Fully agree with your assessment. To charge top dollar for fist class, and not provide a full first class service is clearly profiteering. Still blaming the pandemic is frankly pathetic. They are ripping you off.
You might say 'profiteering' but I'd say 'gouging'. I took the service from Edinburgh to Perth in December last year and it was appallingly bad, there was a case of bottled water dumped upon a table and we were told to 'help ourselves', freezing cold day and not a hot drink to be had. The only benefit of 1st Class was the flexibility of the ticket.
Isn't that true of every "first class" ticket though, regardless of the mode of transport, a huge increase in price that is exponentially more profitable for the company?
Why slowly? Why not just get on with it? ScotFail need to stop procrastinating and get the job done already. Excuses, excuses as per usual. @@andrewbeadle9168
But Humza Useless is continuing the ban of alcohol on all natrail trains. Sturgeon tried to order LNER around during the pandemic. They rightly told her where to go. @@andrewbeadle9168
@@andrewbeadle9168 LNER never actually stopped it. It was just drastically scaled back, but was always there. I was travelling during the second lockdown in late 2020 and they had a mostly full First Class service.
This is a generous score. No host, no selection of food and beverages, no towels in the first class lounge shower room , and a leaking toilet with a soaking floor. I would give this 3 out of 10
Since I live in Atlantic Canada, I have no business commenting ScotRail. I would… however like to say that the coastal views from this rail line are absolutely magnificent. That is one charming journey and just imagine for a moment what those vistas would have offered upon a bright summer sunny day. Cheers 🥂 to folks in Scotland.👍🥰🇨🇦
Some great coastal views indeed - but for spectacular, look up some scenic vlogs from the West Highland Line, and (to a lesser, yet IMHO rather more coastally spectacular) sense, the Kyle Line (Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh). Stunning, stunning, stunning... I looked at my train driver with total jealousy!
You were much more generous with your scoring than I would have been. The value proposition for the very high price was abysmal. Lounge offering was poor, but the biggest minus was the lack of legroom which for me would be the major reason for going first class. You scored comfort high because the carriage was relatively empty, but had it not been it would have been a 1 out of 10 for me.
Well, I wouldn't pay £40 extra for those meagre wee extras. If Scotrail want our business, they have to give better customer service.Thanks for showing us the truth, Scott. I like that reference to Steve and Alicja in Montrose 😊
The other thing about LNER is thaty they actually have individual First Class seats on one side of the carriage, so you don't have to share. For whatever reason Scotrail opted to not do that.
Don’t bother with Deutsche Bahn. They cancel seat reservations in first class and regularly overbook… so you end up sitting on the floor in first class. It’s a disgrace. And they try everything in the book to not refund.
Great video Scott and I hope a lot of people take note . Scotrail symbolizes Britain in general . Give them as poor as service as you can get away with !
At the start of the Covid19 pandemic East Midlands Railway ("EMR") closed their First Class lounges "until further notice| and - guess what? - almost two years after the last restrictions were lifted, the lounges have yet to re-open!
Personally I like the Swiss-style face to face seating as it guarantees a window to look out of!😉 As ScotRail alone operate HSTs I would travel this route, but in standard!
I've done (almost) the reverse of that trip - from Stirling to Aberdeen. The day I traveled, standard class was packed, and first was nearly empty, so just having a quiet carriage and a single seat made the first class ticket worth the price to me.
The best First Class train I've travelled on, is with LNER, London to Edinburgh, who have a fantastic menu, a good selection of drinks and snacks, the staff a smart and polite, the trains clean and comfortable. In my opinion better than Avanti, but both are better than GWR.
Discourage use of the showers by not providing towels. Then in the near future discontinue the showers citing lack of use. Slick way to save some money there…
I think you were actually quite generous. When you consider the high price its totally unacceptable that Scotrail offers such a poor first class service.
A few years ago I traveled that route, from Aberdeen to Glasgow. This was before ScotRail acquired the 125s. I bought my ticket in the ticket office, asked about 1st class travel to which the ticket office manager said that I could have it but don’t expect it to be anything like LNER. It appears that not much has changed. I travelled 2nd class…
So, my hack on this is to pay for a standard seat and upgrade on board the train. this costs £5 each way (Mon-Fri) and £15 at the weekends. Used the new lounge at Aberdeen and found it very unpersonal and not very well stocked . I used 1st class on a trip to Inverness not that long ago and was pleased to see a host providing hot drinks etc so it's slowly coming back x
@@simsonie many thanks for your reply .. that's a great tip. We are travelling up from Newcastle, so may in fact take the LNER direct service, leaving NCL mid afternoon which arrives in Inverness at about 8:00pm. Another alternative would be to travel to Edinburgh a little earlier on LNER,. then take Scotrail. We'll wait and see what the fares are like, when advance tickets are available. We are having a couple of days in Glasgow after Inverness, so that £15 trick will probably be used. Do you just ask when on the train and pay the difference ? Regards from Whitley Bay
@@brianmorrison9168 yeah you just jump on in first and when the guard comes round say you want to upgrade. I wouldn't do it on a 170, just one of the proper Intercity trains (125)
Another good, factual and honest review video. Nice to see what I assumed to be a nod to Mr Marsh, hope to see more of your cross channel challenges soon 😃
Really interesting and looking forward to Cross Country. So they have Manchester to Birmingham route, 80 miles and charge £249 1st open return!! Half the mileage of Aberdeen to Glasgow! £1.50 a mile! Your assessment around lack of catering is bang on! All operators are trying to charge top dollar and not provide anything. Look at Avanti west coast with their Standard Premium offer. Squeezing out additional costs (as they see it) - and still have the nerve to charge £369 open RTN Manchester to London. Beggars belief! A great video looking forward to Cross Country.
