London North Eastern Railway (LNER) First Class service

[Scotrail314209]

Add to that coach M seems to be an unofficial mess room for LNER staff. Only 18 first class seats in it yet staff and off duty staff seem to think it's their mess room.

Didn't Avanti have similar issues over on the WCML with coach K on the Pendolinos?

They have, but it's been stamped out by First Class being vastly reduced capacity wise.

Can't say I've noticed the issue in Coach M (I hardly travel in it, my coach of choosing is L or K). When I went south in December the staff used the vestibule in the Coach K as a place to talk, which is fair really.

 

[Steddenm]

I always find the LNER staff a lot more respectful when it comes to speaking to each other or on the phone, 9/10 they'll go into the vestibule, whereas on Avanti they'll all huddle together and speak at the top of their voices effin and jeffin so everyone can hear.

 

[Falcon1200]

Add to that coach M seems to be an unofficial mess room for LNER staff. Only 18 first class seats in it yet staff and off duty staff seem to think it's their mess room.

On my most recent LNER trip only one seat in Coach M was occupied by a staff member's belongings (but not by the person !)

 

[westv]

Another trip to the London office beckons in around June time.
Prior to 2021 when I did the journey every week I might have considered LNER 1st class with a full English on the Hull Executive but now I'm not sure whether I can justify it due to the large percentage increase in the AP fare even weeks in advance and the loss of the full breakfast for the inferior "Dish" menu.
Now it doesn't seem to offer anything better than the cheaper Hull Train's 1st class which gets into London 40 minutes earlier anyway

 

[jmr82]

Hi guys, passionate railway lover here, having said that I don't have much experience of actually going on them!

However first time to London Kings Cross from Wakefield on LNER coming up in June!

Apologies if this isn't the right place to ask for advice but I've read similar threads on here about seat reservations and the like...

So, we'll be travelling on a Thursday 9:29 train from Wakefield Westgate 2 adults first class, me and my partner, we booked via trainline (don't ask why I now know I should have done it via LNER!) - the seat reservations we got looked terrible, sat in seats in front of each other so not actually sat next to each other, so a quick phone call to LNER prompted me to go to the seat reservation page on LNER site and request the seats I wanted, all done and got a good privatetable for 2 rather than 4, both window seats - great.

Without being too bothered about it i'm a little worried that someone else will take these seats, and if they do is there even anything can be done, or someone could have booked on them before us, the trainline seat reservation doesn't allow you to pick seats and they just plonk you wherever, does LNER's system talk to trainlines or vice versa?

Just wanting to make it as special experience for me and my partner being our first time to London.

Also what's the dining like? It looks like we will have the Dish menu which looks okay ... Can you request drinks at the table as often as you'd like?

Best regards! James

 

[Fuzzytop]

The food portions have declined in size over the years, but I find that the catering's still pretty good. I'll complain bitterly until the cooked breakfast is added to the 'dish' menu, but the bacon roll is tasty and the avocado muffin always looks nice. The drinks are on a trolley, which you usually hear clinking away before it arrives at your seat - you tend to get one drinks run per hour in my experience, so from Wakefield you should get either two or three before arriving in London.

The service you've chosen is booked to be two five-coach Azuma trains joined together, each of which have two small First Class cabins. You'll probably find the service to be friendly and attentive. There's a national reservation system used by both LNER and Trainline, so yes the seats are yours.

However ... five-coach Azumas have just the one private table for two people sat opposite each other. There is also an 'airline' style row where there are two First Class seats adjacent to each other (E1 and E2, M1 and M2), but those seats aren't next to a window. Unfortunately, from previous experience, some folks will often take the sole table for two if you're not joining at the starting station - despite the fact it's reserved later on in the journey. All you're able to do is politely ask them to move, else you'll have to sit at a table for four.

Hopefully this shouldn't affect your enjoyment of the trip too much, but it is worth mentioning that if tables for two are very important for you, the other type of train LNER uses on that route (the older InterCity 225 'electric' trains) have considerably more of them - 18 in all. These trains all start and end their day at Leeds or York, so they tend to work (almost) consecutive services southbound and then there's a gap. There's nothing around 09:29 but the 08:14 and the 11:28 from Wakefield are booked to be one. It's probably not worth the cost or the inconvenience of changing the train you're booked on to guarantee a table for two, but worth mentioning in case you do this journey again in the future.

LNER First Class is usually a very civilised and pleasant way to travel, one of life's little pleasures. Hope you have a good journey.

 

[thejuggler]

Whilst the service may be booked for 2 x 5 swapping isn't unheard of. My last two trips should have been a 9, but was a 2 x 5. When that happens its every passenger for themselves in terms of seat reservations.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I would hope that read you a menu change sometime soon, nice and some of the items on it, even an erratic and irregular first class traveller like myself has had enough beef stew now, tasty though it is. And the dish menu breakfast options are not great although I have to say out of the to hot ones I prefer the mushroom tomato egg and cheese panini to the bacon roll which I find a little bit lacking in bacon

 

[westv]

I would hope that read you a menu change sometime soon, nice and some of the items on it, even an erratic and irregular first class traveller like myself has had enough beef stew now, tasty though it is. And the dish menu breakfast options are not great although I have to say out of the to hot ones I prefer the mushroom tomato egg and cheese panini to the bacon roll which I find a little bit lacking in bacon

With the evening meal there used to be something like 3 options swapped over on a regular basis.

 

[Butts]

Anyone else had the e-mail about LNER's "Afternoon Tea Train Experience" in 1st Class.

They have run a couple already with a few more available that have to be booked in advance between various points.

It is described as a "Luxury Experience" - I'm worried they could be slipping into Caledonian Sleeper territory with claims like that .

