GrandCentral, 1st Class - very disappointed trip between Bradford and Kings Cross
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2023
- Join me on a 1st class journey between Bradford Interchange and London Kings Cross with Grand Central.
A poorly maintained train and a poor first class product make it a long journey.
A big thank you to my Patreon’s for their continued support:
Daniel Jones
Peter Harrison
Stormhammer Firebrand
Tak Lou
Date of travel: 17.05.2023.
Departure: Bradford Interchange, England.
Arrival: London Kings Cross, England. .
Class of travel: First Class.
Cost: £48.00
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As we’d probably say in Yorkshire - there’s nowt Grand about that!
On a more positive note, it provides an inter city service (of sorts) to some of the smaller places in West Yorkshire, although people would probably be better off getting to Leeds for a much faster, better and more regular service to KX
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated
Transpenine Express used to make a point of keeping one carriage unreserved for those who required a seat but had been unable to reserve one.
Ive been watching your vblogs for at least 6 months now. They are excellent. I'm travelling on the Grand Central next Sunday from Bradford with my family for a day out in London so found this vidio very informative but travelling back on LNER which looks a better choice. Keep up the good work!!
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated and thank you for following the channel. Enjoy your trip the capital.
I went GC down to London over the weekend and it was unfortunately much of the same. Tired, scruffy and quite dirty train takes me down and my return train over an hour late was a little bit of an improvement but still a bit. I will give them that their prices are usually very good, certainly better than LNER in my experience. With a railcard I did HPL-KGX for £31 return, booked a week or so in advance. Their staff are also fantastic, always lovely people who just seem to care, very much a small close knit team. Because of the delay I should be receiving a free single ticket so hopefully going down in a few weeks time.
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated. Yes, completely agree that the staff are really good and do trty thier best.
Well Gaffer tape, or racing tape, can hold a racing vehicle together for many laps rather than replace the carbon fibre pannel so I guess the train will be fine..
Looks about as comfortable as a dentist surgery to me! There has been a stealthy decline in standards since BR Mk 1 coaches. OK I'm just a romantic in this utilitarian world, but I can't forget that the standards of a private mainline excursion were once found everyday on a train journey from Yorkshire to London.
I’ve literally just posted something similar 😂 Bring back Intercity! BR wasn’t all glam but the sentiment was always there. People were proud to work for them despite the problems and when you’re proud, it makes for much better service and wanting to implement good ideas. Tablecloths for one 😂 and a fry up: not a frigging packet of biscuits!
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated
I have been on Grand Central from London Kings Cross to York and the Class 180 Adelantes are very nice trains.
Really compared to my recent journey to London, from Weymouth, on much more modern trains, this looks like heaven. The train had no toilets working up until Bournemouth and then just 1, for a busy 10 carriage train, after they attached a further 5 carriages. No catering, complimentary or otherwise (SWR have stopped providing and don’t plan to bring it back). This for a journey that was over 3.5 hours (as it was on diversion for engineering works). The excuse the guard gave, for the lack of toilets, was “the train has had a long day”. It was more likely that there was no staff available to top up its water tanks in Weymouth.
Perfectly acceptable journey in Standard Class, paid £12.20 in advance from London Kings Cross to Bradford (including railcard discount). More legroom in the accessible seats at the end of the carriage. Just take your own food, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Thanks for watching - appreciated
Bang on!
I've got same, or even worse experience with East Midlands Railways class 222
- collapsed seats
- trains look dirty, worn and tired...
- busy at almost every service (not enough carriages)
- no alternative company from Derby/Nottingham to capital
- they cancel Leeds-St.Pancras (via Erewash valley) service 2 years ago because "not enough rolling stock" it was very convinient: 2 morning direct trains to London, and return at evening.
Class 810 (Aurora) are delayed, so nobody care about old fleet :(
Their 158's is a lot more comfortable.
And... They have 180's as well on same route...
The 180's on EMR have gone now, final ones in service last Saturday (20th May). Unfortunately this is ahead of the new Aurora trains which are not due until later in the year, so expect the MML services to be even busier without the 180's.
@@peterskegness3204 - Where have EMR's Class 180's gone? Into warm storage?
@@KempSimon Last I heard, stored at Derby for now. Most likely they will end up with Grand Central.
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated
The seats are more comfortable than LNER.
The odd thing is that this is a fully commercial open-access operation, unlike LNER which is literally the government. If this is the best the private sector can do...
This has little to do with whether it is privately or publicly run... Look at hull trains or even lumo
@@jamie_j0h Neither are my line.
Annoying that I can't book Newport to Preston for 5 August yet, though I can (and have) booked Preston to Euston and London Terminals to Newport. In theory I CAN book for 4 August but at the on-the-day rate of £79.50 single.
This crisis is even ruining service
Ahhh the good old 180 - plagued the Cotswold Line for many years. Personally I don't mind them - certainly an improvement on a voyager imo. They have a very distinct and very very loud screech they make when braking that lends a certain charm!!
I rode on an East Midlands Railway Class 180 from London to Nottingham last year and the seats in Standard accommodation were really comfortable. The traincrew members don't like Adelante's but I don't mind them at all! On the North Cotswolds line they were a definite step up from a Class 165 Thames Turbo all the way from Reading to Worcester!
Great video mate! I'm riding Grand Central from London to Halifax and LNER back from Bradford both in standard class so I'll let you know how I find them both
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated - enjoy your trip and yes, do let me know how you found them.
