Midland Main Line > Reviews > All aboard midland mainline!

Author's product rating:   

Frequency of trains	Good
Reliability of trains	Always on time
Comfort of trains	Very comfortable
On-board facilities	Good

Advantages:	reliable
Disadvantages:	lack of room, leaning out of windows !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Since my boyfriend started Loughborough University nearly 2 years ago, I have become well travelled in terms of trains! I have experienced the highs and the lows (which there are a lot of), and travelled with a fair few different companies.

My journey starts from wakefield westgate, where in fact some midland mainline trains do stop, but as there are very few that run from leeds, or run at the time I get the train, my journey usually starts with a ride on virgin. This is often a very uncomfortable ride, with me standing next to the toilet with another 50 people, feeling very crushed. Thankfully this journey ends at Sheffield, so I only spend 30mins usually on the train (although due to delays etc this can be longer)

Anyway down to the real meat of this review! My journey with midland mainline begins at Sheffield station. The trains are extremely reliable and from what I can recall, have never been late, arriving in the station 15minutes early to allow people to make themselves comfortable, and grab a seat, especially on a Friday night when it is very busy! One thing about midland mainline is that on the way down to Loughborough and back, I have always got a seat, even though I travel at 630pm on a Friday and then during the afternoon/ late evening on a Sunday. Compared with virgin trains, this is fantastic as the chances of getting a seat on one of those is probably the same as pigs flying through the sky!

There are two types of midland mainline trains, both of which I have travelled on; the high speed trains and the turbo star trains/ meridian (which are going to be replaced in the foreseeable future). One problem I find with the older trains is getting off the train. As Loughborough and Sheffield are quite popular stops (well when I get off loads of other people do too!), it isn't that much of a problem, however if I'm the only one getting off the train my problem begins. I'm only 5ft 1 therefore as you can imagine, I don't have overly long arms, so when it comes to leaning out of the window to open the door, I have extreme difficulties! The last time I did it, I practically had to lean out of the window to push the handle completely down, and ended up hurting myself because of it! Thankfully, these trains are getting replaced by the much preferred 'button' doors!

One thing I like about the new meridian trains is that some of the carriages are combined first class and standard class, which means that for us poor students, we can live it up like the business people, and also are more likely to get a seat! Standard in the high speed trains is still good quality though, and a lot higher than some other companies!

Comfort wise, midland mainline are one of the best, the seats are very comfortable. The only slight dig would be the amount of leg room! Being a little person like myself I don't find this a problem, however the less vertically challenged people amongst us may have a problem with it, especially on long journeys.

In terms of prices, tickets vary depending on whether you want to travel in style, and when you want to travel back (if indeed you do!). For me, a saver return with a rail card from Wakefield Westgate to Loughborough is £16.25, which has increased by nearly £1 over the last 2years. Compared to some of the ticket prices, mine is reasonable. For a standard open return on the same journey, the price is £28 and if you want to travel in luxury, it will cost you a whopping £84 for the exact journey! That's one thing you have to be careful of if you have a rail card, or if you want to get a cheap day return etc (basically not a standard return, single or open return). You cannot buy discounted tickets on the trains, no matter how hard you try to convince them, they won't let you do it! To me this seems rather silly, as if you're in a rush and about to miss the train your instinct is to just jump on. However, if you do this your journey will end up costing you a lot more money. Tickets can be bought from the station or even off the internet as well as on the train, but remember if you want a cheaper ticket don't wait until you get on the train!

On the train, there is a bar selling a variety of refreshments, however I wouldn't be able to comment on prices as being a poor student, I often take my own supplies! I do know however that prices on board are in some cases extreme, but then they are on all trains that sell refreshments!

Overall, I would highly recommend midland mainline as a train company to travel with, as in my opinion, they are the most reliable company around. There are a few niggles, but compared with other companies these are minute, and definitely worth ignoring!