Great video. In Ireland, they have only started to reintroduce a catering trolley on the Dublin Heuston to Cork services only. The only train that had it before the Cork one is the Dublin Connolly to Belfast train (The Enterprise). Trains to the likes of Galway, Waterford, Sligo and Westport still have yet to get their catering services back.
@@damianwalls1262 I know where your coming from. I don't even think the buffet coach is open on the trains. They seem to be empty. Also, unless you are in the 1st class carriage, the trolley service only goes once up and down the train. So you may not get a trolley service at all depending on where you get on and off.
Having done that route in reverse in June , restroom was clean but we got an upgrade , yes first class is nice but no value. Thanks for the work for the video. And , yea first class people live in Montross
There's an Avanti West Coast 1st Class Lounge at Glasgow Central, it's pretty basic and it's almost never open, I've turned up a few times to use it and found it's closed and had to hang around the concourse area for ages as a result
I was a guard for twenty years. Main reason for travelling in first class is for the peace and absence of screaming brats and the occasional drunken lout. Celebs always used to travel in first class so they didn’t get pestered.
If you compare ScotRail's intercity offering to other major rail operators in Europe like DB, SNCF and PKP in Poland just to use a few examples it is pretty poor. Retro fitted and refurbished inter city 125s which are constantly requiring maintenance or Class 150s that were more or less made redundant after Edinburgh-Glasgow mainline was electrified compared to modern high speed trains used elsewhere. Hoping holyrood really put their money where their mouths are and upgrade our railways
Most of ScotRail trips hardly qualify as long-distance, though, and you won't find any catering on a German RE or a French TER. Heck, most French regions abolished First class altogether on their TER. You need the equivalent of a WCML or ECML service to London to even experience having a café car, often not even a full dining car, and I'm not nearly as enamoured as you with what e.g. SNCF is offering in their TGVs. Small, overpriced portions, cardboard sandwiches... I wasn't overwhelmed with the refreshments trolley's offerings, I mean, come on, sugar-free Irn Bru? Admittedly DB does somewhat better (although the number of times I could just get coffee and snacks, because the oven was broken -again-), as are PKP, ČD or MÁV, but frankly, in many cou of similar sizes (Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands...), catering has been abolished completely, but for some international services.
Fully agree with you. Last year I used Inter7City services First Class from Edinburgh to Aberdeen (no catering or host advertised - fair enough) and from Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street (which was meant to have catering and host but was not provided). Personally I think the interiors and seating are the best First Class offering in the UK but Scotrail let themselves down by using the pandemic as an excuse to still not provide a food/drink and host service to justify the uplifted price. They're on a par with South Western Railway who charge First Class Prices for a seat and no more. Unwarranted in this day and age.
Transport for Wales loco hauled first class is the best and they have a working buffet car as well. Scotrail first seating is pretty much there as well
Thanks for the Video Scott. I am planning a trip on LNER London to Edinburgh a stay over night in Edinburgh up to Aberdeen which I was planning to do first class as I do love the HSTs and home overnight on the Caledonian Sleeper. Good luck with Cross Country!
I did first class from Inverness to Glasgow Queen Street back in January. The seats were fantastic. I loved the ride! When I was onboard though we only had cans of water to drink. Better than nothing but it could have been a lot better for first class
The first class lounge at Queen St used to be the hotel lounge next door who gave you free tea or coffee and shortbread. Obviously you could use the hotel restrooms. Problem with first class in Scotland is there isn’t enough people in general. Try First Class on a Friday or Saturday afternoon onwards going into Glasgow. You really can meet the buckfast regulars piling into first class. The ticket guard ain't risking it putting them out. Is it worth it. Not inter city in Scotland it ain’t. Basically you're being overcharged for a seat. Nothing else.
Thanks for another great video Scott. It's a shame they're using what look like nicely refurbished HSTs without the service we would expect with the ticket price.
Enjoyed the video! I don't think you got your money's worth for the £40 extra there. The seats did look very comfortable and the lounge was nice, but that was about it.
it's very easy (allegedly) to just walk into the scotrail first class which is nearly always empty and just grab some canned water and shortbread to take back to your seat in standard.
125 (HST) best train left on the network for ride/comfort and 45 years old! I did Bristol to Edinburgh whilst Cross Country had 125's and had plenty of snacks/drinks in first class.
I recognise those seats from their GWR days - very comfy, but I would not be happy with no tea/coffee facilities onboard. I'm going to bet that Scotrail will scrap first class in the future the same way Southeastern did down here.
I know ScotRail have been actively recruiting people to work the onboard hospitality certainly here in Inverness, I would have applied myself, but was too late. Without the onboard hospitality First Class not worth it, by comparison if travelling say from Inverness to Edinburgh I definitely choose LNER as it comes with proper hot fresh meals (breakfast on way down, dinner on way up) loads of snacks and plenty of drinks and teas and coffee. Inverness station desperately needs a First Class lounge, such a busy station and just one tiny cold waiting room.
Very disappointing but I've see worse 1st Class services, South Western Railway springs to mind as their first class on a Class 450 Desiro only has eight seats (2 4 table seats) and that it. But to be fair, less first class is a good thing as there more standard class seats as those trains can be extremely busy out of London Waterloo.
