meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

March 15th - A First Class Showing, But Can I Get Used To It?

Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

The Independent

Places & Travel, Leisure, Society & Culture

3.6628 Ratings

🗓️ 15 March 2022

⏱️ 6 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As I take a seat in the unusual (for me, anyway) surrounds of first class on my way to Crewe, I take advantage of the extra legroom and complimentary tea to have a think about the direction of travel for first class rail seats. The economics for rail travel is becoming harder to cover costs and I wonder where first class sits in that future.


Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Well, I am on the 4.40pm from Warrington Bank Key to London, Houston.

0:11.5

I'm not going all the way there, and I'm just walking through the standard premium coach.

0:17.5

There are exactly zero passengers in here, and I'm now in first class.

0:25.4

That is because, unbelievably, the cost of buying a ticket from Warrington to crew, which is where I'm going, was I think, £9.20.

0:42.5

And the cost of going first class was only £135 more.

0:49.5

And that's the second time I've seen that sort of arrangement happening and I'm just going to

0:55.5

I'll say hello. I'm only going as far as, but can I still get a cup of tea?

0:57.4

Yeah, just sit down on the mouth.

1:06.1

Okay, well that's exactly my thought. There's very, very few people here in the first. I've got a table here. It's sort of instead of two seats either side or even on some outer suburban

1:15.4

trains as they're known three five seats across there's only three unbelievably. So we're

1:22.6

speeding along at coming up for a hundred and twenty miles an hour, 125 miles an hour, through the Cheshire

1:32.8

countryside. There's some cooling towers over to the right, but a general, perfectly pleasant

1:40.2

Cheshire plain is wafting by the window. Now what you get in the first class. Oh look at that. Is that my cup of tea?

1:58.2

That's perfect. thank you so much.

2:01.3

Thank you so much.

2:01.3

...through to London, Houston on off-peak or any tight ticket.

2:05.2

If you do want to get into London just a little bit quicker, you can change a crew for the 1729 of anti-West Coast service.

2:14.6

I'll get you into London just after a 70m, which is around 30 minutes quicker than if you stay on board this service.

2:22.3

So it's again focus if you've got off people or any time tickets.

2:26.3

You are travelling through to London, Houston, you are looking for a quicker journey.

2:29.3

You can't change at Crew, which is out there next stop for the 1729, which will get you through to

2:36.0

London, Houston, and a 70-5-down, which is around 30 minutes of quicker.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Independent, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Independent and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.