Author Topic: Caledonian Sleeper - New! Improved! (Read 7033 times)

barakta · « **Reply #25 on:** 02 May, 2019, 10:46:10 am »

I think it depends - a lot of disabled people are more likely to need showers for disability reasons... Tanni GT has said she's going to livestream herself protesting by going from the Cal sleeper to a station shower in her PJs to make a poitn.

perpetual dan · « **Reply #26 on:** 23 May, 2019, 08:02:29 am »

I've just got off the new sleeper. I had the first class, room and ensuite to myself. So a quick review seems useful...

Bike space was 3 dangly ones, plus another 3 occupied by big bags of bedding. There's a sharp right after the door, but the spaces are open from the corridor so easy to get at.

The room was comfy enough, but panniers or airline take-ok case is about all you can get under the bed. The floor space in the room is pretty narrow.

The shower involves flapping a lid down over the toilet, so that and the paper mostly stay dry. It wasn't high pressure, but warm and freshened me up in the morning. There's two handles and a seat to sit on, so more accessible for balance than many hotel showers. There are wheelchair adapted rooms, which were in use.

I have the impression that they're still getting used to the new trains, but we arrived on time and staff were pretty good at helping fix any issues.

Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk

SoreTween · « **Reply #27 on:** 23 May, 2019, 08:47:36 am »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 30 April, 2019, 08:40:43 am

Interesting to read about longitudinal vs transverse sleeping. I've seen the former on Russian trains in the open carriages (a carriage full of bunk beds – it might not even exist now).

They do exist still though the one I used on Tuesday is a private service so maybe doesn't count. 4 transverse per 2 longitudinal, either works for me.

FifeingEejit · « **Reply #28 on:** 23 May, 2019, 10:49:56 am »

Quote from: perpetual dan on 23 May, 2019, 08:02:29 am

I've just got off the new sleeper. I had the first class, room and ensuite to myself. So a quick review seems useful...

Bike space was 3 dangly ones, plus another 3 occupied by big bags of bedding. There's a sharp right after the door, but the spaces are open from the corridor so easy to get at.

The room was comfy enough, but panniers or airline take-ok case is about all you can get under the bed. The floor space in the room is pretty narrow.

The shower involves flapping a lid down over the toilet, so that and the paper mostly stay dry. It wasn't high pressure, but warm and freshened me up in the morning. There's two handles and a seat to sit on, so more accessible for balance than many hotel showers. There are wheelchair adapted rooms, which were in use.

I have the impression that they're still getting used to the new trains, but we arrived on time and staff were pretty good at helping fix any issues.

Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk

Was it busy or is Serco's ridiculous pricing clearly blowing holes in their feet?

perpetual dan · « **Reply #29 on:** 23 May, 2019, 11:03:39 am »

Not packed, but there were maybe a dozen in the bar carriage when i went to bed.
I booked early enough that the price compared well to daytime train and a cheap hotel.

Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk

Wowbagger · « **Reply #30 on:** 23 July, 2019, 01:33:00 am »

After the ticketing shenanigans as detailed in OT Knowledge, I eventually arrived at Euston to see masses of delays and cancellations. We eventually set off about 70 minutes late and the promptly stopped. It seemed to me that we shouldn’t have done and the train seemed to be making broken kind of noises. Perhaps this was down to the signalling problem at Kilburn that had caused all the delays in the first place. We seem to be getting on with it now.

I have a “club class” room with its own shower and bog. Annoyingly, as I was sitting on the bog the shower was dripping gently and splashed my left thigh. It also left the floor sufficiently damp that I had to be careful that my trousers didn’t get wet in it. I have been told I am due a 50% refund as there is no water in my room. We will see what happens.

Kim · « **Reply #31 on:** 23 July, 2019, 11:55:16 am »

I expect the weather's going to make it a type-2 fun day on the railways.

hellymedic · « **Reply #32 on:** 23 July, 2019, 12:35:01 pm »

Wow has been posting details of somewhat glacial progress on Facebook.

This might mean a refund.