100% fair review. Funny enough, had this conversation last night. Travel south from Inverness frequently and unfortunately I do avoid the Scotrail service where possible. Look, it's going to be tough when compared to the britain-wide operators but it's still poor. That said, they look great and well, riding an HST is riding an HST! Take the Aberdeen lounge out the equation and it deserves a worse score.
Re Aberdeen 1st Class Lounge Room: "There is a buzzer entrance system where you show your ticket to a camera to gain access, or you can push open the door as it is unlocked!" Hilarious! Not exactly worth paying the extra 40 pounds.
Interesting video Scott. I think, living in Scotland, we are a bit spoilt by the LNER and Avanti first class service. In the summer I used a First Class Interrail ticket to go to France via London and Portsmouth. The First Class offering by South Western Railway (London to Portsmouth and back) was simply a slightly bigger seat in a very small area at the end of the train, with absolutely no catering nor service of any sort whatsoever. No lounge at either London Waterloo or Portsmouth Harbour - in fact Portsmouth was quite run-down and depressing. Regarding ScotRail, like you, I am amazed that they can still use the Lock-downs as an excuse for inferior service - but they are not unique in that respect. Many other outfits, such as the gym I go to, reduced the level of service due to Covid with no intention of ever going back to the former levels. There are First Class lounges at both Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central, and although they are operated by LNER/Avanti respectively, you can use them with any sort of first class ticket. The Avanti one at Glasgow Central is often closed due to "staff shortages" which is becoming a synonym for "parsimonious mangement"!
I live in Ireland but love your content, I want to go to Inverness on the sleeper train from Holyhead next year. I lived in Livingston for a time when I was 18/19 and never got to venture further than Edinburgh. Love your videos as they are inspiring!
Great video Scott, I did Edinburgh to Aberdeen in first class with my railcard and it cost me £19.89 single. I wouldn't say it's worth it though other than the seats being a lot more comfortable. I was able to use the first class lounge on arrival to Aberdeen
The reduced first class experience is far to common now, it feels like it’s simply about saving some expenditure whilst still charging for the full service, Avanti are extremely guilty of this, I’ve been on so many of their trains where a meal becomes a sandwich and a bag of crisps……
Lovley lounge in aberdeen station what a outlook before journey i just love 125s and the decor in 1st is lovley but as you say scott that only some you tubers from montrose can afford it 😊😊 nice one scott loved seeing the 125s again enjoyed thanks
The ScotRail Class 43 Inter7City HSTs shouldn’t be replaced or ScotRail to get rid of them as they are still the best. And most definitely the most reliable diesel trains that were built in the UK back in 1970s. I do like the Inter7City livery on them.
You were very generous with your points for the flooded toilet. What if you needed to sit down, your trousers would have been soaking wet. II`d have given that a 0, especially with the ticket price you paid.
The rail industry could really use a set of minimum standards that people who choose 1st or Business Class (or whatever else they might call it), might expect - and a compensation scheme payable when an operator fails to meet these standards. I have long thought that ScotRail 1st class is severely lacking, especially when you consider that apart from the 2+1 seating arrangement, the first class areas in the class 170 Turbostar DMU's isn't even fully screened off nor soundproofed from the invariably overcrowded adjacent vestibule, in any way; and that the mere existence of even the paltry offer of tea or coffee and biscuits depends upon there being a suitably stocked trolley service available. This certainly isn't worth the premuim fares - especially as you even have to queue for the same inadequate toilets as other passengers. Indeed, I'd almost go as far as say that operators like Scotrail should have all their accommodation downgraded to standard class if they persist in not meeting such minimum standards.
I believe even with hospitality all you get complimentary in first class is one bottle of water and a biscuit, perhaps a tea or coffee aswell. And they make sure you only get one serving. They really miss a trick on these trains as there is a buffet which could house a microwave or toasty machine so they could offer hot food to the entire train aswell as having a trolley onboard
I've never used ScotRail's first class service, and based on this I never will: for that sort of premium on standard class I expect something special and this looked like it didn't even come close. The longest train journeys I do with any regularity are Edinburgh/London and even then I only bother with 1st class if I can get a cheap upgrade or, as occasionally happens, some weird quirk of the ticketing system means I can get 1st class cheaper than standard.
Totally agree. The seats looked good but the service was non existent. Yeah, I'd pay a bit extra for the seat but not that whopping £40 difference, no chance. Maybe at most a £10 difference
You don't say if LNER and Cross Country 1st class passengers can also use the lounge but I suppose if the doors unlocked anyone can!Those seats are the same one's that Great Western installed a few years before they started getting rid of their HST's.Towels would generally only be required by the Cal Sleeper arriving passengers so maybe someone comes in the morning and puts some in the shower?
Railway ticket revenue is split between operators based on how many seats they provide. Therefore if scotrail provides 50% of the seats it gets 50% of the revenue even if 100% of the passengers choose to travel with LNER. Hence the dismal first class service. Why bother if you get half the revenue anyway.
Really poor that ScotRail have all the facilities in the HST to offer a full buy on board or hot meal service but are still choosing not to on long routes to Inverness and Aberdeen. Even worse that the pandemic is still to blame when other train companies returned to normal catering long ago. To not even offer a trolley service on Edinburgh to Glasgow, yet offer a first class cabin on that route is also bizarre.
I just think it would be great if Scotrail Does a few more of their own lounge at the likes of Inverness, Aberdeen and Glasgow, unless they can learn from LNER with their first class lounge. I think it's nice that there's one in Aberdeen, which I did passed buy it back in July.
