Northern Rail First Class-is it worth it?

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Contessa
Contessa Posts: 1,131 Forumite
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in Public transport & cycling
Next month I'm travelling to Manchester Airport (return) and I'm wondering if it's worth paying a few pounds more for First Class. Has anyone done this?

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  • 80934
    80934 Posts: 552 Forumite
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    Contessa wrote: »
    Next month I'm travelling to Manchester Airport (return) and I'm wondering if it's worth paying a few pounds more for First Class. Has anyone done this?

    If it is only a "few pounds" then I would certainly do it. I think if your journey is over ? 75 minutes you get a full cooked meal during the journey included in the price and drinks too. It's limited to snack type food at weekends though.
  • Contessa
    Contessa Posts: 1,131 Forumite
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    80934 wrote: »
    If it is only a "few pounds" then I would certainly do it. I think if your journey is over ? 75 minutes you get a full cooked meal during the journey included in the price and drinks too. It's limited to snack type food at weekends though.

    I think it's just about 75 minutes and I don't think there's even a refreshment trolley!
    I was considering the option to avoid crowds. Some of the local train services are very busy and not very nice for a single traveller.
  • 80934
    80934 Posts: 552 Forumite
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    I'd check the website for the journey time and see how much it costs extra (I suspect it may be quite a lot). Also check online to see what "extras" you get and then you can decide if it is cost effective for you.

    This is from the East Coast Trains site -

    http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/on-board-our-trains/food1/complimentary-food-and-drink1/
  • dzug1
    dzug1 Posts: 13,535 Forumite
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    Do Northern Rail even have any trains with first class accommodation? I'm about 90% sure they don't.

    Sure they sell tickets for other rail companies that do - but that's not what was asked. Without knowing the journey in question it's difficult to comment.
  • wealdroam
    wealdroam Posts: 19,181 Forumite
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    80934 wrote: »
    If it is only a "few pounds" then I would certainly do it. I think if your journey is over ? 75 minutes you get a full cooked meal during the journey included in the price and drinks too. It's limited to snack type food at weekends though.

    80934, your information is way out.

    This website will give ideas on what each train company offers by way of First Class accommodation.

    You will see that Northern offer:
      No drinks
      No snacks
      No meals
  • Contessa
    Contessa Posts: 1,131 Forumite
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    edited 7 December 2013 at 12:38AM
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    wealdroam wrote: »
    80934, your information is way out.

    This website will give ideas on what each train company offers by way of First Class accommodation.

    You will see that Northern offer:
    • No drinks
    • No snacks
    • No meals

    I didn't expect any of the above as I've travelled with them before and it's all very basic and IMO not very nice.
    I just thought it might be worth it to avoid the crowds and occasional rowdiness.
  • yorkie2
    yorkie2 Posts: 1,595 Forumite
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    Northern Rail services do not convey First Class accommodation.


    This is in contrast to most other operators, including First TransPennine Express.
  • Billy-no-Money
    Billy-no-Money Posts: 330 Forumite
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    This will probably be Transpennine Express (TPE), as they run services to Manchester Airport from Edinburgh and much of the north of England - Northern don't do First Class.

    TPE First Class can be very good value if bought in advance, but isn't comparable to a long-distance operator like Virgin.

    Seating is 2+1, so the seats are a bit wider than normal.
    You do get a coffee and biscuits/cake, but that's all.
    It's only a small FC section so can fill up - but is likely to be OK.

    The FC section is between the disabled toilet / cycle space and the rest of the train - so you do get people walking through.

    In Manchester I've found that at busy times FC can be de-restricted, so it fills up with commuters with Standard tickets - fair enough, but this means that even at other times there's a bit of a lax attitude to people using FC without the appropriate ticket, at least between Manchester Piccadilly and Bolton.

    (That last point will change soon though, as the Manchester - Edinburgh trains will go via Wigan, not Bolton).

    My overall view would be - if you can get a cheap Advance First on TPE, go for it. But NEVER buy a full-price First ticket to travel on TPE.
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  • cookie365
    cookie365 Posts: 1,809 Forumite
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    What Billy says. The standard class compartments on TPE are pleasant enough if the train's not too busy, and if the train gets busy everyone will sit in first class anyway, so you won't get any real benefit.
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