt. I'm probably one of the few Britons who sincerely hopes the Games goes well, by the way, as you realise I do love the place. As the second most popular city in the world after Paris, ... I'm certain London hasn't much to prove, but it does have some things to improve. I really do like the Tube and can never understand why people constantly moan. I have always assumed it's just plain British cynicism, but having used this line a while ago I understood how easy it is to disrupt someone's day, especially if you have to commute between different destinations within the city every other day. Living somewhere and holidaying there in a week are two different things and no doubt a London citizen would tell me the same about the Tube. It's not until you basically live something and exit the happy holiday mentality that you begin to notice and experience the flaws. I have done an overall Tube review but decided to tell you my experience of using the Jubilee line - well, we have just been celebrating the Jubilee! This line is the newest on the London Underground and runs from Stanmore through to Statford, taking in much of central London and Canary Wharf along the way so may just be an important line come the beginning of the Olympic Games. I was staying in Swiss Cottage which sits singularly on the Jubilee line. A pleasant area, although I can never find a lot to do there but it is located not too far away from Hampstead and Camden and there is enough traffic and people to satisfy a townie soul like me, who prefers to be where there's a bit of life. The Tube station is a good one; one of those you have to walk down the stairs to enter, and it feels spacious, cool and pleasant inside, although this is a more old fashioned 1930s station which was originally on the Bakerloo line. ~ My Bad Experience ~ When I arrived in the city in May, I didn't arrive at the station I originally paid to arrive at. I usually always go with Victoria Station, as much as it's not one of my favourite places in London, it's just habit - I feel like it's an achievement to make it off the train on one side of the station and make it up the stairs to the Tube on the other! Instead, trains being trains, they decided to tell us halfway on my train journey from Southampton Central that if we wanted to continue to Victoria, we'd have to get off and join another train because our train had now decided it was going to London Bridge. This was on a no-stopover journey. Or supposed to be. Anyway I stayed on and went to London Bridge instead. I admit I was too lazy to get off. A good opportunity to see how the Shard was coming along, anyway. I didn't know what I'd done with my Oyster card when I got to the capital so lived off Travelcards instead since my itinerary was slightly spontaneous in some places to it made life slightly easier. I got one at London Bridge station but decided to walk down to Southwark Cathedral and watch the sun go down over the Thames, and across the bridge and down to Monument station. In an ideal world I would have walked further on to Bank, caught the train from there and changed at Bond Street where I could have jumped onto the grey line - which serves the Jubilee Line - and gone a few stops northbound onto Swiss Cottage. However having had a day that began going wrong at home on the Isle of Wight, then became worse by the time I got off the ferry in Southampton and on top of that it was a hot day - I know, I know, you are thinking that I'm making it up because I'm actually talking about this summer, but there were a hot few days in May, remember? - it was just a kind of day where nothing went smoothly and I was hot and bothered and just wanted to get to my destination and drop down and move on. However, I was about to encounter more problems to my day... My day had dragged on so much that I never got into London until the evening and to make things worse, I found out that the Jubilee line was down between London Bridge and Stanmore, where it ends in the north. Swiss Cottage of course sits right there in between. So onto Kings Cross and changing lines and onto Baker Street it was. I didn't have enough physical cash on me at the time to get a cab - again due to the day going pear shaped back down on the south coast - so it meant dragging myself up to the bus station and getting a bus to Swiss Cottage at about 11:30pm. With half an hour or so of one annoyingly frustrating day to go, I got speaking with a lady near the station and without asking (I wouldn't dare!) or even hinting, she simply gave me £20 out of her own purse to grab a taxi. I ended up not getting to Swiss Cottage until gone midnight, which was not in my plans since only coming from eighty or so miles away, but thanks to a kind local who really didn't have to do what she did, my day ended on a positive note. That lady was one positive on an otherwise dour start to my latest London journey - I try to be in London as much as it is possible. That's where your day can go wrong if the Tube is not running efficiently and Londoners will know this anyway although that was not the only thing to blame, personally. It turned out, having read the Evening Standard on the Tube the next day, that there was some sort of scare on the line which meant poor passengers got trapped underground, lasting about two hours. They were given some sort of refund, however - praise where it is due. Those poor people clearly had a far worse day, though; it was very hot that day by UK standards and to be underground... far worse. ~ My Better Experience ~ Anyway next day was smoother and I cannot fault the Jubilee line. I walked just down the road to Swiss Cottage station that morning, grabbed a ticket