Scotrail Franchise - Abellio

[GrimShady]

Not in the case of Lothian Buses (majority owned by City of Edinburgh Council, with Midlothian Council and East Lothian Council minority shares) or Edinburgh Trams. Both are well-regarded, particularly Lothian Buses, which has also recently picked up routes in East Lothian that First felt were uneconomic to operate.

I think the potential upside of this kind of arrangement, which has greatly benefited Lothian Buses, is that profits can be re-invested in improving the service, instead of being distributed to shareholders. But note that this model is not the Council (or SG in the case of the railways) directly running the service, but owning a company that has to run the service on a commercial basis.

Well said jzw95! Also as someone else highlighted Directly Operated Railways

 

[HH]

I wonder if anyone would know how much subsidy BR got in it's last full year? Would be interesting to compare to what all the tocs are getting now?

No, because it's Network Rail that get the subsidy and it's a far different railway than it was in the last days of BR. It'd just turn into another of these pointless argument threads.

Maybe we will re-nationalise the TOCs or the ROSCOs, the biggest, NR, bit already being nationalised; but it won't go back to being BR. That's just a pipedream. Just like people thinking that Brexit will take us back to the 1950s.

 

[cf111]

The Pumpkin cafe at Inverness station is in the process of being turned into a Costa coffee shop, there will be three very close to one another when it opens with one on Inglis Street and another in the Eastgate Centre!

 

[Blindtraveler]

Is the pub going to be refurbished/repurposed also or are they just doing the Cafay?

 

[Bungle965]

The Pumpkin cafe at Inverness station is in the process of being turned into a Costa coffee shop, there will be three very close to one another when it opens with one on Inglis Street and another in the Eastgate Centre!

Are Pumpkins on their way out?
There seems to be lots of places that used to have a Pumpkins being turned into a Starbucks or as you say a Costa.
Sam

 

[cf111]

Is the pub going to be refurbished/repurposed also or are they just doing the Cafay?

Bertie's pub looks still to be open, the signs in the former Pumpkin's windows says there are hot snacks and drinks available there in the interim.

Are Pumpkins on their way out?
There seems to be lots of places that used to have a Pumpkins being turned into a Starbucks or as you say a Costa.
Sam

Looks like that may be the case.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I fear so. I think its about time the traditional station buffet made a comeback with fresh made doorstep sarnies, greezy bacon butties, affordable non branded coffee and tea in big bucket size mugs.

 

[Butts]

I fear so. I think its about time the traditional station buffet made a comeback with fresh made doorstep sarnies, greezy bacon butties, affordable non branded coffee and tea in big bucket size mugs.

Don't forget the ashtrays

 

[cf111]

I fear so. I think its about time the traditional station buffet made a comeback with fresh made doorstep sarnies, greezy bacon butties, affordable non branded coffee and tea in big bucket size mugs.

I would kill for the occasional decent bacon roll in Inverness before getting the train north or to Aberdeen at 7 in the morning. Pumkin's weren't great but still better than Costa's breakfast offerings.

 

[Blindtraveler]

A partitioned off smoking area, and by that I meana door and wall, serviced/cleaned by staff who also smoke to avoid those who dont wish to inhale doing so would do no harm. Niether would allowing it on open platforms again and it would certainly put an end to the large and often unmoving gaggle of smokers at the entrance of stations and other public places and to the non smokers the problem of foalk buggering off to the toilets for a crafty one in the hope the detectors are rubbish which they usually are! I dont wish to penalise you smokers but those of us who dont like it shouldnt be bothered by it and having your own segrigated area in a bar or cafay or restaurant and easing off a bit on the doing it on open platforms thing is farer to all I think.

Come to think about it why shouldnt stations with multiple wating rooms, iether in use or disused or the space to create such facilities (stirling, Perth, Crewe, Carlisle Im looking at you here) have dedicated indoor smokers wating areas?