Having travelled in first class in the UK a few months ago I would give full marks to LNER and zero to Northern. The 'experience' in Transpennine was lackluster and the same goes for CrossCountry. This time we did not travel with GWR, but a couple of years ago they were on par with LNER. The Scotrail "product" (hahaha) was extremely minimal, and I'm being kind...
. Agree ScotRail lot to learn about 1st class offering. But it’s state owned and not sure I’m happy for my taxes to pay for a towel! However if you offer shower facilities then you should provide towels. Agree added cost for 1st class not great value as the £8 offering would have been just as good. The lack of 1st class passengers a step for a hint as to what Joe Public thinks maybe?
A bit underwhelming really. I love the fact that Scotrail are using refurbished IC125 trains, they are too iconic to be scrapped and ride just as well, if not better, than the new trains that are replacing them in England. The First Class experience does not match the quality of the train. I’d personally save my cash and go Second Class.
The only thing missing from his complementary first class service was a hot drink. the water and the shortbreads were available on board. Catering is for everyone and you pay for the service if it happens to be on your train so the only thing he missed was a free hot drink Yes, the cheapest standard class advance ticket is £8.90 WITH a Railcard. His first class fare of £48.90 was undiscounted. With a seniors or disabled railcard it would be £32.25, so the difference between the fares would be £23.35. Still a big difference, but nothing like the £40 he quoted. Even better would be to buy an £8.90 ticket and pay the conductor £15 on board, as there were only five occupied seats out of 32 in first class - making a grand total of just £23.90 - with or without catering that’s a good price. What is shocking is that there is no disabled accommodation or toilets available in first class. For a state-run railway that is truly shocking.
Scotrail's IC7 services are the best advertisement for Stagecoach and others you will see. Expensive, worn out unreliable HSTs and minimal hospitality.
These trains are not much different from when they finished their careers with GWR - Formally First Great Western... I miss those first class seats! My usual seat between Bristol Parkway and London Paddington
An extra £40 for a leather seat, no thanks, unless there was the sort of First Class treatment you get on a journey like Newcastle to London, which is a similar length. I'd expect on the Scotrail First Class at the very least, a steward serving complementary alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks and a light meal or Subway type baguettes. OTOH I was at Glasgow Central last week and compared with some of the English TOCs, all but one train was on time and there were no cancellations, so Scotrail are better than down here and no strikes.
Hi a great video and I would personally travelled standard class. The price of first class is not worth the money if you are not getting the full first class experience. First class would not be worth the extra money.
The point of first class is that you get the satisfaction of knowing that you earn enough to be able to afford a train ticket that guarantees that you will not have to rub shoulders with the unwashed plebs. It's a Snobs' Premium.
Fully agree with your assessment. To charge top dollar for fist class, and not provide a full first class service is clearly profiteering. Still blaming the pandemic is frankly pathetic. They are ripping you off.
It's really crap, but ultimately unsurprising as Avanti and Caledonian Sleepers use the same excuses. 😢
@@M3G4UKI got a full English breakfast on Avanti in first class
You might say 'profiteering' but I'd say 'gouging'. I took the service from Edinburgh to Perth in December last year and it was appallingly bad, there was a case of bottled water dumped upon a table and we were told to 'help ourselves', freezing cold day and not a hot drink to be had. The only benefit of 1st Class was the flexibility of the ticket.
No they’re not. All trains have this problem to. I travel on LNER and they don’t do the kind of meals they used to either.
Isn't that true of every "first class" ticket though, regardless of the mode of transport, a huge increase in price that is exponentially more profitable for the company?
Scotrail could learn a lot from LNER with regard to customer care in first class.
th on train catering is being resumed .. slowly but is happening
Why slowly? Why not just get on with it? ScotFail need to stop procrastinating and get the job done already. Excuses, excuses as per usual. @@andrewbeadle9168
But Humza Useless is continuing the ban of alcohol on all natrail trains. Sturgeon tried to order LNER around during the pandemic. They rightly told her where to go. @@andrewbeadle9168
@@andrewbeadle9168 LNER never actually stopped it. It was just drastically scaled back, but was always there. I was travelling during the second lockdown in late 2020 and they had a mostly full First Class service.
@@andrewbeadle9168 Laughable it should have resumed over a year ago
This is a generous score. No host, no selection of food and beverages, no towels in the first class lounge shower room , and a leaking toilet with a soaking floor. I would give this 3 out of 10
Since I live in Atlantic Canada, I have no business commenting ScotRail. I would… however like to say that the coastal views from this rail line are absolutely magnificent. That is one charming journey and just imagine for a moment what those vistas would have offered upon a bright summer sunny day.
Cheers 🥂 to folks in Scotland.👍🥰🇨🇦
Some great coastal views indeed - but for spectacular, look up some scenic vlogs from the West Highland Line, and (to a lesser, yet IMHO rather more coastally spectacular) sense, the Kyle Line (Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh). Stunning, stunning, stunning... I looked at my train driver with total jealousy!
You were much more generous with your scoring than I would have been. The value proposition for the very high price was abysmal. Lounge offering was poor, but the biggest minus was the lack of legroom which for me would be the major reason for going first class. You scored comfort high because the carriage was relatively empty, but had it not been it would have been a 1 out of 10 for me.
Well, I wouldn't pay £40 extra for those meagre wee extras. If Scotrail want our business, they have to give better customer service.Thanks for showing us the truth, Scott.
