Unlettered
A reader sent this letter from British Rail InterCity. It was a reply to his letter asking why British Rail 'insists on losing money by keeping 2nd class passengers out of the dining cars even when they are half full.
Thank you for your customer comment made on the 24th of June regarding the 0750 Kings Cross to Leeds i.e the York- shire Pullman.
I am in receipt of your comment but unfortunately I am unable to agree. The 0750 is offering a Pullman service and that is why it is first class only dining. There are a number of trains which are open to passengers who wish to dine such as the 0820 Kings Cross to Leeds. And there are other trains going North to Newcastle and Edinburgh.
The rational of only offering 1st class dining in Pullman trains and trains where there is particularly heavy demand for 1st clasS passenger dining is simply that if we did not we would actu- ally be asking the passengers currently travelling 1st class to buy themselves a standard ticket and sit in 1st class and enjoy their breakfast. Which in the case of the 0750 would take well over an hour and very much into the majority part of their journey and InterCity would lose revenue.
Whilst it may mean that the dining area is not totally full this does occur on occasions. What it does stop is in fact the trading down. That you can appreci- ate the price of a breakfast is only £12.25, the price of travelling 1st class as against standard is significantly more.
We would lose more money than we would gain by allowing standard passen- gers in on selected trains.
As I previously mentioned there are a number of trains where one can travel Northbound as a standard passenger and be able to receive a breakfast. i.e 0700 Kings Cross to Newcastle, 0705 Kings Cross to Leeds, 0730 Kings Cross to Newcastle, 0845 Kings Cross to Edin- burgh, are just a few of the trains which you can travel on.
As there are options of various trains which one can get although it may be going to change, I feel that there is opportunity for the passengers who are travelling to obtain a breakfast.
Thank you for your comments.
Yours sincerely BW. Leaker Business Group Manager If you have an example of a crass, illiter- ate, ignorant, irrelevant or embarrassing letter or notice from a company or pub- lic body, send a copy to Unlettered, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London, WC1N 2LL. £10 for each one printed.
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