 

[marks87]

A partitioned off smoking area, and by that I meana door and wall, serviced/cleaned by staff who also smoke to avoid those who dont wish to inhale doing so would do no harm. Niether would allowing it on open platforms again and it would certainly put an end to the large and often unmoving gaggle of smokers at the entrance of stations and other public places and to the non smokers the problem of foalk buggering off to the toilets for a crafty one in the hope the detectors are rubbish which they usually are! I dont wish to penalise you smokers but those of us who dont like it shouldnt be bothered by it and having your own segrigated area in a bar or cafay or restaurant and easing off a bit on the doing it on open platforms thing is farer to all I think.

Come to think about it why shouldnt stations with multiple wating rooms, iether in use or disused or the space to create such facilities (stirling, Perth, Crewe, Carlisle Im looking at you here) have dedicated indoor smokers wating areas?

Because it's illegal.

Start making one set of exceptions and you open a whole can of worms. Blanket ban is far easier.

 

[gsnedders]

A partitioned off smoking area, and by that I meana door and wall, serviced/cleaned by staff who also smoke to avoid those who dont wish to inhale doing so would do no harm. Niether would allowing it on open platforms again and it would certainly put an end to the large and often unmoving gaggle of smokers at the entrance of stations and other public places and to the non smokers the problem of foalk buggering off to the toilets for a crafty one in the hope the detectors are rubbish which they usually are! I dont wish to penalise you smokers but those of us who dont like it shouldnt be bothered by it and having your own segrigated area in a bar or cafay or restaurant and easing off a bit on the doing it on open platforms thing is farer to all I think.

Come to think about it why shouldnt stations with multiple wating rooms, iether in use or disused or the space to create such facilities (stirling, Perth, Crewe, Carlisle Im looking at you here) have dedicated indoor smokers wating areas?

The law doesn't allow either: a door and wall makes it an enclosed public space and illegal to smoke in, a separate waiting room is equally an enclosed public space.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I would kill for the occasional decent bacon roll in Inverness before getting the train north or to Aberdeen at 7 in the morning. Pumkin's weren't great but still better than Costa's breakfast offerings.

Almost anything (the ransid Starbucks being the acception) is better than CostaFortune! The Cafay on the Bus Station is excillent but not a lot of help at 07:00 or earlier. Its to be hoped that a good deal of thought is put into the hot food arrangements for both classes on the new IC trains Scotrail will opperate as whilst the new HST Scotrail spec galley woan be particularly comprehensive a lot can be done with a microwave, a steam oven, a toster/tosty machine and a George Forman. Some TOCs do decent train hot snacks with just a microwave so it is possible.

 

[Butts]

A partitioned off smoking area, and by that I meana door and wall, serviced/cleaned by staff who also smoke to avoid those who dont wish to inhale doing so would do no harm. Niether would allowing it on open platforms again and it would certainly put an end to the large and often unmoving gaggle of smokers at the entrance of stations and other public places and to the non smokers the problem of foalk buggering off to the toilets for a crafty one in the hope the detectors are rubbish which they usually are! I dont wish to penalise you smokers but those of us who dont like it shouldnt be bothered by it and having your own segrigated area in a bar or cafay or restaurant and easing off a bit on the doing it on open platforms thing is farer to all I think.

Come to think about it why shouldnt stations with multiple wating rooms, iether in use or disused or the space to create such facilities (stirling, Perth, Crewe, Carlisle Im looking at you here) have dedicated indoor smokers wating areas?

Nice thought BT but when they won't even let people smoke on open platforms it ain't going to happen anytime soon. Unfortunately the "Dundonian Killjoy" is correct.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Well without dragging this further away from topic its maybe about time these laws were looked at again.

Is the current refitting of Invernes Pumkin resulting on no refreshmentd at all on the station or has some enterprising person plugged a kettle and a fridge in somewhere? Does the WHSmith have one of those self serve machines for hot drinks? Purely wondering as the trolleys on those trains can run out of hot water on a good day without the extra complication of a temperarily disabled Cafay.

 

[cf111]

Well without dragging this further away from topic its maybe about time these laws were looked at again.