I like that reference to Steve and Alicja in Montrose 😊
Nice nod to Steve and Alicja!
The other thing about LNER is thaty they actually have individual First Class seats on one side of the carriage, so you don't have to share. For whatever reason Scotrail opted to not do that.
Indeed, odd decision - which AFAIK reduces the seating count. Can't even blame public ownership for that decision!
Yes, those seats are brilliant - as a solo traveller I hate being squashed up with people I don't know (although sometimes it can't be avoided.)
I think your assessment was too kind, I would have scored it much lower.
I have taken first class trains in Europe and the experience was excellent
Don’t bother with Deutsche Bahn. They cancel seat reservations in first class and regularly overbook… so you end up sitting on the floor in first class. It’s a disgrace. And they try everything in the book to not refund.
Great video Scott and I hope a lot of people take note . Scotrail symbolizes Britain in general . Give them as poor as service as you can get away with !
At the start of the Covid19 pandemic East Midlands Railway ("EMR") closed their First Class lounges "until further notice| and - guess what? - almost two years after the last restrictions were lifted, the lounges have yet to re-open!
@@KempSimon shocking all excuses too save money
@@KempSimono
Personally I like the Swiss-style face to face seating as it guarantees a window to look out of!😉 As ScotRail alone operate HSTs I would travel this route, but in standard!
Mate, EVERYONE in Montrose is First Class! 🤣
Yep, sure are!
I've done (almost) the reverse of that trip - from Stirling to Aberdeen. The day I traveled, standard class was packed, and first was nearly empty, so just having a quiet carriage and a single seat made the first class ticket worth the price to me.
Very generous Scott. £40 for a packet of biscuits is a lot of money.
if I'd paid that much extra for the ticket I wouldn't be disappointed, I'd be furious
The best First Class train I've travelled on, is with LNER, London to Edinburgh, who have a fantastic menu, a good selection of drinks and snacks, the staff a smart and polite, the trains clean and comfortable. In my opinion better than Avanti, but both are better than GWR.
Discourage use of the showers by not providing towels. Then in the near future discontinue the showers citing lack of use. Slick way to save some money there…
I think you were actually quite generous. When you consider the high price its totally unacceptable that Scotrail offers such a poor first class service.
A few years ago I traveled that route, from Aberdeen to Glasgow. This was before ScotRail acquired the 125s. I bought my ticket in the ticket office, asked about 1st class travel to which the ticket office manager said that I could have it but don’t expect it to be anything like LNER. It appears that not much has changed. I travelled 2nd class…
You could sit in a coffee shop for a lot less than £40, so I really don't think the first class lounge makes it worth it.
I think part of the appeal of first class is letting it be known to others you are traveling first class
Wow that's grim you were too generous what would a tourist think of that given the great service in even standard class on European trains
So, my hack on this is to pay for a standard seat and upgrade on board the train. this costs £5 each way (Mon-Fri) and £15 at the weekends. Used the new lounge at Aberdeen and found it very unpersonal and not very well stocked . I used 1st class on a trip to Inverness not that long ago and was pleased to see a host providing hot drinks etc so it's slowly coming back x
It's £5 for Edinburgh - Glasgow but £15 for intercity routes. The day you travel doesn't matter anymore.
@@simsonieis that offer on all routes? My wife and are travelling from Edinburgh to Inverness in a few months time, returning to Glasgow.
@@brianmorrison9168 Edinburgh/Glasgow to and from Inverness it still works, yep. £15 per person
@@simsonie many thanks for your reply .. that's a great tip.
We are travelling up from Newcastle, so may in fact take the LNER direct service, leaving NCL mid afternoon which arrives in Inverness at about 8:00pm. Another alternative would be to travel to Edinburgh a little earlier on LNER,. then take Scotrail. We'll wait and see what the fares are like, when advance tickets are available.
We are having a couple of days in Glasgow after Inverness, so that £15 trick will probably be used. Do you just ask when on the train and pay the difference ?
Regards from Whitley Bay
@@brianmorrison9168 yeah you just jump on in first and when the guard comes round say you want to upgrade. I wouldn't do it on a 170, just one of the proper Intercity trains (125)
Another good, factual and honest review video. Nice to see what I assumed to be a nod to Mr Marsh, hope to see more of your cross channel challenges soon 😃
Hi Scott, if I make to Scotland, I'd be taking that exact same trip. View of the ocean, 10 out of 10.
You’re a lunatic ( probably American) if you’re looking forward to this shit trip
Really interesting and looking forward to Cross Country. So they have Manchester to Birmingham route, 80 miles and charge £249 1st open return!! Half the mileage of Aberdeen to Glasgow! £1.50 a mile! Your assessment around lack of catering is bang on! All operators are trying to charge top dollar and not provide anything. Look at Avanti west coast with their Standard Premium offer. Squeezing out additional costs (as they see it) - and still have the nerve to charge £369 open RTN Manchester to London. Beggars belief! A great video looking forward to Cross Country.
Great video. In Ireland, they have only started to reintroduce a catering trolley on the Dublin Heuston to Cork services only. The only train that had it before the Cork one is the Dublin Connolly to Belfast train (The Enterprise). Trains to the likes of Galway, Waterford, Sligo and Westport still have yet to get their catering services back.
If it were profitable for them it would have been reintroduced a long time ago. Management, costs, unions etc is the likely cause.
On a service to cork or Galway I think I'd want more than a trolley
@@gulfstream7235 Could be the case.