 

[Andy Pacer]

Anyone else had the e-mail about LNER's "Afternoon Tea Train Experience" in 1st Class.

They have run a couple already with a few more available that have to be booked in advance between various points.

It is described as a "Luxury Experience" - I'm worried they could be slipping into Caledonian Sleeper territory with claims like that .

I saw something a while ago, but I think they was just the previous trial runs. Nothing about it becoming anything regular.

 

[Blinkbonny]

I saw them on Twitter yesterday offering two scones with jam and two cups of coffee for a tenner in Standard. Hopefully this has a bit more to it!

 

[westv]

Anyone else had the e-mail about LNER's "Afternoon Tea Train Experience" in 1st Class.

They have run a couple already with a few more available that have to be booked in advance between various points.

It is described as a "Luxury Experience" - I'm worried they could be slipping into Caledonian Sleeper territory with claims like that .

I got the email today too. Mentions six dates, four of which were in May.

 

[30907]

With the evening meal there used to be something like 3 options swapped over on a regular basis.

I have it on very good information that a menu change is coming.

 

[Leisurefirst]

I have it on very good information that a menu change is coming.

Menu seems to have changed today...

 

[Leisurefirst]

Miffed to say the least that my forthcoming treat to myself of First Class from Edinburgh to King's Cross on a Sunday is only a Deli menu so no hot dish.
It's the 14.00 departure.
I was sure it was a "Dish" service when I booked.
Does anybody know if they have recently changed which services serve what menu or did I just make a mistake (travelling at 13.00 from Glasgow Queen Street so I might have gotten mixed up.)
Why though are the 13.00 & 16.00 "Dish" and the 14.00 & 15.00 "Deli" for the same journey?
It is because they have come from further North?

 

[BRX]

Does anyone know what to expect food wise on the Northbound Highland Chieftain (on a Saturday)? Would they give us lunch and then also dinner, or do you basically just get one meal during the journey?

 

[Leisurefirst]

Does anyone know what to expect food wise on the Northbound Highland Chieftain (on a Saturday)? Would they give us lunch and then also dinner, or do you basically just get one meal during the journey?

Two "mains", one leaving London (or wherever you're getting on) and one after Edinburgh in my experience but same menu.

 

[BRX]

Two "mains", one leaving London (or wherever you're getting on) and one after Edinburgh in my experience but same menu.

Thanks. On the southbound one I guess you get a breakfast and then a "main"?

 

[Leisurefirst]

Thanks. On the southbound one I guess you get a breakfast and then a "main"?

I think so, yes.
I had forgotten that.
The one time we did it in that direction we were so full from the B&B brekkie we had just finished we didn't want any IIRC!

 

[30907]

Not sure this has been flagged up, but as well as a new menu, there has been a rejig of "Dine" trains, including (I notice) additional early evening Leeds services. Just replanning my Interrail "in and out" days now....

 

[westv]

Not sure this has been flagged up, but as well as a new menu, there has been a rejig of "Dine" trains, including (I notice) additional early evening Leeds services. Just replanning my Interrail "in and out" days now....

Oh great. Not only has the Hull morning service lost the cooked breakfast, the evening service has now lost Dine.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Oh great. Not only has the Hull morning service lost the cooked breakfast, the evening service has now lost Dine.

It’s all very pretentious and rubbish to me. These three Deli, Dish and Dines are an obvious attempt at disguising their intention to reduce the amount of trains with chefs/hot dishes on them - all of the weekday services prior to COVID.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Well they have got rid of my favourite breakfast option

With the exception of the salmon there's nothing there that immediately shouts to me upgrade to first class. That having been said, I can't do more than 90 minutes in a standard class LNER see these days without severe back pain

 

[30907]

It’s all very pretentious and rubbish to me. These three Deli, Dish and Dines are an obvious attempt at disguising their intention to reduce the amount of trains with chefs/hot dishes on them - all of the weekday services prior to COVID.

Not so, it was heavily breakfast-focused.
E.g. there were just 2 evening meal trains to Leeds, now 4-5.

 

[westv]

Not so, it was heavily breakfast-focused.
E.g. there were just 2 evening meal trains to Leeds, now 4-5.

11 weekday northbound services between 17:00 and 18:33. All are Dish apart from Hull and one Leeds train. It does seem that Hull has been picked out for downgrade by LNER.

 

[30907]

11 weekday northbound services between 17:00 and 18:33. All are Dine apart from Hull and one Leeds train. It does seem that Hull has been picked out for downgrade by LNER.

Yes, Newcastle and Leeds have gained.

Presumably relative loadings in First may be a factor - or the set/crew diagrams - or even the (modest) extra cost of the crew to Hull and back empty?

BTW was the Hull an evening meal train immediately pre-Covid? I can't remember.

 

[westv]

BTW was the Hull an evening meal train immediately pre-Covid? I can't remember.

Yes, evening meal - now reduced and morning was full cooked breakfast - now gone.

 

[30907]

Yes, evening meal - now reduced and morning was full cooked breakfast - now gone.

Thanks, that's a shame if you live in Hull.

I suspect the issue is: set stabled at Doncaster, catering based at Leeds.

 

[TheReckoner]

My biggest issue with the new trains is the lack of tables for 2 and I find the airline seating cramped. We mostly travel as a 2 plus our small dog and the tables for 2 are ideal and you could pretty much always get one on the HST if booking in advance. If sat on a table for 4 it's fine unless the train is full because not everyone is keen on having a dog under the table.

Having said that, I booked yesterday to travel alone with the dog on Friday to Kings Cross and have opted for an airline seat since only other options were the last seat on a table of 4.