July 3rd, 2008
I decided to give Grand Central Train Service another go this morning, travelling from York to London Kings Cross. The train arrived into York on time and left bang on 8:21 as scheduled. The train was pretty empty and many of the carriages only had a handful of people in.
The staff were cheerful and friendly as we headed for London. My last review reported problems with punctuality so I hope this time will be different. Over the weekend I popped into their sales centre in York. It was like stepping back in time. The place had a deathly silence about it and the elderly gentleman manning the front desk informed me they hoped to get a full service running as normal from next week. Apparently they have their power engines back and they are being tested.
So back to the journey today. I ordered some coffee at my seat and to be honest regretted it, the instant it was served. Not because the coffee was bad. It was actually quite nice. No, I regretted it because trying to keep the contents from spilling over my lap was a major challenge as we hurtled down the tracks. I am not sure if this is because I sat in the last seat of the last carriage, but I certainly felt every twist and turn of the tracks underneath. I was reminded that people who want the biggest thrill on roller-coasters always take the last seats. I find myself being tempted to put my arms in the air as we take a bend!
The ticket prices seem to have gone up since I last used the service and the gap between Grand Central train service prices and those offered by National Express East Coast main line services has certainly narrowed. However this doesn’t really surprise me and I still hope this service will eventually find it feets and settle into providing a reliable, good quality and value for money service to those people travelling from Sunderland, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, Thirsk and York to London Kings Cross.
Score: 3 Stars
USEFUL CONTACT NUMBERS:
0871 244 0216 – Web bookings and Mobitix support.
0844 811 0071 – To book tickets over the phone.
0845 603 4852 – Grand Central Railway Customer Services.
0845 748 4950 – National Rail Enquiries.
Posted in Transport