@@damianwalls1262 I know where your coming from. I don't even think the buffet coach is open on the trains. They seem to be empty. Also, unless you are in the 1st class carriage, the trolley service only goes once up and down the train. So you may not get a trolley service at all depending on where you get on and off.
In this day and age it's incomprehensible. Thanks for your reply
Seems overpriced for what it was, but sadly that's what I've come to expect with UK rail.
Scott, your scores are far too generous! Especially for the toilet with wet floor!
Having done that route in reverse in June , restroom was clean but we got an upgrade , yes first class is nice but no value. Thanks for the work for the video. And , yea first class people live in Montross
There's an Avanti West Coast 1st Class Lounge at Glasgow Central, it's pretty basic and it's almost never open, I've turned up a few times to use it and found it's closed and had to hang around the concourse area for ages as a result
I was a guard for twenty years. Main reason for travelling in first class is for the peace and absence of screaming brats and the occasional drunken lout. Celebs always used to travel in first class so they didn’t get pestered.
If you compare ScotRail's intercity offering to other major rail operators in Europe like DB, SNCF and PKP in Poland just to use a few examples it is pretty poor. Retro fitted and refurbished inter city 125s which are constantly requiring maintenance or Class 150s that were more or less made redundant after Edinburgh-Glasgow mainline was electrified compared to modern high speed trains used elsewhere. Hoping holyrood really put their money where their mouths are and upgrade our railways
Most of ScotRail trips hardly qualify as long-distance, though, and you won't find any catering on a German RE or a French TER. Heck, most French regions abolished First class altogether on their TER. You need the equivalent of a WCML or ECML service to London to even experience having a café car, often not even a full dining car, and I'm not nearly as enamoured as you with what e.g. SNCF is offering in their TGVs. Small, overpriced portions, cardboard sandwiches... I wasn't overwhelmed with the refreshments trolley's offerings, I mean, come on, sugar-free Irn Bru?
Admittedly DB does somewhat better (although the number of times I could just get coffee and snacks, because the oven was broken -again-), as are PKP, ČD or MÁV, but frankly, in many cou of similar sizes (Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands...), catering has been abolished completely, but for some international services.
Fully agree with you. Last year I used Inter7City services First Class from Edinburgh to Aberdeen (no catering or host advertised - fair enough) and from Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street (which was meant to have catering and host but was not provided). Personally I think the interiors and seating are the best First Class offering in the UK but Scotrail let themselves down by using the pandemic as an excuse to still not provide a food/drink and host service to justify the uplifted price. They're on a par with South Western Railway who charge First Class Prices for a seat and no more. Unwarranted in this day and age.
ScotRail are still interviewing new Customer Hosts for the on train catering
Hear, hear! I could not agree more with what you write, especially about South Western Railway .... although GWR is just as bad!
Transport for Wales loco hauled first class is the best and they have a working buffet car as well. Scotrail first seating is pretty much there as well
Thanks for the Video Scott. I am planning a trip on LNER London to Edinburgh a stay over night in Edinburgh up to Aberdeen which I was planning to do first class as I do love the HSTs and home overnight on the Caledonian Sleeper. Good luck with Cross Country!
I did first class from Inverness to Glasgow Queen Street back in January. The seats were fantastic. I loved the ride! When I was onboard though we only had cans of water to drink. Better than nothing but it could have been a lot better for first class
The first class lounge at Queen St used to be the hotel lounge next door who gave you free tea or coffee and shortbread. Obviously you could use the hotel restrooms.
Problem with first class in Scotland is there isn’t enough people in general.
Try First Class on a Friday or Saturday afternoon onwards going into Glasgow.
You really can meet the buckfast regulars piling into first class.
The ticket guard ain't risking it putting them out.
Is it worth it.
Not inter city in Scotland it ain’t.
Basically you're being overcharged for a seat.
Nothing else.
Thanks for another great video Scott. It's a shame they're using what look like nicely refurbished HSTs without the service we would expect with the ticket price.
With the exception of the carpet, the seats are from the trains days of First Great Western
Enjoyed the video! I don't think you got your money's worth for the £40 extra there. The seats did look very comfortable and the lounge was nice, but that was about it.
it's very easy (allegedly) to just walk into the scotrail first class which is nearly always empty and just grab some canned water and shortbread to take back to your seat in standard.
125 (HST) best train left on the network for ride/comfort and 45 years old! I did Bristol to Edinburgh whilst Cross Country had 125's and had plenty of snacks/drinks in first class.
I recognise those seats from their GWR days - very comfy, but I would not be happy with no tea/coffee facilities onboard. I'm going to bet that Scotrail will scrap first class in the future the same way Southeastern did down here.
I know ScotRail have been actively recruiting people to work the onboard hospitality certainly here in Inverness, I would have applied myself, but was too late. Without the onboard hospitality First Class not worth it, by comparison if travelling say from Inverness to Edinburgh I definitely choose LNER as it comes with proper hot fresh meals (breakfast on way down, dinner on way up) loads of snacks and plenty of drinks and teas and coffee. Inverness station desperately needs a First Class lounge, such a busy station and just one tiny cold waiting room.
Keep an eye on the external vacancies, catering jobs will probably appear again
Not sure this is the Scott style I like - other than the honesty. I do appreciate Scott’s integrity.
Very disappointing but I've see worse 1st Class services, South Western Railway springs to mind as their first class on a Class 450 Desiro only has eight seats (2 4 table seats) and that it. But to be fair, less first class is a good thing as there more standard class seats as those trains can be extremely busy out of London Waterloo.