out of the machine and as usual went down to the station after fearing the machine at the turnstiles would have my fingers as breakfast - I'm very paranoid about those things! My plans would be spent in and around my spiritual home of Islington so after waiting no less than five minutes to jump on a train, I did and headed straight to Green Park, which was five stops to the south and where I could change to the Piccadilly line and go to Caledonian Road or Holloway Road. I arrived there in no time, the train was very comfortable and not at all overcrowded and nor was Swiss Cottage station. There seemed to be the odd commuter and a few tourists on there but of course became more crowded as the train entered central London. The next day at Swiss Cottage I was meeting a friend at Piccadilly Circus at 11:30am to go shopping in Carnaby Street. It was early so I decided at first to go to Greenwich Park, which meant changing over to the District Light Railway at Canary Wharf station but argued with myself I probably wouldn't make it back to meet her in time so I decided to stay and take a stroll around Canary Wharf instead, which can be a little soulless but is pleasant enough to look at and stroll around in the heat. I got there in about twenty minutes which is really quite surprising, considering I passed St. John's Wood, Baker Street, Bond Street, Westminster, Waterloo, Southwark, London Bridge, Bermondsey and Canada Water along the way. Back the other way I took the journey along the grey line to Green Park, a station I have visited more than any other in my lifetime I think and onto the Piccadilly line to meet my friend, well timed and right on cue. I had absolutely no problems this time, either. The journeys were quick, trains were airy and sufficient and the stations were fine. The motto is that if it is all in working order, it is fine. If you find it is not in working order it can be a real dilemma, especially if you need to reach one of the northern stops but the saving grace is that you can always use the bus as a replacement. I cannot explain why but I have always preferred the underground to buses in the city, which is the complete polar opposite of many people including my mum who was a born and bred Londoner and I presume people prefer it because of convenience and hygiene of being above ground. If I ever phone her from the capital, she is always bewildered as to why I never get on a bus, especially when my feet are in dire straits. I have found all of the staff to be courteous and helpful at nearly all the Tube stations, especially in comparison with those at basic railway stations in London and across the UK, who never seem in the mood - London Victoria and Southampton Central being good examples. The Jubilee line is the city's newest addition to the colourful Tube map which gives it some advantages in comparison to some of the other lines. Most of the newer stations on the line have wheelchair access, mostly from Green Park southbound/eastbound. Many also have platform screen doors which feels so much safer - when you get off you feel as though there's little chance you are going to mistakenly fall down the gap! Eighty per cent of the time I'm in heels so I do have a fear of slipping but I wouldn't blame it on the Tube; it's up to me what I wear and let's face it, we cannot say we have never been warned! 'Mind the gap' is practically London's slogan. Also it means no-one can jump onto the tracks, push anyone or throw litter on there and you can see less rats! It also helps you to hear the announcements far more clearly as the train is entering (even though I love the sound of a train arriving!) because the train is effectively screened off; although you see a little less of carriages themselves as the train arrives. The Moscovites were the first to use these screen doors; not surprisingly really since they have one of the grandest metro systems in the world. Moscow metro stations are stunning. ~ Jubilee Line (Grey / Silver Line) ~ - Stanmore - Jubilee line begins here. - Cannons Park - Queensbury - Kingsbury* - disabled access here, which is rare on the early stops. - Wembley Park* - this is shared with the Metropolitan line which can take you northbound to Watford, - Rickmansworth and Pinner, or Harrow-on-the-Hill, Amersham and Chalfont & Latimer railway stations; alternatively you can continue to the Barbican, Liverpool Street or all the way to Aldgate in the opposite direction. - Neasdon - Dollis Hill - Willesdon Green - I only know it from a Kinks song making it sound like somewhere in Louisiana. - Kilburn - West Hampstead - Finchley Road - Swiss Cottage - a nice station tucked underneath a busy intersection near a handful of shops, takeaways & Hampstead Theatre. Unless you're staying in the area or visiting the theatre, this is not a vital stop off. Bus stop nearby. - St. John's Wood - if you want Abbey Road, this is your station. Quaint area, Beatles Coffee Shop literally as you step out of the station and the crossing, recording studios and a couple of shops (including Beatles themed) are just around the corner. - Baker Street - large, characteristic station also on Hammersmith & City, Circle, Metropolitan and Bakerloo lines. Architecturally gorgeous area, very busy; get off here if you want Madame Tussaud's and a good stop off if you're a Sherlock fan! - Bond Street - shop, shop, shop. Central line connection if you're on a recession budget and want to give the spending a rest. - Green Park - probably my Tube station home! Step outside and you're in the park which I find means this is a great station if you need to rest somewhere along the way. Also connected with Victoria and Piccadilly