@@TheGeordieTravelsTravelling with Grand Central on Wednesday so I'll try and seatfrog upgrade to first and see if I have a better experience! Had a great experience last time in standard when I did Eaglescliffe to London
While LNER still have the excellent mk4 sets and class 91s between Leeds and London thats the way to go Ist class just use a connecting service from Bradford
14th January 1973. The day that I was born.
It would be silly to retire rolling stock that is only 20 years old. They just need refurbishment, that's all.
What is it with public Transport nowadays and leather seats?
Completely unnecessary and very overrated, a massive waste of money in my own opinion.
I remember when Virgin trains first introduced the Super Voyager and the Pendolinos NO leather seats on board them.
Brilliant train operator was Virgin Trains.
Never done their Bradford one although i have done the Sunderland one loads of times.The other Bradford London one,not sure if it's still running,went from the other station, Forster Square, and was an LNER one.
I still think this is far better than they Weymouth trip you did. The seating on those are dire, there’s no space for large luggage and absolutely no catering provision- let alone free stuff
Thanks for watching - appreciated.
These Adalentes were assigned on First Great Western services from Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance. They were replaced back with HSTs pdq after the uproar. Dreadful
I can only remember Adelante's on Great Western Railway's North Cotswolds line between Paddington and Hereford, via Reading and Oxford, where they were a huge improvement of the three-coach Class 165 Thames Turbo commuter trains which previously plied this route!
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated
Depot has a t. Great vid 👍🇦🇺
If your kiwitrains, why do you have an Australian flag in your message ?!
@@user-im3hr1ed2l That’s where I live in WA. 🇦🇺
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated, yeah - I just blame autocorrect for eveything
What's with the "Azuma" sign at 0:35? I know the name was used for some trains on the east coast, but that seems way too far from the station to be related.
Not sure if joking? It's a Chinese buffet restaurant.
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated . Yeah, it's a Chinese restaurant.
Grand Central, the only line that do a budget first class. Unbelievable.
Gaffer tape racing stripes lol.
3:05ish: 175 not 475, wee mistake
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated, yeah i know - call it fat finger syndrome
@The Geordie Travels Happens a lot to me too, it's fine haha
Excellent video but could your comments be verbal rather than captions please . 🙂🙂
Thanks for watching - much appreciated, i am thinking of adding audio in future videos.
Nothing wrong with the seat 'go in standard same seat nice leather chair 'very near class 91 1st class 'rather that than class 800 '1st class and standard 'saying that 'I travel on the the Highland Chieftain 'from Aberdeen to London King's Cross 'no issues this time on the train 'seat wise 'travelling from Aberdeen 'always had seat comfort issues.
Thanks for the ❤
Thank you for this interesting video. Whilst the Class 180s are getting old, they could be refurbished. The problem for Grand Central is the costs of that and judging by their loadings, they are not making a lot of money. Replacement with new stock would be at great cost, and the only likely replacement for the 180s will be cascaded Voyagers and Meridians !
Thanks for watching - appreciated.
You're joking aren't you. The trains are always full.
Food is very disappointing. I see therefore neither the train or catering has changed since I used them in 2019. I also used LNER and concur their catering was much better.
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Hi, thanks for watching - appreciated
Never been a big fan of this class of train they always sound like old style DMUs on steroids. Mind you Grand Central is an interesting franchise. Never quite figured out how they would make money but they seem to defy my skepticism
Grand Central is not a franchise, it's an open access operator.
Surely you didn't join the East Coast main line until Doncaster
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated, Yeah, joined the ECML just north of Donacaster
Correction from Inverness to London King's Cross.
They should of great units but instead plagued with issues ever since they were made ,dreadful when compared to its sister units the 175 which are far superior although not as fast ,these are probably even worst than the infamous voyagers
These could've been brilliant if they were DEMUs
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated
Yes, the 180s are nowhere good enough for long trips - even when they are properly maintained! Noisy, uncomfortable, bad ride quality and famously unreliable - they compare very badly with the much much older IC125 units that Grand Central also use. There again, your unit didn't seem as rattly as the ones I've travelled on - normally everything that can rattle and vibrate does, very loudly!
grand central only have 180s in their fleet so what do you mean much older IC125 units?
they used to use them, dont anymore
EMR gained a few 180s when HT retired them. From what I see on Twitter they have now operated their final services for EMR.
What’s your opinion on the ride quality. Last year another UA-camr reviewed this train and said that the ride quality was very rattly and bouncy
Hi mate, thanks for watching - appreciated. Yeah, that was another point I was going to mention but slipped my mind. The ride quality is not good at all. Bumpy and rattled especially at high speed.
@@TheGeordieTravels It looked it, , appalling. As for the duct tape shocking to look at
Well, apart from being on time, this service hasn't got a lot going for it really !
Great video and just subscribed!
Recently did GC from Thirsk to York and the only thing impressive was the speed.
Not travelled First Class for many years now but that offering is terrible! I remember Apex tickets when I was a lot younger on InterCity and being able to upgrade to First for like 15 quid on weekends. Todays rail travel could learn a lot from InterCity in terms of what a true first class product actually is.
I suspect the increased cost of same - people aren’t willing to pay it now. It’s a shame. We’ve really lost the pleasure in rail travel 😢
This!! ua-cam.com/video/m-yHuZnk-aw/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching and subscribing, very much appreciated.
Thank you. That didn't look very special.
Thanks for watching - appreciated.
what on earth is a class 475?
Thanks for watching - appreciated - it's the snide version of the 175, fat finger syndrome i thinks.
😅ljj,xbwagwdywgwsfsasdg7gz yesfd
Hi mate, thanks for watching but not sure what that mean!? 😁😁