Caledonian Sleeper - New! Improved!

[bairn again]

.....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).

True but a shame.  When I book business travel we get a deal with LNER (£175 1st class return and Point A / Premier Inn / Travelodge for about £90 so the equivalent on the sleeper (£230 each way) is out the question. 

It appears that the solo berth based traveller has been subject to the biggest price hike - maybe Serco reckon thats the least price sensitive part of their customer base.  I suppose it makes sense as historically at least its been business travellers making up the majority of the solo berth travellers, with tourists making up the majority of the seats.

Of course I could get a £45 each way seat but Id be a week recovering!   

[Paul H]

It appears that the solo berth based traveller has been subject to the biggest price hike - maybe Serco reckon thats the least price sensitive part of their customer base. 

Yes, the original proposals included pods (Fully reclining seats with a curtain around them) to compensate for the loss of shared berths, I'm annoyed that they were so easily allowed to drop these.

[FifeingEejit]

It appears that the solo berth based traveller has been subject to the biggest price hike - maybe Serco reckon thats the least price sensitive part of their customer base. 

Yes, the original proposals included pods (Fully reclining seats with a curtain around them) to compensate for the loss of shared berths, I'm annoyed that they were so easily allowed to drop these.

Apparently they miserably failed rail safety requirements.

[Cudzoziemiec]

It appears that the solo berth based traveller has been subject to the biggest price hike - maybe Serco reckon thats the least price sensitive part of their customer base. 

Yes, the original proposals included pods (Fully reclining seats with a curtain around them) to compensate for the loss of shared berths, I'm annoyed that they were so easily allowed to drop these.

Apparently they miserably failed rail safety requirements.

In terms of what?

[FifeingEejit]

Don't know, that's all that was said in the one article I found that referred to reasons for them being removed.

[Jasmine]

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

This is actually really quite frightening that there isn't a fail safe (or even an alarm) for when the train brakes haven't been connected and then the engine starts moving.  This distance overshot at the station is scary - and that is presumably with the driver identifying early that the brakes weren't working and asking the train manager to put the emergency brakes on!

[Cudzoziemiec]

Don't know, that's all that was said in the one article I found that referred to reasons for them being removed.

Okay.

[Paul H]

It appears that the solo berth based traveller has been subject to the biggest price hike - maybe Serco reckon thats the least price sensitive part of their customer base. 

Yes, the original proposals included pods (Fully reclining seats with a curtain around them) to compensate for the loss of shared berths, I'm annoyed that they were so easily allowed to drop these.

Apparently they miserably failed rail safety requirements.

Yes, though the way I understood it, the design rather than the concept failed.  Apparently you can get thrown about in the event of a sudden stop, who'd have thought it?  Maybe not those in the shower when such a sudden stop might occur.  They were a concession to having done away with the other budget options for the single traveller, I doubt Serco were too upset about losing them.  If a redesign of the pods wasn't feasible then other facilities should have been considered, there's plenty of other sleeper trains throughout the world with options between a full berth and a seat, like the French couchette, even in the UK there's sleeper buses! 

[FifeingEejit]

I suspect one of the killers for Couchettes in UK stock is the lack of space.
You're not going to fit a 6-berth couchette in the height available and a 4 berth couchette is basically 2, 2-berth sleeper cabins without the wall and without the mattress.

Of course building a new rail system and sleepers to Continental gauge would allow for significant passenger comfort improvements, even on day trains, but so far the only planned line to that gauge is stopping at Crewe...