Lack of VTWC first class lounge at Preston

[pt_mad]

One aspect is, what can a first class lounge offer that the sit down station coffee shop can't? (Other than its free at the point of use, with a compliant ticket).

There's the cost of maintenance, stocking and staffing, and it could imho be an easy place for the offering to fail over a simple thing such as no staff available or one of the drink options or machines is out of use or something has run out.

Is a nice seat and a coffee not something that other resident offerings can do better in the stations?

 

[mwmbwls]

Any 1st class lounge in Preston needs to be close to predominant departure platform to London - which more often than not is from the narrow platform island housing 5 & 6. Whilst there are station buildings on 3 & 4 - it would still be a huff and puff to use the foot bridge at the north end or the tunnel mid-way. The only time this will change is when HS2 arrives.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Any 1st class lounge in Preston needs to be close to predominant departure platform to London - which more often than not is from the narrow platform island housing 5 & 6. Whilst there are station buildings on 3 & 4 - it would still be a huff and puff to use the foot bridge at the north end or the tunnel mid-way. The only time this will change is when HS2 arrives.

It won't change then, either; I'm not aware of any plan to rebuild Preston.

Plenty of people sit in the pub on 3/4 waiting for trains on 5/6.

 

[pt_mad]

Out of interest, are these lounges mostly staffed from first departure until last? I presume there would have to be a member of staff on duty for lounges to be open? Although I did once have a look through the door at Derby and couldn't see a member of staff unless they'd just nipped out? Is free WiFi a given?

 

[modernrail]

My personal experience is that York, Preston, Crewe and Wigan North Western all have pretty poor facilities for passengers who need to wait for a connection, whether first class lounge or alternative. I have had plenty of 45 minute or so waits at those stations In each case I would prefer one large or a few general all purpose lounges than a first class lounge. Something between the stark and uncomfortable normal waiting room and first class provision. I don't want to be forced to pay for often massively substandard and overpriced Pumpkin, Upper Crust or similar but that is usually what you have to do to find somewhere warm to get the laptop out.

Stoke is an example of a station with a reasonable and more independent feeling offer. It would be great if they could turf all the average providers out of say Crewe and bring in some local independents with Virgin paying to create a lounge for all users and the customers of the independents.

 

[Muenchener]

Any 1st class lounge in Preston needs to be close to predominant departure platform to London - which more often than not is from the narrow platform island housing 5 & 6. Whilst there are station buildings on 3 & 4 - it would still be a huff and puff to use the foot bridge at the north end or the tunnel mid-way. The only time this will change is when HS2 arrives.

A

Any lounge, within the station confines at Preston, is likely to be nearer to the platform than either Euston or Glasgow lounges are.

 

[Bletchleyite]

A

Any lounge, within the station confines at Preston, is likely to be nearer to the platform than either Euston or Glasgow lounges are.

Well, quite. And the "spare" bit of the P3/4 building (the bit that used to contain a BK) is right by the underpass.

 

[ScotTrains]

If Preston had a lounge I would try to add extra time to change so that I could make us of the lounge. I do enjoy being in a nice, exclusive first class lounge. To me it's more than just somewhere to wait for your train/plane. As a purely leisure traveller I realise I'm likely to be in the minority here.

If my itinerary has a deliberate extended wait (so I can use the lounge) then there is less likelihood of missing a connection due to a late running service, therefore reducing Virgin's delay repay expenditure! Perhaps the lounge could pay for itself!

 

[Muenchener]

My personal experience is that York, Preston, Crewe and Wigan North Western all have pretty poor facilities for passengers who need to wait for a connection, whether first class lounge or alternative. I have had plenty of 45 minute or so waits at those stations In each case I would prefer one large or a few general all purpose lounges than a first class lounge. Something between the stark and uncomfortable normal waiting room and first class provision. I don't want to be forced to pay for often massively substandard and overpriced Pumpkin, Upper Crust or similar but that is usually what you have to do to find somewhere warm to get the laptop out.

Stoke is an example of a station with a reasonable and more independent feeling offer. It would be great if they could turf all the average providers out of say Crewe and bring in some local independents with Virgin paying to create a lounge for all users and the customers of the independents.

Agreed regarding the poor facilities at the locations mentioned.

As I would most likely have arrived at Preston from another connecting service it would probably involve a wait of 20 minute or so. Given the choice of sitting at platform three or four with cold winds or company; I'd happily spend 15 mins in a warm lounge and the offer of a coffee.

I also think it is fitting that Virgin put something in place at Preston due to it being placed half way between the two major destinations of the WCML.

For what it's worth; my view of a 1st class is it's not exclusively for business travellers and a space to work. There is a chunk of money travelling up and down the WCML that is self-funded. Next time you go business class on an airline observe your fellow passengers. They don't all wearsuits!

