Feature: Rail Travel
advance fares in standard class could be restricted as trains get busier. On the other hand, major business operators including Virgin Trains and First Great Western are increasing capacity this year by lengthening their trains – with Virgin is increasing seat capacity on its Pendolino trains by 40 per cent by December this year. Evolvi’s director of sales, Jon Reeve, says:
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taxpayers to pay a higher proportion of the cost of running the railways – the average transaction value for Evolvi remained flat. Corporates are buying smarter, with self- booking tools flagging up the lowest fares and sometimes requiring the user to justify why a higher fare is purchased if it’s out of policy. Another telling statistic, from thetrainline. com, is that 79 per cent of travel bookers
“Business use of rail is still growing. The GTMC says that rail transactions grew by seven per cent in 2011, with a strong final quarter“
choose the lowest fare when this function is turned on. GTMC chief executive,
Anne Godfrey, says: “I'm encouraged by the continuing growth in rail bookings, but TMCs are watching the trends very
carefully. Even if corporates are feeling a little more relaxed about costs in 2012, increases in fares certainly don’t help.” Evolvi warns that the availability of cheap
JOURNEY REPORT: CHILTERN RAILWAYS BUSINESS ZONE
CHILTERN has introduced what it calls the first “premium economy” class on a British train, Business Zone, on a limited number of services between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street, writes Dave Richardson. There are currently three trains a day in each direction offering Business Zone on weekdays, leaving Birmingham at 06.19, 06.55 and 15.55; and London at 08.37, 16.46 and 18.07. The best journey time is 1h 30m between the two cities, with trains also serving Solihull and Warwick Parkway. Chiltern plans to double the number of trains with Business Zone later this year, and operates half-hourly between London and Birmingham mainly with standard class-only trains. I joined the 08.37 departure from London and was immediately impressed by the wider than average seats with plenty of leg-room (arranged at tables for two or four), and at-seat service of snacks to order. Tea, coffee and water are complimentary, and free wifi access and power points are offered throughout the train including in standard class. What makes Business Zone different is that it costs
much less than first class using the main inter-city operator from London Euston to Birmingham New Street, Virgin Trains. Anytime unrestricted return fares are £85, with an upgrade to Business Zone costing £10 each way. Return fares of £50 and £25 return are available with restrictions,
“The public sector retrenchment in first class is causing over-crowding in standard class, giving train operators the incentive to reduce the availability of discounted fares. First class now represents under 10 per cent of our transactions, but 16 per cent by revenue. We don’t know if first class will recover to its previous levels, or within what time scale.” The sight of empty first class seats while standard class is so full that passengers are having to stand is becoming common in austerity-hit Britain. Many would like to see a more affordable business class replace first class, as operated by Chiltern Trains on the London Marylebone to Birmingham route. “The problem is that train operators face significant capital costs if they re-configure their trains, but in time I can see more operators following Chiltern’s example,” says Reeve. See the panel below for a first- hand account of Chiltern’s new offering. Virgin is adding two standard class carriages
to 31 of its Pendolino trains, providing 150 more seats, with first class provision remaining the same. East Coast has bucked the trend by seeing strong growth in first class after revamping it last year to include complimentary catering, as also offered by
Pictured above: Onboard with East Coast; Below: the Gatwick Express from London Victoria
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whereas on Virgin the Anytime return fare in first class is £254 – but with many advance fares available. Other advantages are that Marylebone and Moor Street (adjacent to the Bullring shopping centre) are both easy to navigate, compared to the hustle and bustle of Euston and New Street. And you get a decent view, unlike the rather cramped interior of standard class on Virgin. My journey was both relaxing and productive. Although I
returned on a standard class-only train, that too offered plenty of room including tables with extendable trays for lap-tops. Chiltern can’t match Virgin’s frequency of three trains an hour, but it’s worth giving Business Zone a try.
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