Sixth Freedom

There may be no obligation as such. But if BA pulled out of domestic routes completely I expect there would be some awkward government initiatives under way that BA would rather not have to worry about. BA is a strategic asset for the UK after all and are not beyond renationalisation.

Calchas

The Shinkansen trains are able to be fast and still make multiple stops by having electric engines under every car, not just at the front and back. The original trains had every axle powered. This enables rapid acceleration and thus plenty of stops along the route with little delay. (In the UK we only use one engine even when two are available due to imaginary difficulties in transporting the power back from the pantograph along the train).

Needless to say, no vibrations are discernible.

Calchas

BA is owned by a Spanish holding company. Renationalizing it would probably be more expensive for the government in lawyers than starting a new airline from scratch. There is plenty of competition on many domestic routes with T3, U2, BE and others; as well as by train.

It might create some headaches for BA but I don't really believe it is the threat of renationalization that is keeping them running the domestic connections. They are an entirely profitable activity.

DYKWIA

I'm sceptical about this. The change was more or less overnight.

The cynic inside me says that Virgin did the deliberately, so they could announce their "new" system that sorts of all the issues. In reality, the new 4G service will be no better than the old system for people in first class.

Do you have any idea when the new 4G system will be available? I'm back to doing the weekly commute to Paris using Virgin & Eurostar. Neither of which has usable wifi

dnajockey

It's been an issue for the last 6 months - Virgin Wifi is dreadful. I have been rushing up and down from Euston to Birmingham once every couple of weeks and the service has been truly dreadful.

Eurostar will not have any Wifi till end-2015 - the new trains and the refurbishment of the current stock have both been delayed.

Calchas

When is the long-promised BA wifi coming to us?

TheKipper

I'm really surprised by all the negativity on here around the franchise being let.

I use the route probably twice a week from Leeds to London and its pretty horrific a lot of the time. The trains are pretty reliable, but for those who travel regularly on the route, its packed, hot, poor catering, power sockets don't work, staff are mixed at best and prefer to sit down or talk rather than deliver service. For £250, (which there is no choice but to pay for anyone who wants to get into town before 9am) its simply not good enough.

When I do upgrade, my coffee cup is taken away at Stevenage (pretty much in both directions) so they can prepare for the next journey and the wi-fi as stated by others is useless.

In my humble opinion, the route needs investment, customer service and additional capacity, none of which will be delivered by retaining the service in the public sector.

Calchas

But why do you think it will be provided by the private sector?

KARFA

I am a relativley frequent user of East Coast (~20-30 journeys per year) and I just don't recognise TheKipper's description. The service has been good when I use it, reliable, cheap, and clean.

Calchas

I recognize parts of it. The experience is very much, in standard class, a function of the time of the day.

In First it's more consistent. There are the F staff who do sit around chatting once they've done the single drinks run per hour (at best), and the inconsistent wifi. Out of dozens of journeys there was only one which I actually "enjoyed" in First, thanks to train staff who were actually proactive. I am also sure they have a policy of not giving you a second drink when you ask, which I am not used to as a regular air traveller (instead of being honest about the policy they just fob you off with some excuse about "I'll do a drinks run very soon" even when I've walked up to the drinks storage area). However I realize I need to lower my expectations when on the ground.

In standard the early morning and late evening trains can be very busy, although at least most people are just trying to work or get some kip; I now refuse to travel in standard on a weekend because it really is rammed full of people who do not know how to sit quietly!

thepfy

I think a bigger potential impact for EDI and NCL would be any changes to APD if the Scottish Parliament gets the powers proposed yesterday.

I know NCL have already ramped up their campaign warning of the impact this would cause. See this The Journal article.

paul4040

I agree. I work for a competing train company in fact, and East Coast provide a good service as far as they're able to. I also use them about 20 times a year.

paul4040

You're only thinking about the East Coast trains. The Class 91 electric sets only have one locomotive at the North end. The other "engine" at the south end isn't one at all. Its a Driving Van Trailer, which contains a cab but no engine. The signals are fed back to the locomotive which actually pushes the train southbound, rather than pulling.

The Class 43 HST trains have two diesel "power cars", one at each end, and both will provide power unless there is a fault.

East Coast's trains are fairly elderly and therefore unusual in not being Multiple Units, which have engines under all, or most carriages. Nearly all trains as a percentage in the UK are Multiple Units of some sort.

Electric engines do not produce discernible vibration in any case.