 

[jfollows]

For what it's worth; my view of a 1st class is it's not exclusively for business travellers and a space to work. There is a chunk of money travelling up and down the WCML that is self-funded. Next time you go business class on an airline observe your fellow passengers. They don't all wearsuits!

Ironically, and I'm probably not alone by any means, much of my "business" travel (paid today by charities, but in the recent past by image-conscious civil service) is in Standard Class whereas almost all my self-funded travel (on the WCML with Virgin) is First Class. I wear shorts, not a suit, and I see no point in using the First Class Lounge, and haven't been in one for years. The thread is about Preston, and I wouldn't use that one, and I certainly don't use the one at Euston either, and haven't been in it for years.

 

[Mikey C]

Taking York as an example, any lounge there would have to be really nice to beat waiting in the York Tap!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ironically, and I'm probably not alone by any means, much of my "business" travel (paid today by charities, but in the recent past by image-conscious civil service) is in Standard Class whereas almost all my self-funded travel (on the WCML with Virgin) is First Class. I wear shorts, not a suit, and I see no point in using the First Class Lounge, and haven't been in one for years. The thread is about Preston, and I wouldn't use that one, and I certainly don't use the one at Euston either, and haven't been in it for years.

You're probably right there. I think First Class is rapidly becoming a product for leisure travel and for self-upgrading. Indeed, I think TOCs are throwing away money by not having a weekday "Weekend First" of some kind.

 

[Starmill]

You're probably right there. I think First Class is rapidly becoming a product for leisure travel and for self-upgrading. Indeed, I think TOCs are throwing away money by not having a weekday "Weekend First" of some kind.

I recently booked an Off Peak Return to Doncaster which involved the use of an LNER service from Leeds (my origin isn't Leeds, it's further afield). I used LNER's website for the benefit of their seat selector.

They sent me an Email with the subject line "A First Class upgrade, for a fraction of the price.". The deal? £25 to upgrade from Leeds to Doncaster! That's right, £25 for half an hour on a journey where they don't even serve hot food, and the normal first class single fare is £26.30. They were offering to save me a whole £1.30 at best, and a large negative amount at worst given I had already paid the appropriate standard class fare!

If this is the best sort of offer they can make I have no clue who is running their commercial department, but things have gone awry somewhere. The train in question is the 1115 from Leeds on a random Tuesday, which will be very lightly loaded with First Class ticket holders.

If I were travelling from Edinburgh to London, I would have snatched a £25 upgrade. Equally I would have gone with a £5 Leeds to Doncaster upgrade. But £25 for half an hour is a bit of a joke. Especially as it is targetted marketing!

If one accepts the methodology that it is permitted to upgrade for part of a journey only (the rest has no First Class accomodation available, and no through First Class fare exists at all, so it is that or nothing really) then the excess fare would have been £26.30 - £10.70, which is £15.60 almost £10 cheaper than their offer.

 

[Camden]

Lime St now has a newly-sited 1st class VT lounge, where the old White Star pub used to be.
It replaced the previous temporary lounges.
That's for 1tph.
Preston, to my mind, is a much busier VT location, and unlike Lime St it is full of interchanging passengers with time to kill.

The Upper Crust/bar place on P3/4 is OK when it's quiet, but it can get insanely busy in there. ​

Crewe has a VT lounge, but in my view is much less busy than Preston these days.

Liverpool is a top three flow for the line with that 1tph, which is probably the main reason for the difference. I bet they'd swap you the lounge for another tph!

Comparing to Crewe, not sure what their fare revenue would be so maybe that makes more sense.

Probably also worth noting that VT probably had to pay little to nothing for the Lime St works as the station works were funded by the local government.

 

[ag51ruk]

The Crewe lounge was funded by "Virgin Trains, Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Cheshire & Warrington Economic Alliance (CWEA), local tourism board Visit Chester & Cheshire and Cheshire East Council" so is a little different to most of VTs lounges - I'm sure if an equivalent group got together that a lounge could be provided at Preston or Carlisle

 

[premier01]

Well, quite. And the "spare" bit of the P3/4 building (the bit that used to contain a BK) is right by the underpass.

I think I remember the BK...how many years back was that? Any old photos/details of this about....

 

[route101]

You're probably right there. I think First Class is rapidly becoming a product for leisure travel and for self-upgrading. Indeed, I think TOCs are throwing away money by not having a weekday "Weekend First" of some kind.

Some Biz people do dress casual , maybe not going to a meeting right away /Next day.

When travelling on SB WCML services from Glasgow in the morning , usually loads of business people ! More than leisure , amazes me all these people travelling for biz .

