...and I have found that Midland Mainline offer the most consistent, reliable service there and back. In a world where trains seem to be getting worse and worse, Midland Mainline, in my opinion at least, are a breath of fresh air. Or rather, a lungful of diesel fumes. I wanna travel North. Where do I get my ticket?
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Tickets for Midland Mainline trains are available direct from the ... ...to order direct from the Midland Mainline website. Taking my journey from London to Leicester as an example, tickets range in price from around £15 for your super-dooper saver ticket (not its real name!) to £125 for the all singing, all dancing First Inclusive ticket (now that is its real name!). For a lot of the cheaper tickets you have to book a few days in advance, and availability is limited. Since I generally know well in advance when I'm travelling, ...
rickyshah 23.12.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: Smart trains, fast, reliable, comfortable, friendly Disadvantages: Website doesn't work for me
The Midland Mainline runs out from London through Leicester and branches out to Nottingham and Sheffield with limited morning/evening trains to Leeds. --------------
HISTORY
Midland Mainline were probably the forgotten Intercity operator back in the 90s. They operated High Speed Trains at 110mph up a route which ran adjacent to the much faster East Coast Main Line (GNER). The trains were not very fast back then due to frequent stops, and were not ... ...this changed in 1999...
Midland Mainline were taken over by National Express group, and ordered a brand new batch of 3-car Turbostar local trains to operate stopping services. This would mean trains running at double the frequency ,and would also mean High Speed Trains could run faster. This of course, had it's downsides. The turbostar trains were simply not fast enough, and didn't carry enough capacity to deal with Midland Mainline's passenger ...
seanjkeating 01.02.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: Usually on time, friendly, informative staff Disadvantages: Not the most modern trains
...best experiences have been with Midland Mainline.
About Midland Mainline
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Midland Mainline as we currently know it was founded in 1996 and is part of the National Express Group. They currently principally run routes from Sheffield and Nottingham to London St. Pancras but also operate services as far north as Leeds and Scarborough! Midland Mainline operated stations include Sheffield, Chesterfield, Derby, Leicester, Kettering, ... ...at Derby to get a Midland Mainline train to Bedford and then another one from there to the airport. My journey was saved... thanks to the speedy and, most importantly, on-time Midland Mainline train! The staff onboard the MM train were very sympathetic, friendly and informative. I could not have asked more. I got to the check-in desk at 6:13PM! My flight was delayed anyway... but that's beside the point...
I have been on many MM trains and I don't ...
ambidextra 10.10.2006 (23.11.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: Frequent trains, free tea and coffee Disadvantages: Frequent delays, high ticket prices, uncomfortable Turbostars
...I have been travelling on Midland Mainline almost every working day for over five years from my home in Leicestershire to work in London. I have seen it all.
When the service works well, and you are aboard one of their High Speed Trains (HSTs) as opposed to their Turbostars, it is a good way of getting about. For the occasional journey to the Midlands, and now to Manchester, I would recommend it.
But sadly, a lot of the time it is a complete shambles. ... ...I have been using them, Midland Mainline have fallen below their targets for on-time performance, and last month they fell below their target for reliability for the first time. This is good news for season ticket holders, as we now get a 10% discount. But you only get that if you renew your season ticket, and face the same hassles again.
While I am talking about season tickets,I do think they are exceptionally good value. You may draw breath when ...
Quakerman 22.11.2003 (05.10.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: Fast service, complimentary tea and coffee Disadvantages: Can't use Saver tickets from London until after 7pm on a Friday
I use Midland Mainline frequently, on average every other weekend, to travel from London St Pancras to Derby. On the whole I find the service they offer to be acceptable, it is certainly not the worst train company I have travelled with and generally the trains are pretty much on time, or only slightly delayed. They offer complimentary tea and coffee to customers which is a nice touch more train companies should consider (however I often find it ... ...have a few 'complaints' about Midland Mainline.
My first complaint is my biggest gripe about Midland Mainline and that is their railcard policy. I am currently eligible for a young persons railcard, which offers the holder 1/3 off the cost of a rail ticket. However Midland Mainline impose restrictions on the use of these cards, meaning that if I wish to travel out of London on a Friday evening I have to wait until 19.25 before I can leave (or else ...
hawleydv 22.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: At-seat complimentary refreshments; clean toilets. Disadvantages: No onboard Wi-Fi; no power points for laptop computers
...to a high standard by Midland Mainline, the eight-coach trainset still displays the livery of the former Train Operating Company which set such high standards of customer service.
There is no First Class Lounge at Nottingham, although it forms the hub of a rail network stretching from London in the South to Scarborough in the North, and from Norwich in the East to Liverpool in the West. I wonder if EMT plans to provide a First Class Lounge in future? ... ...not guarantee admission - only full-price First Class tickets do that! (Question - Why, when the First Class lounges are empty away from peak travelling times? Shouldn't all First Class ticket holders be equal, rather than some being more equal than others?) Actually, my train has been standing in Nottingham since at least 17.50 hours, so why not unlock the doors and allow First Class passengers to use the train itself as a lounge, as Scotrail used ...
Granet 24.05.2008 (11.06.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: reliable Disadvantages: lack of room, leaning out of windows!
...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) ... ...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 ...
lil_lisa86 04.05.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: Fast, complimentary tea/coffee, efficient, good booking system, Disadvantages: More leg space on class 170
...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 ... ...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 ...
fromthedarkside 16.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: helpful staff, generally clean reliable service Disadvantages: expensive complicated ticket pricing
...quite well acquainted with the Midland MainLine train services. Despite being an avid who-dunnit fan there are a number of mysteries I have yet to solve about their services.
