An Express Service (National Express East Coast)

Member Name: apele

Product:	National Express East Coast
Date:	17/05/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: speed, reliability, availability of services and amenities

Disadvantages: can be crowded, outdated carriages

I regularly use this train on the London - Leeds catching it at Peterborough and getting off at Stevenage, quite a short duration considering the National Express East Coast (NXEC) service runs all the way from Scotland to London.

I've found the train to be fast and usually on time, but if delayed it's been by no later than 5 minutes. The journey is quite comfortable but if travelling during peak times, you're likely to be struggling to find a place to sit. There is quite a spacious area with a small seating bay between each carriage though, which is where I normally perch when I can't be bothered to trawl the length of the train to find a seat. There is a first class section that you'll find at the end of the train. I've only walked through this bit, but it looks quite nice. The ordinary carriages aren't anything special, and the train itself looks quite outdated, but it serves its purpose and tidyness isn't an issue, which is all that really matters. Some of the seats have electricity outlets for you to use your laptop etc., and the on-board free wifi has kept me occupied on my trips. However, it can be quite unreliable and slow. The train also has toilets on board and a restaurant.

The Leeds - London service runs half-hourly and makes stops at Wakefield, Doncaster, Nework, Retford, Grantham, Stevenage and Kings Cross, although this various dependent on the particular service. There is another half-hourly NXEC service which runs from Scotland - London, making stops at Edinborough, Glasgow, Darlington, York, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark, Retford, Grantham, Doncaster, York and Durham. Again, the availability of the stops depends on the particular journey.

I personally recommend this service because of its speed and reliability. If I ever have to make a longer trip with this service, I'll be only to happy to use the NXEC.

Summary: An efficient service and a great choice for cross-country travel