 

[route101]

My personal experience is that York, Preston, Crewe and Wigan North Western all have pretty poor facilities for passengers who need to wait for a connection, whether first class lounge or alternative. I have had plenty of 45 minute or so waits at those stations In each case I would prefer one large or a few general all purpose lounges than a first class lounge. Something between the stark and uncomfortable normal waiting room and first class provision. I don't want to be forced to pay for often massively substandard and overpriced Pumpkin, Upper Crust or similar but that is usually what you have to do to find somewhere warm to get the laptop out.

Stoke is an example of a station with a reasonable and more independent feeling offer. It would be great if they could turf all the average providers out of say Crewe and bring in some local independents with Virgin paying to create a lounge for all users and the customers of the independents.

Wigan is pretty poor , waited a few times on Preston bound platform , waiting room on Euston side though Pumpkin was shut , looked closed for good?

Preston is a lot better .

 

[47271]

Wigan is pretty poor , waited a few times on Preston bound platform , waiting room on Euston side though Pumpkin was shut , looked closed for good?

Preston is a lot better .

If you're waiting at Wigan during licensing hours then head out of NW station, turn left under the bridge under the WCML, and then left again, and you'll discover Wigan Central under the arches, you'll be there in 90 seconds. It's a very nice real ale pub which has railway departure screens into the bargain. I don't drink beer very much, but I've waited there many a time with a soft drink, or glass of wine in the early evening.

First Class lounges really aren't that important if you can find a decent alternative. Maybe we should start a 'nice places to wait' thread?

 

[Mikey C]

If you're waiting at Wigan during licensing hours then head out of NW station, turn left under the bridge under the WCML, and then left again, and you'll discover Wigan Central under the arches, you'll be there in 90 seconds. It's a very nice real ale pub which has railway departure screens into the bargain. I don't drink beer very much, but I've waited there many a time with a soft drink, or glass of wine in the early evening.

First Class lounges really aren't that important if you can find a decent alternative. Maybe we should start a 'nice places to wait' thread?

Nice pub that

 

[IceAgeComing]

One aspect is, what can a first class lounge offer that the sit down station coffee shop can't? (Other than its free at the point of use, with a compliant ticket).

There's the cost of maintenance, stocking and staffing, and it could imho be an easy place for the offering to fail over a simple thing such as no staff available or one of the drink options or machines is out of use or something has run out.

Is a nice seat and a coffee not something that other resident offerings can do better in the stations?

At somewhere like Euston it gets you out of the massive crowds of people and to somewhere that's quiet and relaxing which is a big thing. At smaller stations I don't think that its quite as necessary but if you're travelling from a busy station that isn't designed very well like Euston which doesn't really have any nice, quiet places to wait then the lounge can be worth it. At somewhere like Edinburgh Waverley where you've got a big waiting room and a nice station pub that's quiet then I don't think that its quite as good; unless you really want your free soft drink before getting on the train.

I suppose you could go off site but I think when you're travelling London-Edinburgh/Glasgow on an advance then I get to the station early and make sure that I will definately not miss the train so I'd rather not. For shorter trips on a walk-up ticket then if you miss a train its not quite as bad!

 

[route101]

If you're waiting at Wigan during licensing hours then head out of NW station, turn left under the bridge under the WCML, and then left again, and you'll discover Wigan Central under the arches, you'll be there in 90 seconds. It's a very nice real ale pub which has railway departure screens into the bargain. I don't drink beer very much, but I've waited there many a time with a soft drink, or glass of wine in the early evening.

First Class lounges really aren't that important if you can find a decent alternative. Maybe we should start a 'nice places to wait' thread?

Will keep that in mind for next time.

 

[Mikey C]

At somewhere like Euston it gets you out of the massive crowds of people and to somewhere that's quiet and relaxing which is a big thing. At smaller stations I don't think that its quite as necessary but if you're travelling from a busy station that isn't designed very well like Euston which doesn't really have any nice, quiet places to wait then the lounge can be worth it. At somewhere like Edinburgh Waverley where you've got a big waiting room and a nice station pub that's quiet then I don't think that its quite as good; unless you really want your free soft drink before getting on the train.

I suppose you could go off site but I think when you're travelling London-Edinburgh/Glasgow on an advance then I get to the station early and make sure that I will definately not miss the train so I'd rather not. For shorter trips on a walk-up ticket then if you miss a train its not quite as bad!

The vast majority of major stations have one or more pubs on their doorstep, all a short walk away. A 5 minute walk (or less) from the pub should hardly be an issue when catching a train...

Going back to Preston for example, The Station Hotel is across the road from the side entrance, while the Old Vic is a short walk away. I had a pint there last time I had to wait in Preston for a connection