0600-1930 weekdays, as stated in post #7
When I did an ALR last year I was surprised to be offered refreshments on my weekend journeys, one being a Saturday evening Paddington - Reading, and then the following morning Reading - Wetsbury.
It is maddeningly inconsistent. You can travel Penzance to Exeter £30 day return in Standard, First Class for £125 and not see a catering trolley for 6hrs.
I’m on the 0552 GWR Swansea - London, first class host on departure who offered a coffee about 25 minutes in, second member of staff joined at Cardiff and shortly after brought round a second coffee and the GWR weekend snack box.
I recently travelled with 3 others from London to Swansea, all after a drink, not only did the trolley not arrive until Bridgend, twice we went to find it and both of us were told we had to wait until it reached us!
Yes the trouble is they cannot sell you hot drinks as its a health and safety issue walking down the train with them! Not quite sure how TOCs with buffets get around this! Most intercity TOCs have buffets (LNER, Avanti etc), if only GWR could too. Perhaps fitting the 9 cars with a buffet on would be handy, but seeing as the routes that need the buffet the most (Swansea and Penzance) are going to soon be all 5s and 10s that could be a problem. Fitting a buffet in a 5 car set seems less likely or practical, so unless there can be a rethink on where the 9 cars are going to go in future there is a problem. Also the small matter of getting funding for a project which I suspect, although useful to customers, wouldn't generate huge income.
Agreed. The hosts are very good, they are just completely hamstrung by the system when it comes to the standard class trolley. I only wish the issue was taken more seriously by the Dft as it seems to be the number one grumble I hear when travelling on GWR trains (often upsetting people more than delays!). But then 5 hours is a long time to go without a drink. If any TOC needs a buffet on its trains its GWR. Its just unfortunate that the more local stuff within an hour of London took priority when it came to decision making back at the procurement stage, whereas LNER and Avanti seemed to prioritise the longer distance passenger with the buffet.