FifeingEejit · « **Reply #33 on:** 23 July, 2019, 12:58:40 pm »

Quote from: hellymedic on 23 July, 2019, 12:35:01 pm

Wow has been posting details of somewhat glacial progress on Facebook.

This might mean a refund.

you mean he's still on it now?

Oh:

Current Service Status: Due to a signalling fault in London Euston last night, the following services are currently delayed as a result. We sincerely apologise again to all our travelling guests for the inconvenience this disruption has caused!

Euston to Glasgow & Edinburgh, 77 mins late
Euston to Inverness, 104 mins late
Euston to Aberdeen, 92 mins late
Euston to Fort William, 91 mins late
Inverness, Aberdeen & Ft.William to Euston, 54 mins late

hellymedic · « **Reply #34 on:** 23 July, 2019, 01:14:36 pm »

The post I saw was 4 hours old.

Wow had intended a pre-rehearsal bike ride but rehearsals start at 2pm and he'd have to MOVE to arrive on time at St Andrews. I don't know his current movements but I'm sure his priority will be getting there, not posting here...

ElyDave · « **Reply #35 on:** 23 July, 2019, 01:57:14 pm »

for a reference point I had a look at it for my upcoming hols next week, no availability. Seems you need to book well in advance to be delayed by 90mins

barakta · « **Reply #36 on:** 23 July, 2019, 03:01:07 pm »

There are wheelchair adapted rooms, but they often have a top bunk which is not removed "stowed" even when booked/requested/complained-about which prevents many wheelchair users actually getting INTO the bunk... Despite friend having complained (with a view to legal action if not sorted) and checked 2x after booking, SERCO's excuse was "staff at depot ran out of time" + "staff on board don't have training/tools to remove it" "oopsie"... He blocked the doors for an hour I believe in protest in an attempt to force them to sort the access - in the end had to go home via SERCO paid taxis and trains without going on his holiday cos with bunk in situ it wasn't safe. Utter shitshow.

Worse, there are no accessible showers for wheelchair users on board. So ambulant people can have a wash, wheelchair users are told "tough shit we decided not to bother" on a BRAND NEW train. Legally nothing that can be done cos the accessibility regs don't require showers cos the idea of showers on a train for anyone are new. There are Questions Being Asked by certain wheelchair using members of the House of Lords.

My view is if you don't build in access at the start for everyone, you need to get in the BIN.

I feel sorry for the staff on board, there's loads of tweets about how much harder the new design trains are for them to work in, fewer facilities, more demands from passengers, unreliable stuff, no backups (e.g. bottle water available on board).

I can't say the idea of it appeals at all!

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #37 on:** 23 July, 2019, 04:56:23 pm »

"Staff ran out of time" might not be acceptable but certainly sounds like something that could happen, whereas "staff don't have training/tools" is a big gap in training that needs to be sorted out.

Jasmine · « **Reply #38 on:** 23 July, 2019, 06:22:06 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 23 July, 2019, 04:56:23 pm

"Staff ran out of time" might not be acceptable but certainly sounds like something that could happen, whereas "staff don't have training/tools" is a big gap in training that needs to be sorted out.

I disagree. It sounds like removing the bunk might be a reasonably involved job, that would require tools and a specific manual handling technique to do. That isn't the role of the on-train staff. If I bought a washing machine with delivery & fitting, I'd expect someone trained to turn up at my door, not the person who sold it to me in the shop. Sorting out the bunks is the role of someone in the depot, and "running out of time" isn't an excuse. From Barakta's description, it's unlikely this person made the booking 2 hours beforehand, so 'running out of time' probably means it simply wasn't prioritised.

Quote from: barakta on 23 July, 2019, 03:01:07 pm

Legally nothing that can be done cos the accessibility regs don't require showers cos the idea of showers on a train for anyone are new. There are Questions Being Asked by certain wheelchair using members of the House of Lords.

