Hull Trains - Service With A Smile

For weeks now, I have been trying to get a trip on Hull Train's hired in HST, but between family members dying and never having enough money, I have been unable to do so...

UNTIL NOW!!!

After finding out yet again I couldn't do it on grounds of cost, I received a DM from Hull Trains social media person named ZG telling me they had organised a pair of free tickets for me to travel on their HST operated services the following day. The 1033 was the morning trip and I had a selection of return journeys and I opted for the 2030 evening departure as my return journey. I arrived a little early and waited for the HST to be shunted over from the sidings where it normally resides. After boarding and managing to get Seat 1 in Coach A, I settled down for a long journey in what already seemed to be comfort. The journey soon passed by and I was soon tweeting back and forth between myself and ZG - plus a few friends who were calling me a lucky "so-and-so" for doing it before them. I was so at ease that I even went to the buffet bar and brought myself a beer which I enjoyed going 125mph backwards - somewhat amusing really...

I had a good day out in London, bar somebody stealing my travel card, and returned to Kings Cross for the journey back home to Hull. This, ladies and gentlemen, is where the fun begins...

I selected a seat in Coach C right where the disabled people and those in wheelchairs would go - ready to move should this be necessary. Before departure, I noticed a lot of people sitting in the doorway as well as the vestibules despite being told there were seats in Coaches A and B. I can only assume they were either all deaf or were doing a "Corbyn" and purposely sitting on the floor. The buffet on the way back was doing a brisk trade in all manner of things and I went up there and spoke to Laura who was manning the counter despite a little overworked from many people wanting to purchase things. As I was getting my coffee I heard somebody in the little kitchen area say they were running out of loose change. Just as I was sitting down, I heard "Would passengers with loose change please report to the buffet where we need it urgently... Thank you". I dug through my pockets and managed to hand over a tenner in loose change. I went back later and asked Laura how many people had come including me - the answer was a surprising FOUR out of the couple of hundred the train was surely carrying. We spent a few minutes chatting about the terrible year Hull Trains had once had and that I had been one of the few to defend them against critics before she had to get on with her closing up work and I went back to my seat. Arrival back at Hull was just a few minutes behind schedule, but it was of no great consequence.

My only problem was with the WiFi onboard which occasionally failed to take me to the GWR login screen (which it shows because its a hired in hodge podge of GWR coaching stock and power cars), but this was the only real problem with the set. The coaches were well kept with cleaning staff travelling up and down the rake during the entire journey in both the Up and Down trips which certainly helped to keep things clean. The onboard train crews were attentive to passenger needs and made frequent announcements about when seats became free for people to sit on, helped with luggage and were generally very friendly.

I want to thank everybody from Louise Chapman (head honcho at HT) to the people walking up and down the train with bin bags helping to make my day out a fantastic experience. If people want to travel between any two points on the HT network, I'd heartily recommend them doing so because it is well worth the time spent being looked after by those that do the job and do it well with a smile.

I look forward to my next trip out with them...