The new GWR Hitachi trains - my verdict

[Chilli.s]

Reading to Totnes I reckon I'd eat all that no problem.

 

[skyscraper101]

£50 before drinks for all 3 courses though. It's not cheap, but looks good.

 

[davesgcr]

Hoping for the full Welsh breakfast on the 1045 Swansea on Thursday. Pre birthday treat.

Real old school Swansea based catering crew , who maintain the very highest standards of service.

 

[editor]

Just booked a ticket to Totnes in April from Reading and reserved a space in the dining car. Really looking forward to it now.

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Now one for veggies then

 

[skyscraper101]

Now one for veggies then

Looks like Broad Bean and Pea Samosa, and Vegetable Pot au Feu are the only options.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

£50 before drinks for all 3 courses though. It's not cheap, but looks good.

Through in a couple of bottles of red and it's around a ton, which is a lot, but really is one of life's utter pleasures, so worth splashing out for.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Now one for veggies then

There's veggie options for all three courses?

Although when you see how tiny the kitchen is, I'm not sure about cross-contamination.

 

[davesgcr]

£50 before drinks for all 3 courses though. It's not cheap, but looks good.

As the late , great Sir Peter Parker said (he was one of the very best BR Chairman ever IMHO) , when some Daily Mail type journo said the BR silver served breakfast was dearer than the one in Simpsons ..."yes - but you are not left in the same place , and you do get the benefit of some outstanding scenery etc on route".....

Good to see Pullman service being maintained (yes - for a price) , compared to a microwaved scramble egg on other operators. With no beans. Judged a safety risk.

My mate is in Dresden and got the train to Berlin this morning on a snowy and freezing morning , a Czech diner with a superb breakfast. Now that is a train to cherish.

 

[skyscraper101]

Well it certainly beats the days of BR curly sandwiches.

 

[editor]

There's veggie options for all three courses?

Although when you see how tiny the kitchen is, I'm not sure about cross-contamination.

Just one - not particularly attractive - option does not raise the spirits, especially at those prices and it's is a real shame because I love to eat in a dining car.

By comparison, the Wrexham & Shropshire railway (RIP) offered wonderful produce at a great price.

Wrexham and Shropshire: finest railway company in the UK?

 

[Supine]

Although when you see how tiny the kitchen is, I'm not sure about cross-contamination.

Separate microwaves

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Not on the Pullman...

 

[editor]

As the late , great Sir Peter Parker said (he was one of the very best BR Chairman ever IMHO) , when some Daily Mail type journo said the BR silver served breakfast was dearer than the one in Simpsons ..."yes - but you are not left in the same place , and you do get the benefit of some outstanding scenery etc on route".....

Good to see Pullman service being maintained (yes - for a price) , compared to a microwaved scramble egg on other operators. With no beans. Judged a safety risk.

My mate is in Dresden and got the train to Berlin this morning on a snowy and freezing morning , a Czech diner with a superb breakfast. Now that is a train to cherish.

I've had some absolute cracking dining car meals in Spain and Germany. It's such a civilised way to travel!

 

[davesgcr]

I've had some absolute cracking dining car meals in Spain and Germany. It's such a civilised way to travel!

The Czech and Polish ones are absolutely ace- they have real pride on their food offer , representative of their countries. It cannot go on for ever - I urge you to try Berlin - Dresden - Prague and Berlin - Poznan - Warsaw.

Incredibly good value as well - last time I did the Warsaw train , I was so impressed that the Chief Steward had brought his young son along on a "work experience" thing to see what his Dad did.

Get planning folks.

 

[davesgcr]

I've had some absolute cracking dining car meals in Spain and Germany. It's such a civilised way to travel!

Germany serves fabulous coffee and a very passable Sunday lunch on a standard I/C train. Roast potatoes etc , proper veg etc.

Virign used to offer you a "snackbox" .......as my NY friend would say - "Go figure" ...

 

[davesgcr]

Well it certainly beats the days of BR curly sandwiches.

Tabloid myth - staff used to make their own , fresh , with non BR stock.

Anyway Prue Leith sorted that crappy myth out.

 

[Winot]

Munich to Verona service over the Brenner Pass offers Aperol spritz in the dining car

 

[davesgcr]

Munich to Verona service over the Brenner Pass offers Aperol spritz in the dining car

Another superb journey - did that in 2016 , absolute quality old school train. A Geography trip in it's own right.

