UK: London to Inverness - Sleeper Train

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Sealink

Service Attendant
Joined
Apr 10, 2008
Messages
149
Location
Crystal Palace, London
I haven't been on the Sleeper train for years, and was keen to give it another go, especially now that it is a self-contained franchise, rather than a subset of a bigger company.

The new operators, Serco, kept the name, Caledonian Sleeper, but relaunched the brand - you'll see the theme in some of the pics.

They have introduced advance booking all year round - which is revolutionary as in the UK you can generally only book 90 days ahead.

During the booking process, you can prebook dinner too, which I did.

First things first - an inauspicious start at Euston Station, where the Virgin Trains First Class lounge continues to disappoint.

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At around 8pm on a Thursday night, the place was packed, and it didn't help that passengers spread themselves about with seats being used to protect suitcases from the awful floor ;-)

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However, it did empty at around 8.30pm and it was nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of the main station.

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I made my way down to Platform 1 where my carriage awaited. This was in the far corner of the station.

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I can't tell you how excited I was to be getting on the sleeper train. There's something really special about boarding this train, knowing that you could be going asleep in the city and walking up in the Highlands.

That excitement was enhanced when I was met at the train by one of the Caledonian Sleeper staff, who reconfirmed my booking, took my breakfast order and also explained that a table had been reserved for me, and to pop along any time to the lounge car as I could dine when I was ready.

But first, to the cabin.

Now, these trains are old. Very old and it shows in places.

The corridors are narrow.
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I had booked "First Class", which was cheaper than standard. This simply means that there is no top bunk, so you are not sharing with someone.

You also get a handie toiletry pack, from Arran Aromatics. One of the things this included was a pillow odoriser, to aid a relaxing sleep!

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There's light controls:

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And temperature controls, which was surprisingly responsive.

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Cabins are not en-suite - although this is coming in 2017.
 
To the lounge car! Again, I should point out that the lounge was looking dated, however, that was not going to be a problem.

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I had my magazines, my book and my bottle of Prosecco so was quite happy.

Also, the staff kept on checking on people in the lounge car and stopping for quick chats, so there was a really convivial atmosphere.

However, we hadn't left Euston because of a fault with the train. The driver then had to take his allocated break so we left about 45 minutes late.

Dinner was served. It tasted great - but I think they could have worked on the presentation. Not much to complain about really as it tasted good.

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Followed by a cheeseboard, and GIN!

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I moved tables to one which had a charging point, and then had a few more gins, before going back to the cabin to try and get some sleep.

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Sleeping on the sleeper is an acquired skill, and I know some people who fall asleep almost immediately, while people like me, seem to feel every movement of the train.

However I did get some sleep, and woke to this:

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I headed through to the lounge for breakfast.

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It was really early and I was the only person up!

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I had a few more hours sleep back in the cabin.

I popped over to the new Caledonian Sleeper lounge in Inverness for a shower, coffee and biscuit.


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At every point of the journey, and every staff member that I encountered, I sensed their sense of pride at working for the sleeper. Nothing was ever a problem. When I disembarked at Inverness, the steward of my carriage came down to say goodbye and hoping to see me again.

It was with a sense of wonderful well-being that I popped over to Inverness Station for the journey to Wick...

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Train fares seem to fall into four levels in first class:

£130; £155; £180 and £200.

There's also a carriage with just seats at £55. Sharing a cabin seems to be £120 - £165 (for the trip above, at the time of booking, first class was cheaper than sole use of standard class cabin!)
 
Nice trip and great pics! As was said, those cars don't look as shabby as some of Amtrak's run hard and put up wet cars!

First Class costing less than a Shared Cabin is like a Bedroom being cheaper than a Roomette on Amtrak! Supply and Demand!
 
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First Class costing less than a Shared Cabin is like a Bedroom being cheaper than a Roomette on Amtrak! Supply and Demand!
Jim, I think he meant having a two-person cabin all to yourself.
"I had booked "First Class", which was cheaper than standard. This simply means that there is no top bunk, so you are not sharing with someone."

I read this as being the same size as a roomette/two-person cabin, but only having one bed.
 
Sealink, how long does the journey take and who did you book it through?

Enjoyed reading about your journey, hope you write more.
 
First Class costing less than a Shared Cabin is like a Bedroom being cheaper than a Roomette on Amtrak! Supply and Demand!
Jim, I think he meant having a two-person cabin all to yourself.
"I had booked "First Class", which was cheaper than standard. This simply means that there is no top bunk, so you are not sharing with someone." I read this as being the same size as a roomette/two-person cabin, but only having one bed.
It's a bit of both. I think a lot of couples/friends will book standard class as no pressing need to travel separately. So sometimes the allocation of cheaper standard class berths will fill up faster.

I also think there's a degree of others assuming First Class will be more expensive. The moral with UK railways is always check!!
 
Sealink, how long does the journey take and who did you book it through?

Enjoyed reading about your journey, hope you write more.
We were delayed a bit so I actually ate my dinner while at the platform at Euston.

Scheduled departure time was 21:15 and arrival in Inverness was at 08:38. Recall we arrived on time despite departure delay.
 
Thanks for the report and photos! From my understanding Serco has ordered new cars from CAF for the Caledonian Sleeper train. I guess we'll have to see if CAF makes a mess out of them like they did our's.

As a designer, the new brand, seen on the menus (and other photos I've seen,) looks quite nice.

peter
 
Thanks for the report and photos! From my understanding Serco has ordered new cars from CAF for the Caledonian Sleeper train. I guess we'll have to see if CAF makes a mess out of them like they did our's.

As a designer, the new brand, seen on the menus (and other photos I've seen,) looks quite nice.

peter
CAF Europe is a really good operation it's weird how they can be so different.
 
That lounge car setup is completely different looking than it was under ScotRail (also no reservations, the mad rush to the lounge after getting your ticket taken). Looks nice, though I did like the cozy couch/bench under the old operator, made it fell like a lounge rather than a cafe or restaurant car.
 
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