Midland Main Line > Reviews > Travel the Midlands with Mainline

Author's product rating:   

Frequency of trains	Excellent
Reliability of trains	Mostly on time
Comfort of trains	Comfortable
On-board facilities	Good

Advantages:	Fast, complimentary tea/coffee, efficient, good booking system,
Disadvantages:	More leg space on class 170

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Like me I was bored travelling to the Midlands by car or coach. When travelling to the midlands I usually travel to Leicester because we have many relatives and friends there. Since we live in London we do not go there on a regular basis. We did go there last week because my Grandma was coming. We also went there yesterday (Sunday 16/7/2001). So for a change we decided to travel via train.

Travelling via rail meant that we would get there quicker and would travel there in a reasonable price.

Yes we travelled by MIDLAND MAINLINE. A rail service which travels from London St.Pancras to Sheffield etc.
The midland mainline trains call at stations to:
London St.Pancras,
Luton,
Bedford,
Wellingborough,
Kettering,
Market Harborough,
Leicester,
Loughborough,
Long Eaton,
Beeston,
Derby,
Nottingham,
Chesterfield,
Sheffield,
And other stations.

So we travelled to Leicester. There are two type of trains available to travel in. Depending on what time you travel.

The Trains
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The two type of trains are Turbostar or the HST (High Speed Train).

#Turbostar ~ these are the new trains which are recently made. This train is specified as a Class 170 train. Nice looking train usually with 2 or 3 carriages. Seating is nice and comfy but these trains can do with a bit more leg space. But only some seats are include tables for a family of 4. Every seat without a big table has a flip down table. This train is non-smoking and includes tables. Standard class and first class is available in the trains. This train stops at all stations up to Nottingham. They have around 18 of these trains. All turbostar trains are non smoking and includes food etc.

#HST ~ these are the old trains but are generally fast. These trains are specified as a class 43 train. They have around 31 HST power cars. The seating of these trains are less comfy but offer more leg space. The look of the train is not that classy as the 170. HST go at high speeds and do not stop at all stations. The fastest journey to Leicester is around 1 hour 10 minutes. These trains also offer on seat food. Only one carriage in the HST allow smoking beware if you are a non-smoker than ask for a non-smoking cabin.

Luckily we were in both trains. Turbostar for the outward and a HST for the return journey.

The prices
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A range of tickets are available to buy for standard class, first class and premier class. All classes offer complimentary tea or coffee. But premier class offer complimentary breakfast if travelling in the morning. (Well I think so).

It depends what type of ticket you want. Because there was 4 of us travelling the best ticket for us was the 4-SIGHT.

4-SIGHT ::::

This ticket has to be very good. It allows up to 4 passenger to travel between any to stations covered by Midland Mainline. Yes its an incredible value of just £39. 2-4 people can travel for just £39 return. You must order at least 3 days in advance. You have a choice 1) sending the ticket home or 2) collecting the ticket from the ticket office from your starting station. We went with option 2 because this was the easiest. Reservation for the seats are free. This ticket has a valid of one month but the return journey has to be specified when ordering.

To order tickets or to find out more information:
Visit www.midlandmainline.com

Or

Phone

0845 712 5678.

There are many other tickets available.

Standard class tickets: (return fares) these tickets must be booked in advance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Standard open - £40+ ( Can travel on any day of the week, the further you travel the prices get higher)

Saver - £27.50+ ( Can travel any day of the week, off peak trains only, )

Super Saver - £23+ ( Can not travel Fri., and Sat in July/August )

Super Advance - £20+ ( Can travel any day of week, off peak trains only, must order 1800 before the day of your journey )

Apex - £22+ ( start from Leicester, Any day of the week, off peak trains only, order 7 days before journey )
Capital - £19 ( Start from Leicester, this is a flat rate of £19 for all stations. Cheapest return ticket for a single person, off peak trains only, order 7 days before journey )

There are other types of tickets available but these are the main ones. Prices with a + written with them means that the prices rise depending on what station you are going to.

First class tickets are also available. To find out more prices visit www.midlandmainline.com.

Services
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The services of the trains are reasonable. Staff onboard are friendly and do help when you need help. Travelling with Midland Mainline was a pleasure it was a comfortable ride all along. It did not really seem that you were moving unlike a car which is bumpy along the road. The trains arrived on time. And we left 9 am on the dot and arrived on time. Only a few times there might be a slight delay but with us there was no delay. Turbostar trains provide up to date info via there on screen computer type things on the top of each carriage. The HST train provide seat to seat services of tea, coffee and snack bar. Toilets may get a bit dirty at some times but the toilet are classy in the turbostar. Overall the service is nice and satisfactory.

In the weekday and on Saturdays over 50 trains take off from London, on Sunday only 39 trains take off from London.

Overall
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Believe me or not there is much more I can write about this company and their services.

All in all travelling with Midland Mainline was a fantastic experience because this was my first time travelling with them. They offer very good prices for the tickets and consist the good times of getting to a place. With them I have not noticed that much delays on the trains.

The booking service is also good the staff are nice and help you find a right ticket. The tickets are sent directly to you or the ability to have them sent to the station you are travelling from.

The trains are kept clean at all times they try to do their best. The journey times are fantastic. You can get to a place quicker than a car. All trains are fitted with toilets. Food services are provided. On board staff on each train. Good way of travelling to the midlands.

I can not think of any disadvantages except for more leg space on turbostar trains.

I am stuck for words now. That's all I can really say. Thanks for reading my opinion. Hope you enjoy travelling with Midland Mainline if you do so. Ciao.

© fromthedarkside 2001.