lines. - Westminster* - tourists, cameras and politicians - all feared by many but we all like to have a go at it! District and Circle lines here. - Waterloo* - the busiest station on the Underground - on the Waterloo & City line as well as Northern and Bakerloo. - Southwark* - London Bridge* - large station, couples as a railway station. Taxis, machines, gymnasiums, bars, boats, bridges, skyscrapers, cathedrals... they're all there. An ideal base. - Bermondsey* - Canada Water* - this station joins the London Overground, which is connected with several stations across the city, including Crystal Palace in the south and Richmond to the west. I have found Overground trains to be very slow and dull personally (picturesque views in eastern parts though); my Overground journeys have ranged from totally empty carriages (Highbury & Islington) to being the needle in the haystack (further southbound). - Canary Wharf* - modern, airy station designed by Sir Norman Foster, with lots of escalators and glass. Takes you to the mini Manhattan financial district of London. This is also the first stop on the Jubilee line to join the DLR, which take you to Greenwich and the Cutty Sark or Lewisham or Bow Road and Stratford International. - North Greenwich* - here's your station if you require the O2 Arena. This is also connected with the Emirates Air Line, or the cable cars taking you across the Thames to Emirates Royal Docks. - Canning Town* - again we connect with the DLR. - West Ham* - large station also incorporating the DLR, Hammersmith & City and District lines. I have been at this one at about 10:30pm and the trains seemed to come along every half an hour by then, with people slowing down the pace further by trying to open the shut doors and get on. Oh and if you need West Ham's ground, go to Upton Park Tube Station and not this one. - Stratford* - last station. Something tells me this one is going to increase in popularity in the coming days, perhaps years. * These stations have disabled access. Overall this is a good, modern and very safe line when it is in working order and like every other part of the Tube, sometimes this is not always the case as I found out and that can be problematic in the northern stops and cause you to use your ticket on a bus instead, or pay hefty money to get a taxi. I know this is obviously just common sense but if you choose a taxi, make sure you get as close to your original stop as possible; I know when you're tired you just want to get there, but you'll regret paying extra money you could have done with the next day! The Jubilee line incorporates much of the city's tourist attractions from Westminster to Bond Street and there is always a connection nearby to get you to where you are supposed to be. The line also takes you to the new cable car facility near the O2 Arena as well as the entertainment venue itself and also the grande station in Canary Wharf. The development in design from the old stations in the north to the likes of Canary Wharf are an interesting progression. The trains themselves came along regularly and efficiently when I used them, every five or so minutes and were brisk. I was happy with how fast I got from Swiss Cottage to Canary Wharf in one go, and it exemplifies perfectly how the city can visually change in half an hour. The trains are safe and were not particularly overcrowded when I used them in comparison to other lines; on a longer journey I like to sit but I like to stand and lean against the pillar in the corner if I stand, since it's easy just to jump off - beware not to become trapped though, especially if you're quite petite like me! Highly recommended line - just pre-check it is running first! If they didn't help to make an already difficult day of travel more difficult I would give it five stars. I hope that will help anyone out who is visiting our iconic capital. :) Latest updates, journey planner, times, tickets and Oyster cards and Tube maps: www.tfl.gov.uk Read the complete review |
England Transport National |
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7 reviews Transport National / Operates from Southsea, Portsmouth to Ryde, Isle of Wight, UK. |
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Transport National / |
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2 reviews Transport National / New Kent Station. |
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2 reviews Transport National / Take a journey through England's magnificent countryside, cities or coastal regions aboard a historic carriage. Aside from the memories of yesteryear one can enjoy a delicious meal along the way. |
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1 review Transport National / This modern tramway system covers over 28 km of South London, UK. The line is largely on a east-west axis through a central loop around Croydon. |
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14 reviews Transport National / Railway lines stretch from Aberdeen to Penzance, and from Stansted to Cardiff. One of the UK's most extensive railway network. |
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2 reviews Walsall / Transport National / West Midlands / England |
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4 reviews Station Road / Transport National / Stoke-on-Trent / Staffordshire / England |
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10 reviews Transport National / East Midlands Trains (EMT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services in the East Midlands and surrounding areas, chiefly in the counties of South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire. Their fr... |
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