Is the current refitting of Invernes Pumkin resulting on no refreshmentd at all on the station or has some enterprising person plugged a kettle and a fridge in somewhere? Does the WHSmith have one of those self serve machines for hot drinks? Purely wondering as the trolleys on those trains can run out of hot water on a good day without the extra complication of a temperarily disabled Cafay.

WHSmith has a coffee machine behind the counter, it's alright but not brilliant.

 

[47271]

Purely wondering as the trolleys on those trains can run out of hot water on a good day without the extra complication of a temperarily disabled Cafay.

Tell me about it! As often as not you can't get a hot drink on the 0650 Inverness-Edinburgh after Pitlochry, and sometimes even further north than that.

I've always wondered why they can't organise replacement flasks at Perth, it surely can't be that complicated.

 

[Blindtraveler]

O come on this is Scotrail and more to the point the 06:50x INV, theres no tourists on that train. I'll bet that if there was they would get their finger out.

Sinic mode disengaged just for now it isnt that complicated. The much grumbled about WHL manages to take on additional hot water on route and whilst my sicinical tourist theory applies here it should be possible elsewhere too.
The HSTs should they ever arrive will have as much hot water as there is tankage for/power to boil and as the catering vehicles on these trains are providing hot water for a full 8 or 9 coach wrake day in day out then the shortened SR ones will have no issue unless of course the tanks are changed (sinic mode again)

 

[gunn13]

A catering depot will be based at Perth in the near future, as a result of staff and passenger feedback.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Excillent news. As it stands trains from the Highlands often need supplies by this point and in future when the HSTs are doing more exciting things like FC service and potentially hot meals being able to restock is vital.

 

[47271]

A catering depot will be based at Perth in the near future, as a result of staff and passenger feedback.

Genius! Hot water has only been running out on the trolleys on Inverness trains for 35 years or so. [emoji38]

Seriously, any improvement is welcome, great news.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

I've probably missed it somewhere but it there a date for electrification?

The makeshift barriers at Croy station which shortened the length of the platforms have now been removed and the stopping points for the trains have now been moved to cover the whole of the platform now.

 

[380101]

I've probably missed it somewhere but it there a date for electrification?

The makeshift barriers at Croy station which shortened the length of the platforms have now been removed and the stopping points for the trains have now been moved to cover the whole of the platform now.

If all goes to schedule then there will be 24 services a day operated by class 380 between Queen St and Waverly when the timetable changes in May.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Does anyone have any idea if the 314s which will be out to play on the Inverclyde services to cover for the 380s will have fixed workings? I could just fancy a fast run on one.

 

[Kite159]

Are Pumpkins on their way out?
There seems to be lots of places that used to have a Pumpkins being turned into a Starbucks or as you say a Costa.
Sam

Probably more of a franchise change, with "Costa" & "Starbucks" being better brands than Pumpkin.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Better is debateable, but thats not a debate for this thread.

 

[jzw95]

Probably more of a franchise change, with "Costa" & "Starbucks" being better brands than Pumpkin.

I believe that the station food concessions are generally run by SSP. They have a mix of their own brands (such as Pumpkin and Upper Crust) and franchises of 'mainstream' brands (like Costa, Starbucks, and Burger King). They presumably make changes to the concession based on what they think will maximise revenue. For instance, Waverley used to have a medium-sized Upper Crust next to Boots. Last year, this was closed down and refurbished into a Costa. More recently, they opened a small Upper Crust hut where a money change kiosk used to be. I think they just shift things around as the demographics/market moves.

 

[Chrism20]

Isn't the Waverley Costa Whitbread as opposed to SSP? I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure it's company owned rather than franchised.

 

[jzw95]

Isn't the Waverley Costa Whitbread as opposed to SSP? I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure it's company owned rather than franchised.

Possibly. In that case SSP got kicked out and have had to build themselves a little shack! At the time I had it in my mind that SSP was swapping brands for the location. I don't know why I thought this, and certainly have no inside knowledge, so you could be right.

 

[route:oxford]

Isn't the Waverley Costa Whitbread as opposed to SSP? I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure it's company owned rather than franchised.

Check your receipt the next time you visit them.