I remember SWT had catering.
That was a first class review Scott....I'll get my coat. And loved that reference to Steve & Alicja 👍
In agreement.
Another good show there Scott, however your scoring was (in my opinion) over generous. As a first class service, this was a disgrace.
100% fair review. Funny enough, had this conversation last night. Travel south from Inverness frequently and unfortunately I do avoid the Scotrail service where possible. Look, it's going to be tough when compared to the britain-wide operators but it's still poor. That said, they look great and well, riding an HST is riding an HST!
Take the Aberdeen lounge out the equation and it deserves a worse score.
At least the windows looked clean Scott
Re Aberdeen 1st Class Lounge Room: "There is a buzzer entrance system where you show your ticket to a camera to gain access, or you can push open the door as it is unlocked!" Hilarious! Not exactly worth paying the extra 40 pounds.
Interesting video Scott. I think, living in Scotland, we are a bit spoilt by the LNER and Avanti first class service. In the summer I used a First Class Interrail ticket to go to France via London and Portsmouth. The First Class offering by South Western Railway (London to Portsmouth and back) was simply a slightly bigger seat in a very small area at the end of the train, with absolutely no catering nor service of any sort whatsoever. No lounge at either London Waterloo or Portsmouth Harbour - in fact Portsmouth was quite run-down and depressing.
Regarding ScotRail, like you, I am amazed that they can still use the Lock-downs as an excuse for inferior service - but they are not unique in that respect. Many other outfits, such as the gym I go to, reduced the level of service due to Covid with no intention of ever going back to the former levels.
There are First Class lounges at both Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central, and although they are operated by LNER/Avanti respectively, you can use them with any sort of first class ticket. The Avanti one at Glasgow Central is often closed due to "staff shortages" which is becoming a synonym for "parsimonious mangement"!
I live in Ireland but love your content, I want to go to Inverness on the sleeper train from Holyhead next year. I lived in Livingston for a time when I was 18/19 and never got to venture further than Edinburgh. Love your videos as they are inspiring!
Great video Scott, I did Edinburgh to Aberdeen in first class with my railcard and it cost me £19.89 single. I wouldn't say it's worth it though other than the seats being a lot more comfortable. I was able to use the first class lounge on arrival to Aberdeen
Get this man a statue at the Scottish parliament
The reduced first class experience is far to common now, it feels like it’s simply about saving some expenditure whilst still charging for the full service, Avanti are extremely guilty of this, I’ve been on so many of their trains where a meal becomes a sandwich and a bag of crisps……
Lovley lounge in aberdeen station what a outlook before journey i just love 125s and the decor in 1st is lovley but as you say scott that only some you tubers from montrose can afford it 😊😊 nice one scott loved seeing the 125s again enjoyed thanks
Top work .
The ScotRail Class 43 Inter7City HSTs shouldn’t be replaced or ScotRail to get rid of them as they are still the best. And most definitely the most reliable diesel trains that were built in the UK back in 1970s. I do like the Inter7City livery on them.
Spanish trains seem to be the euro - leader for overall purpose.
I believe you can upgrade to first class on board for substantially less, I believe its around 10 pounds.
You were very generous with your points for the flooded toilet. What if you needed to sit down, your trousers would have been soaking wet. II`d have given that a 0, especially with the ticket price you paid.
The rail industry could really use a set of minimum standards that people who choose 1st or Business Class (or whatever else they might call it), might expect - and a compensation scheme payable when an operator fails to meet these standards. I have long thought that ScotRail 1st class is severely lacking, especially when you consider that apart from the 2+1 seating arrangement, the first class areas in the class 170 Turbostar DMU's isn't even fully screened off nor soundproofed from the invariably overcrowded adjacent vestibule, in any way; and that the mere existence of even the paltry offer of tea or coffee and biscuits depends upon there being a suitably stocked trolley service available. This certainly isn't worth the premuim fares - especially as you even have to queue for the same inadequate toilets as other passengers. Indeed, I'd almost go as far as say that operators like Scotrail should have all their accommodation downgraded to standard class if they persist in not meeting such minimum standards.
Hope you do do the cross country one, as it’s one we would like to try.
I like the little comment about some First Class people living in Montrose. I wonder who that was referring to Steve or Alicja perhaps 😂 !
Great video let's have more please Steve is in wales like you he is a legend
I believe even with hospitality all you get complimentary in first class is one bottle of water and a biscuit, perhaps a tea or coffee aswell. And they make sure you only get one serving. They really miss a trick on these trains as there is a buffet which could house a microwave or toasty machine so they could offer hot food to the entire train aswell as having a trolley onboard
In the past few years I have only been on one scotrail train with catering and I have never seen the snack car open on their HSTs
I've never used ScotRail's first class service, and based on this I never will: for that sort of premium on standard class I expect something special and this looked like it didn't even come close. The longest train journeys I do with any regularity are Edinburgh/London and even then I only bother with 1st class if I can get a cheap upgrade or, as occasionally happens, some weird quirk of the ticketing system means I can get 1st class cheaper than standard.
Old GWR stock. Shocking lounge and shocking 'hospitality'.
Good of you to highlight the difference between
1st and 2nd on this route a total waste of money for First ❤
I am taking the train next month to Aberdeen and was going to book a First Class ticket. Based on this I will not, and save myself £40. Thanks Scott!
