The LNER Azuma experience

[whole diary]

[grahame]

The LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about) experience - Standard Class, Inverness to Kings Cross

Others could emulate:
* Seat does not feel so hard as others
* Delivery of catering to seat / promptly, ordered via App, when I wanted it
* Good use of QR^▸ (QR Code - Quick Response code (2D bar code)) code to identify to individual seat
* I paid £49.35 which is just under 9p per mile
* Nice to see / have live train information
* Train WiFi good and consistent
* Train fast and on time
(fingers crossed on these last two - we are now on the York to London leg)

Could do better
* Seat sold as "window seat" is not - it's a bulkhead seat
* Train manager "can't do anything about it" even though plenty of empty seats
* Suggests I move from coach J to try my luck in unreserved coach C
* Too much data needed just to order breakfast.
* Hot "crusty" bacon roll was hot and clearly been hot for a long time
* Kept waiting in concourse at INV until 15 mins before we left ...
* ... even then kept waiting on platform - only allowed on 5 mins before we left
* Second ticket check S of EDI, even though overhead reservation says "from INV"
* Queue for loo with one out of use

And some network-wide comments
* Reservation - Red and orange helpful but you need to known geography if hunting better seat
* Reservations - reveal personal travel plans - "I see you are going to York" chat line ;-)
* Why do some people wear strong perfume to travel?
* "Tickets for TransPennine, CrossCounty and Lumo are not accepted on this service" why so complex still?

[Mark A]

Clean exterior. The LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about) livery's unforgiving of grime. Pleasing that it's *crosses fingers for you* running to time.

Mark

[ChrisB]

* "Tickets for TransPennine, CrossCounty and Lumo are not accepted on this service" why so complex still?

Competition.

That's something you wanted a while ago?

[grahame]

* "Tickets for TransPennine, CrossCounty and Lumo are not accepted on this service" why so complex still?

Competition.

That's something you wanted a while ago?

Done right, yes.   But I was NEVER (for example) in favour of 2 buses and hour with 2 minutes and 58 minutes between them, racing to pick up people at stops and not accepting each others tickets at the tail end of the day when their timings were not so closely aligned.


Edit note: Two minor typos corrected, purely for clarity. CfN.