Mystery of the Twin Trains
Midland Mainline cover a large part of the country from Leeds (and recently Manchester) Sheffield through Nottingham Derby and Leicester and the smaller intermediate towns to Luton and London (St Pancras). Leicester has a very frequent service of ... ...crashes (which in my experience Midland Mainline cope well with) there are the stream of scarcely beleiveable excuses which would be funny if you were not late for a meeting with a grumpy no-sense of humour boss To be fair about 90 per cent of the times I have travelled on their services the trains have been more or less on time. But the frustrating thing is you never know when delay will strike. Sheep allegedly straying on the line aswell as the ...
alli999 27.05.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: Cheap and relaxing Disadvantages: comfort of the new rolling stock
Midland mainline is owed by the national rail express group, which was founded after British rail underwent privatisation back in 1996. The mainland mainline organisation is based in Derby and in 2006 midland mainline won the award for Passenger Operator of the Year at the national rail awards.
Routes
Midland main line takes the route as in its title, the midland main line. This runs from Sheffield to London. Although the highest point on the line ... ...the new St pancras station. Midland main line also runs a principal train service to Nottingham.
Midland main line also operates fringe services to Scarborough, Burton on Trent and Barnsley. These are less frequent compared to the Sheffield and Nottingham trains and therefore if departing from these destinations to travel on this route planning is required. Journey times from Sheffield to London take about 3 hours depending on how many stops, and ...
MRW6 22.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: Punctual (most of the time). Comfortable. New rolling stock. Disadvantages: The PA system (words cannot express how much I hate it)
...into somewhat frequent contact with Midland Mainline. I do, obviously, have the option of using the National Express or the bargain no-frills Megabus service, but since I don't like sharing a coach station with the world's largest indoor collection of pigeons - as you have to do when travelling with National Express - and don't particularly consider a comfortable seat a 'frill' (no thanks Megabus), I have practically no other option than to travel ... ...be a lot, lot worse. Midland Mainline has noticeably improved over the last few years, and so in many respects it is quite a shame that they have lost their franchise to be absorbed into a larger Midlands regional franchise, which might not be as concerned about this particular route as the current franchise is. Midland Mainline's biggest selling point is that they cannot be accused of unreliability: I travel with them about four times a month, and ...
mkg87 27.05.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: Free Drinks, Good Trains, Regularish. Disadvantages: VERY poor punctuality, unfriendly staff sometimes
...of 10 I get a Midland Mainline train. Although they have improved somewhat recently, (this review is of the IMPROVED service, not the older, poorer service) my experiences with them have not always been good, however, I will try and keep this review as positive as possible.
POSITIVE
The free tea and coffee is a great idea as it costs the company very little but tends to make customers very happy!
THE TRAINS
The fleet of trains is now modern (on ... ...not provided.
Midland Mainline also has the VERY annoying habit of cancelling a service from Nottingham in the mornings and running it from Loughborough (the next station down the line)...they say that this is because of mechanical failure, but it is clearly because the train was late leaving the depot and is making up time by cutting us out (Nottingham is slightly off of the mainline)...it is very annoying that MM think we will swallow this sort ...
musicmaker2904 17.01.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: Free Tea and coffee, cheap 1st Class upgrades Disadvantages: Mucky trains :-(
...have been a user of Midland Mainline trains for a few years now and have seen them go from strength to strength. Recently, I have been taking advantage of cheap 1st Class tickets and have been thoroughly impressed.
Standard Class is nothing special really. It is much the same as other operators who use HST 125 units (Virgin, First Great Western, GNER...) except that the outside is green (and most times, pretty mucky at that).
1st Class is slightly ... ...ones that recline. Instead of a 2+2 layout on either side of the carriage, it is 1+2 which makes the aisle a lot wider. It is more comfortable, but ride quality is still as bumpy as Standard Class!!
There is at-seat service in 1st and Premier 1st, where you can be served complimentary tea or coffee, as well as sometimes complimentary orange juice. On a recent southbound service, I got a pot of tea to myself rather than having to rely on the on-board ...
Mattnottm 27.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: pretty much everything Disadvantages: some train journeys slow(but free tee and coffee make them more bearable)
Midland mainline or MML is part of the national express group, a firm that run coaches throughout the UK.
The Route...
The route consists of two main runs:- the first from Sheffield, via Derby to london St Pancras. The second from Nottingham to London St Pancras. The route that I use regularly is the Sheffield to St Pancras route. Generally speaking the routes are not the most extensive in the world but take you from where you are to where you ... ...have no route between them other than that offered by MML though Virgin trains and Central trains do operate some of it. The Trains...
MML have three models of trains, two of which are virtually identical, these are the high speed train. these are the intercity 125s and are utterly old. Be this as it may they are by no means bad trains. They are very fast and despite old world style seating are very comfortable. The second and third types of trains ...
DC-DanielColeflax 30.05.2007 (05.06.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Midland Main Line
Advantages: train arrived in London more or less on time Disadvantages: staff mean, charged twice for same ticket, cusomer service centre unresponsive, stressful
...obvious proof of purchase for! Midland Mainline were a fantastic company and I've had many good journeys with them. Sadly since becoming East Midlands Mainline the company seems to have lost the personal touches with caused the MM passengers to vote it the best UK trainline in 2006 (? I think) They have also stopped free tea and coffee. ...
Hector07 11.02.2009
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Review of Midland Main Line
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