How different from Avanti West Coast. Had a great experience with them.That said I'm not a person that uses lounges...
Your far too generous! For the price all you really got was an overpriced train ride.
I am curious what Scotrail comments were to your constructive feedback on their 1st Class product.
Totally agree. The seats looked good but the service was non existent. Yeah, I'd pay a bit extra for the seat but not that whopping £40 difference, no chance. Maybe at most a £10 difference
Is 1st class worth the cost on this journey. Nope. You could take the extra 30 for a nice dinner with wine at your destination.
You don't say if LNER and Cross Country 1st class passengers can also use the lounge but I suppose if the doors unlocked anyone can!Those seats are the same one's that Great Western installed a few years before they started getting rid of their HST's.Towels would generally only be required by the Cal Sleeper arriving passengers so maybe someone comes in the morning and puts some in the shower?
LNER yes. CC, no.
need these videos to be longer scott
Railway ticket revenue is split between operators based on how many seats they provide. Therefore if scotrail provides 50% of the seats it gets 50% of the revenue even if 100% of the passengers choose to travel with LNER. Hence the dismal first class service. Why bother if you get half the revenue anyway.
Really poor that ScotRail have all the facilities in the HST to offer a full buy on board or hot meal service but are still choosing not to on long routes to Inverness and Aberdeen. Even worse that the pandemic is still to blame when other train companies returned to normal catering long ago. To not even offer a trolley service on Edinburgh to Glasgow, yet offer a first class cabin on that route is also bizarre.
Haha 6:12 I know who you are referring to there (Marsh!!!)
You can upgrade onboard to first class for 15. A lot cheaper but you probably can't use the first class lounge
I just think it would be great if Scotrail Does a few more of their own lounge at the likes of Inverness, Aberdeen and Glasgow, unless they can learn from LNER with their first class lounge. I think it's nice that there's one in Aberdeen, which I did passed buy it back in July.
Having travelled in first class in the UK a few months ago I would give full marks to LNER and zero to Northern. The 'experience' in Transpennine was lackluster and the same goes for CrossCountry. This time we did not travel with GWR, but a couple of years ago they were on par with LNER. The Scotrail "product" (hahaha) was extremely minimal, and I'm being kind...
I've never liked the idea of sitting in a g;ass box with everyone looking directly at you as they check the main departure board.
. Agree ScotRail lot to learn about 1st class offering. But it’s state owned and not sure I’m happy for my taxes to pay for a towel! However if you offer shower facilities then you should provide towels. Agree added cost for 1st class not great value as the £8 offering would have been just as good. The lack of 1st class passengers a step for a hint as to what Joe Public thinks maybe?
A bit underwhelming really. I love the fact that Scotrail are using refurbished IC125 trains, they are too iconic to be scrapped and ride just as well, if not better, than the new trains that are replacing them in England. The First Class experience does not match the quality of the train. I’d personally save my cash and go Second Class.
This mirrors the A4 Pacifics sent to the same route, after they'd been replaced south of the border. The older train was superior to its successor.
Proper seats in first class on Aberdeen to Glasgow run.
The only thing missing from his complementary first class service was a hot drink. the water and the shortbreads were available on board. Catering is for everyone and you pay for the service if it happens to be on your train so the only thing he missed was a free hot drink Yes, the cheapest standard class advance ticket is £8.90 WITH a Railcard. His first class fare of £48.90 was undiscounted. With a seniors or disabled railcard it would be £32.25, so the difference between the fares would be £23.35. Still a big difference, but nothing like the £40 he quoted. Even better would be to buy an £8.90 ticket and pay the conductor £15 on board, as there were only five occupied seats out of 32 in first class - making a grand total of just £23.90 - with or without catering that’s a good price. What is shocking is that there is no disabled accommodation or toilets available in first class. For a state-run railway that is truly shocking.
Scotrail's IC7 services are the best advertisement for Stagecoach and others you will see. Expensive, worn out unreliable HSTs and minimal hospitality.
These trains are not much different from when they finished their careers with GWR - Formally First Great Western... I miss those first class seats! My usual seat between Bristol Parkway and London Paddington
How about a ScotRail Class 170 DMU and Class 385 EMU First Class review? The 385s are on the Glasgow Queen Street-Falkirk-Edinburgh route.
An extra £40 for a leather seat, no thanks, unless there was the sort of First Class treatment you get on a journey like Newcastle to London, which is a similar length. I'd expect on the Scotrail First Class at the very least, a steward serving complementary alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks and a light meal or Subway type baguettes. OTOH I was at Glasgow Central last week and compared with some of the English TOCs, all but one train was on time and there were no cancellations, so Scotrail are better than down here and no strikes.
Scott the typo in the title!!! Argh its doing my noggin in! Great vid as always though, keep up the great work.
Yeah, it should be an 'f' in Scotrail, right? As in Scotfail.
Did you mean something else per chance? ;)
@@scotbotvideosbewteen! Argh.😂
These are old refurbished GWR carriages, way better than the awful carriages they have now!
Hi Scott, have you heard about the new service from Edinburgh to London, think it’s called Lumo?
When I tried first class from Perth to Aberdeen, there even wasn’t a ticket check!
Hi a great video and I would personally travelled standard class. The price of first class is not worth the money if you are not getting the full first class experience. First class would not be worth the extra money.
The point of first class is that you get the satisfaction of knowing that you earn enough to be able to afford a train ticket that guarantees that you will not have to rub shoulders with the unwashed plebs. It's a Snobs' Premium.