In Praise Of ... Chiltern Trains
- Thread starter User
- Start date
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I'll add my endorsement too. I had the pleasure of the journey to Brum last Friday afternoon on Chiltern. The only reason I took this line was the cost.
Within a mile or so from Moore Street Station I was on the canal towpath (Birmingham Navigation Main Line). I rode to Wolverhampton where I joined the Staffordshire & Worcester Canal for the 3 miles or so to my Mums house.
Although being bought up in the area I’d not done the canal all the way before. My Marathon 25’s coped well, despite some pretty rough patches and dodgy surfaces, lots of cobbled/brick sections. Coseley tunnel was an experience, nearly 400m in near darkness. Despite the gloriously sunny day I passed very few Black Country folk on the way. Cutting through the urban mayhem, just a few steps away, the 17 odd miles of near deserted waterway, much of it relatively quiet and is an untapped haven, full of wildlife, I spotted several herons and even a kingfisher darting around.
Highly recommended if you get the chance
Within a mile or so from Moore Street Station I was on the canal towpath (Birmingham Navigation Main Line). I rode to Wolverhampton where I joined the Staffordshire & Worcester Canal for the 3 miles or so to my Mums house.
Although being bought up in the area I’d not done the canal all the way before. My Marathon 25’s coped well, despite some pretty rough patches and dodgy surfaces, lots of cobbled/brick sections. Coseley tunnel was an experience, nearly 400m in near darkness. Despite the gloriously sunny day I passed very few Black Country folk on the way. Cutting through the urban mayhem, just a few steps away, the 17 odd miles of near deserted waterway, much of it relatively quiet and is an untapped haven, full of wildlife, I spotted several herons and even a kingfisher darting around.
Highly recommended if you get the chance
Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
Yep and the line has been upgraded (?) now. It's taken around 30 minutes off the journey time. Also, they have recently installed free Wi-Fi. Really cheap prices too.
barongreenback
Über Member
- Location
- Warwickshire
I've just switched from Virgin. Better service and a saves a load of cash for my company for my near weekly sojourns down to the capital.
upsidedown
Waiting for the great leap forward
- Location
- The middle bit
The Birmingham to London part is great. The Kidderminster to Birmingham part is a different story though. The 06:39 Stourbridge to Birmingham service was a very popular commuter train for people working in town. Chilterns cancelled it with only a few days notice; stating that spare capacity on the London Midland trains could cope with the displaced passengers. Well, they can't, and it's the poor LM staff that get the hassle for it.
Are they still doing that strange thing at Marylebone where they announce which platform the train will be at ten minutes before it leaves , causing a mad dash for a seat ?
Are they still doing that strange thing at Marylebone where they announce which platform the train will be at ten minutes before it leaves , causing a mad dash for a seat ?
subaqua
What’s the point
- Location
- Leytonstone
yes. I still use them when i have to go to Rickmansworth head office from marylebone. I can get my bike on easily and also on the return back into london in the evening
Not really a surprise:
Chiltern Railways is owned by Deutsche Bahn AG
Chiltern Railways is owned by Deutsche Bahn AG
Klaus
Senior Member
- Location
- High Wycombe
Chiltern line passes my house at the bottom of the hill .... the few times I used them no complaints.
I did see some reports there were problems with their new timetable - leading to over-crowding.
They have added additional carriage(s).
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
Thus demonstrating that it is possible for publicly owned companies to be run well. I gather one of the good things they did after privatisation was retain experienced railway staff, rather than hire in consultants and external managers.
I've used Chiltern for commuting for the last 15 years, since we lived in Bicester. One of the criteria we had when we moved in 2000 was that we should ideally be on a route they run - hence where we now live.
They're not perfect - they do announce trains later than they could (but that's partly because they have a small station). They have a big reliance on their one line out of London, so if something goes wrong at Neasden junction everyone is stuffed. The trains don't have dedicated bike spaces - but actually that doesn't matter because there is plenty of room in the lobbies.
Along with Eurostar and Eurotunnel, Chiltern regularly get top billing in the Guardian/Observer travel awards for "Best railway company". And they tend to come at or near the top of the National Rail customer satisfaction surveys.
CharlieB
Junior Walker and the Allstars
- Location
- Therivermeadowatthepileofstones
Yes, they are reliable.
But - they do have a tendency to send out trains of a size totally unsuited for the time of day, e.g., a two carriage train in the peak of rush hour, or a six carriage version of a quiet Saturday afternoon. Sometimes it's impossible to get on with a Brompton at six in the evening.
But - they do have a tendency to send out trains of a size totally unsuited for the time of day, e.g., a two carriage train in the peak of rush hour, or a six carriage version of a quiet Saturday afternoon. Sometimes it's impossible to get on with a Brompton at six in the evening.
