Train journeys question

[sylvia 10]

Hi All

Just wondering if any one on the forum uses the CENTRAL TRAIN that starts at Liverpool Lime Street and goes through Sheffield to Norwich stopping at chesterfield ,nottingham, grantham,peterborough ely.etc

If so was wondering if anyone does how do they find this train service regarding how full the trains are at different times of the day as I have been having a conversation with central train regarding this service and am trying to find out what other people think

thanks

[sniperwookie 10]

At this time of year it's quite reasonable all the time I think (although I rarely catch them in the middle of the day, mainly 'rush hour' ones). A lot of people are on holiday, so it's nice and quiet in a morning, and they have recently purchased a lot of 3 coach trains, so you're more likely to travel on one of those too which helps at busy times.

 

The time to avoid is Friday evening, especially during 'term time' as it's full of homesick students with loads of bags! I always make other arangements to get home, as it's just a nightmare - battery hens would complain about the conditions! Students from Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, all converging on the one train is just too much!

 

Of course, any time the train is busy you hear those wonderful pearls of wisdom from people, who, I'm sure, think they are the first people to think of them:

 

They should put an extra coach on

 

and of course, the 'funny' ones, come up with

 

They'll never get the trolly through here...

 

Oh, how I laugh

 

On a more serious note, Central have improved the service no end over the last couple of years, much more punctual, and often newer and bigger trains. The biggest problem they face is that the services are such long journeys, the suggestions of 'put another coach on when it's busy' are hard to do - a train which leaves Liverpool or Manchester at a quiet time, may hit Sheffield or Nottingham at busy times, and vice-versa - For most journeys it's a busy time somewhere, and people just love to moan....

[sylvia 10]

Hi Sniperwookie

Thanks for your reply I do understand what you say.

It was just that I had recently had a problem with this service from manchester to norwich

Yes by the time the train got to manchester it was packed with people standing and even thou I had reseved seat someone was sat there and wouldnt move ,it was a two carrage train and yes you are right the only thing I heard was it should be a three carrage train lol

Not much help to me being disabled and not having a seat central trains say there trains are never usually that full at any time of the day which I didnt believe because I went home to sheffield last year for a holiday and came up against the same problem leaving sheffield

wait to see if anyone else has had problems with this service

[sniperwookie 10]

I do notice that sometimes there are random occassions when it's very busy, for no aparant reason, and if you send off a customer comment form they tend to send back a generic reply ('thank you for your comments, we will take them on board').

 

If they do claim they are never packed full then they really are lying - as I mentioned in my previous post, Fridays during term time is unbelieveable (and Fridays in general aren't good) and they regularly leave people behind at stations as everyone can't pack on, but the rest of the week I've rarely had problems - only when earlier trains are cancelled are they that bad

 

I would have to say I'm more stunned that some fool wouldn't move - I've never seen that one happen before - people are just ignorant at times!

[sylvia 10]

Hi Sniperwookie

Yes I agree they seem to send standard replys to anyone that complains lol

 

They say they cant do anything if someone sits in a reserved seat wiether the person whos reseved seat is disabled or not to me this is not right would they like to stand on a train for a hour like I did last week and have to hold on for dear life if I hadnt had to catch a connection in norwich I would have waited for the next train.

I wasnt the only person who had reseved seats and people were sat in them so it seems normal .

 

I just find it terrible with what is going of at the moment that they allow over 25 people to stand on a train that is doing a four and half hour journey plus all the luggage left unattened you really never know these days think it will be a long time before I travel with central train again ,

[wendygs 10]

A Customer Services manager at John Lewis told me about a year go that standard replies is all we are ever likely to get and personalised letters are a thing of the past. Strikes me that you are lucky enough to be among the few that even receive a standardised letter, many people dont even get that.

[brewnog 10]

I used to use this train (between Manc and Sheff) a lot as a student. I never once got a seat! One particular journey was so crammed that people were having to stand in the toilet cubicle.

[andee 10]

on a sunday mornings, the journey from Manchester back 2 Sheffield is a joke, loads of people trying to get on 2 crappy carrages ever week with loadsa people having to stand all the way. And it happens every week.

[northernboy 13]

Originally posted by wendygs

A Customer Services manager at John Lewis told me about a year go that standard replies is all we are ever likely to get...

 

Blimey, do John Lewis run the trains now?

 

 

 

 

(only joking)

[brewnog 10]

Originally posted by northernboy

Blimey, do John Lewis run the trains now?

 

 

Mmm.

 

Never Knowingly On-time.

 

I'll get my coat...

[vinceb 10]

I get this train quite frequently (I live in Cambridge and my parents live in Manchester); the Sheffield-Manchester stretch is one of the busiest usually. I find that if I'm travelling from Manchester, it's worthwhile getting on at Oxford Road, and then when lots of people get on or off at Piccadilly quickly grabbing a decent seat.

[sylvia 10]

Hi All

Thanks for all your messages

And Central Trains state they never allow people to stand on there trains and also there trains are never full

so who are they kidding but I am trying to take this matter further with them so anyone else had any experiences I would love to know, more so if you happen to be dissabled

thanks