EAST COAST MAIN LINE - OH, NOT AGAIN !!

[Uno Hoo]

I realise this might not be an option for Leeds residents, but one area of competition that seems to have worked well is the Grand Central route from Bradford to Kings Cross. When I first started to use it in May 2010 I was sometimes the only passenger out of Bradford. Not any more, the trains are heaving, being well-used by passengers boarding in Bradford, Halifax, Brighouse, Mirfield, Wakefield, Pontefract & Doncaster. Door to door times are as good as anything East Coast can manage. Fares way below EC's rip-offs. This seems to be true competition, and the rolling stock comfort in both First & Standard (I use both, depending on who's paying) is far better than EC's clapped-out stuff. The demeanour of its staff is laudable - they make the journey as pleasurable as possible. Only problem is the return journey time in the afternoon being too early, but I've become adept at manipulating business to enable catching the 14.48 departure from KCR on most occasions. All power to its elbow in securing more slots to increase number of journeys per day.

[majorhoundii]

Uno Hoo wrote: I realise this might not be an option for Leeds residents, but one area of competition that seems to have worked well is the Grand Central route from Bradford to Kings Cross. When I first started to use it in May 2010 I was sometimes the only passenger out of Bradford. Not any more, the trains are heaving, being well-used by passengers boarding in Bradford, Halifax, Brighouse, Mirfield, Wakefield, Pontefract & Doncaster. Door to door times are as good as anything East Coast can manage. Fares way below EC's rip-offs. This seems to be true competition, and the rolling stock comfort in both First & Standard (I use both, depending on who's paying) is far better than EC's clapped-out stuff. The demeanour of its staff is laudable - they make the journey as pleasurable as possible. Only problem is the return journey time in the afternoon being too early, but I've become adept at manipulating business to enable catching the 14.48 departure from KCR on most occasions. All power to its elbow in securing more slots to increase number of journeys per day. I tried to use Great Central to go to Wembley in 2010 but with little success. We ended up driving.

[Bracken]

I clearly remembered when British Rail diverted the overnight sleeper service from the East Coast main line due to the electrification work in the 1980's and promised to return this service when the work was complete.They broke this promise and kept the sleeper trains on theheavily congested West Coast main line.The only sleeper you will find on the East Coast are when engineering works on the West Coast take place.It is ashame because as far as i know the East Coast service was well used to Scotland.Maybe to new franchise for the Caledonian Sleeper will have a bit more idea rather than running these trains up and down one side of the country.