That's a serious legislative drafting issue. There is often benefit to being prescriptive to prevent wiggle room (e.g. 'accommodation providers must provide accessible (where 'accessible' is defined somewhere) accommodation at a ratio of x:y non-accessible rooms' rather than the vague 'a suitable number of accessible rooms should be available'), but that prescriptiveness shouldn't preclude future innovation, unless there is intention to regularly review that legislation.

perpetual dan · « **Reply #39 on:** 23 July, 2019, 09:34:25 pm »

I feel like fold up top bunks that can be operated by pretty much any train staff is a problem that was solved many years ago. It might even be appreciated more widely than this situation.

The legislation bit sounds stupid - surely it listing all the things that must be provided to all is too tedious even for government lawyers?

barakta · « **Reply #40 on:** 23 July, 2019, 10:48:15 pm »

One of the issues is that domestic legislation which "might" have covered it is overidden by EU legislation that definitely doesn't. The EU legislation is much more prescriptive, but didn't account for on-board showers being a thing so isn't included. UK legislation is more about philosophy but has a massive loophole on "physical features" for transport which needs removing immediately (or 24 years ago!).

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #41 on:** 24 July, 2019, 11:28:47 am »

I think most railway stuff is covered by "permitted development" rules which allow replacing like for like (so an old footbridge can be replaced with another which is steps only but a new station would require ramps, for instance). But as it's a new train, that doesn't apply here.

If for some reason the bunks really can't be folded up by train staff (as PD says, on most sleepers they are folded away by passengers... but maybe these are something different) then maybe they should have kept one or two compartments without top bunks and with accompanying accessible friendly showers?

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #42 on:** 24 July, 2019, 11:36:48 am »

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/24/caledonian-sleeper-staff-vote-strike-action-stress

Quote

“It is time for Serco to wake up and take note of the appalling working conditions their mismanagement has lumped on their staff and to take action to resolve this dispute.

barakta · « **Reply #43 on:** 24 July, 2019, 01:45:03 pm »

The law about stations and infra is actually better than the law about train vehicles. The latter has more loopholes than a colander...

I've seen the Graun article, sounds like a miserable work environment for the frontline staff.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #44 on:** 29 July, 2019, 06:38:15 am »

Having taken advantage of the shower last night, I can report that it was surprisingly good - vastly superior to the Austrian one we used last year.

bairn again · « **Reply #45 on:** 29 July, 2019, 02:37:36 pm »

I'm booked on the sleeper Edin - London for PBP. My schedules got a bit of slack in it to allow for disruption.

My sympathies are with the workers on board - I've heard from a number of folk who have used it for business trips for years that that the renewed popularity of the sleeper has clearly caused a significant extra strain. I used to use it fairly regularly for work but the price of a berth is now beyond what my employer will cover, and instead we're expected to get a daytime service (even travelling the day before and staying over in London will normally cost less in total).

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #46 on:** 01 August, 2019, 12:00:38 pm »

Brake failure! https://twitter.com/Clinnick1/status/1156839682023612418
I'm not sure about the technical stuff.

Jakob W · « **Reply #47 on:** 04 August, 2019, 02:27:19 pm »

I'm booked in to deliver some training in Dundee in January; as I probably won't be finished before the last train home I was half thinking about getting the sleeper down to London and then getting a train back up to Brum. Alas, the tales of woe have put me off (and, as for bairn again, it's going to be significantly cheaper to get a hotel for an extra night and just take the normal train home).

Paul H · « **Reply #48 on:** 04 August, 2019, 02:49:46 pm »

Quote from: Jakob W on 04 August, 2019, 02:27:19 pm

I'm booked in to deliver some training in Dundee in January; as I probably won't be finished before the last train home I was half thinking about getting the sleeper down to London and then getting a train back up to Brum. Alas, the tales of woe have put me off (and, as for bairn again, it's going to be significantly cheaper to get a hotel for an extra night and just take the normal train home).

Without a berth. you can get a seat for £50, get off at Crewe and be in Birmingham before the Sleeper is in London.
YMMV but in the big seats on the old sleeper I'd get enough sleep as long as it's followed by a lazy day.

FifeingEejit · « **Reply #49 on:** 12 August, 2019, 01:02:57 pm »

I'm sure there was a more recent thread...
Anyway seems "someone" messed up when connecting the Edinburgh portion to its loco.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-49318661