 

[existentialist]

Just one - not particularly attractive - option does not raise the spirits, especially at those prices and it's is a real shame because I love to eat in a dining car.

By comparison, the Wrexham & Shropshire railway (RIP) offered wonderful produce at a great price.

Wrexham and Shropshire: finest railway company in the UK?

I must admit that my quality benchmark for any catering establishment is that they offer >1 vegetarian option for each course, but given a) that I am unlikely to eat on a train often, and b) I acknowledge that they're catering under constrained circumstances, I can forgive them...just.

But I am 100% behind anyone putting pressure on any establishment to do better than a single "token vegetarian option".

 

[davesgcr]

That went well this am - after a stressful journey to Paddington - we were safely and expectantly sitting in the dining car with the epic Swansea crew when some idiot sliced through the signalling cables , shutting the whole of Paddington down (+ Heathrow Express) , so we went home. Lost a Pullman breakfast , a mooch around Cardiff and an overnighter in Hereford + a trip back via the Cotswolds.

Still when we are blessed with the biggest railway investment since Victorian times (Says the DfT) , we should accept these minor problems..........

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

On one now. Tbf the first class seats are not bad. They don’t have the visual impact the old ones did, but they are roomy and comfy.

Just starting on my second bottle of Malbec having scoffed a lovely dinner. Pullman dining still as lovely as ever. Only complaint is it is either a table of four or a solo seat. Being able to chew the ears off a stranger was nice and not an option today.

Oh and yeah, mis-aligned window...

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

And I couldn’t work out how to lock the bog door and it just opened mid-slash.

Might be connected to the second bottle of Malbec or the four pints of Amstel at Reading...

 

[editor]

Signed
Great Western Railway - #BringBackTheBuffet | Campaigns by You

 

[editor]

To no one's surprise:

The HST’s replacements, built by Hitachi, include a full kitchen for GWR’s Pullman Dining services but have no buffet area. Apart from the restaurant, which is only provided on a few trains, the catering service relies on trolleys.

The RMT said it had warned GWR that passengers would be unhappy about the abolition of buffets, and has now published the results of research which appear to justify the claim.

A survey of GWR staff revealed that 19 out of 20 staff think the lack of buffets is a mistake, and has had a negative impact on passengers. More than three out of four believe safety has been affected.

The RMT has included some comments, such as: ‘Every regular passenger to whom I’ve spoken about the buffets believes it’s a disaster that they were ever taken off. Revenue has plummeted, but first and foremost, safety has suffered,’ and ‘Passengers are constantly telling us how they miss the buffet car.’

The staff also claim that the substitute trolleys are ‘not fit for purpose’, and that ‘the weight alone is ridiculous and many people have back, neck, shoulder, hip and knee problems’.

An online petition calling for buffets to be provided has been signed by more than 1,500 people, according to the RMT.

The union’s general secretary Mick Cash said: ‘The axing of the buffet car was a cash-led move that was all about maximising profits at the expense of the traveller. RMT catering members are an integral part of the rail team and deserve respect and support. It is those members who face the backlash when the catering services are letting down the passenger.’

New GWR IETs under fire over lack of buffets | Railnews | Today's news for Tomorrow's railway

 

[Puddy_Tat]

mum-tat has encountered one for the first time for our recent weekend away. she was not impressed by the minimal cushioning on the seats (presumably so they can cram a few more seats in)

 

[editor]

mum-tat has encountered one for the first time for our recent weekend away. she was not impressed by the minimal cushioning on the seats (presumably so they can cram a few more seats in)

They are indeed waff-her thin.

 

[Judelo]

Last HSTs, in regular service, out of Paddington this Saturday. (Half length ones will continue in the SouthWest.

 

[Judelo]

Re the seats on the new things, only been on one once, but the only way to be comfortable was to sit bolt upright, which is possibly no bad thing.. Rather not be forced into it though.

Ironically the 387s on the Thames (and now Kennet) Valley locals are an enormous step UP - 2+2 seating and 4, 8 or sometimes even 12 coaches instead of mostly 2 or 3.

 

[skyscraper101]

Another PR win for GWR.

Who says "third party" cups