Random question but I'm sure somebody will have the answer on here as always.

Got a 45 minute wait there in 2 weeks before getting another train, anyone know if the station has a pub or anything there that will be keep me occupied ? Or shall I expect the same facilities as Hartlepool..

Walk over the road there is cracking pub on corner called brewery tap. Or queensgate shopping centre is there as well.

The great northern hotel is just outside, on the platform there is one of them Pumpkin coffee shops that sell beer and a 5 min walk is this place http://www.thebrewery-tap.com (like what compo said).

Nice pub at Hartlepool train station if it open.

Cheers Compo and Alienlife much appreciated!

I've booked with East Coast (January Sale £20 return from Darlo - Peterborough.. Bargain!) But I've got a 40 minute wait or so before another train to Welwyn Garden City.

How long ago was that like Chip? They do sound like jobsworth not nice people like, hope it's changed mind.

Fucking nightmare that like, surely you'd think a bit of discretion wouldn't go a miss on those sort of occasions, not hurting anyone is it?

No not a business trip, our lass is currently down there for work so thought I'd pop down to see her.. Absolutely naff all there like.

it's best to hide, or lie, or both, or punch the ticket inspector square in the face and get a single blow knockout. After all, they are agents of evil and working for evil people.All people in uniforms are. They should be working for us, but they are all working against us. Anyone like that is brainwashed and actually believes everything they are told to do or say
Very sad

as your journey is booked with a break at Peterborough you will have no problem getting in and out of the station.I should know I am one of the forces of evil that parmo wants to punch in the face (though not for east coast!)

no it's a last resort.... but you have to llok at things from our side.... the uniforms never do that!! Why are the trains in the possession of a few money making evil people? They ought to be the possession of the masses, how can anyone argue against that.............

totally agree,although the conditions of carriage were written back in BR days.the main issue with revenue collection is down to the way the franchising system works.east coasts deal with the government meant they pay a management fee and give a small percentage of collected revenue back ,so everything else they collect is theirs,so that's their profit.cross country have a similar deal which is why they are money mad too.also some of their on train staff are on commission and are given targets to hit.

True apart from one or two pubs and the footy Peterbrough doesnt have a lot. If you can be arsed walk towards the footy ground and on the river there is a pub called charters which is a floating barge and the pub down there is good. However as you arnt staying that long the Brewery tap is your best bet.

during the floods last year, my East coast train back from Kings Cross terminated at York.

They just dumped us on the platform.

Within 5 minutes a Virgin train pulled in on its way to Newcastle. We were all allowed to jump on that.

It took the same track that East Coast couldnt, due to flooding. I wonder why that was?

I was in London on a Sunday morning and got a message saying that our lass had been rushed to hospital but wouldn't agree to an operation until I was there. The painkillers they had given her had sent her loopy and she wouldn't sign a consent form.

I had a ticket from Kings Cross for that evening. Got there at about 9 in the morning and explained the situation to the guards at the barrier but they said I couldn't get on the train. I said I was OK with being fined once I was on there but they said they'd get the police to arrest me if I tried to get on without paying a supplement at the ticket office. There was still 15 minutes to go so I went to the ticket office and paid it which took a while because they didn't know the rules.

Got back to the train with a few minutes spare and they told me that the doors were closed and that I couldn't get on. Not possible to have the doors re-opened but there was another leaving soon. The train left five minutes later so I asked them where to get the next one and they said my new ticket wasn't valid on the next one. Went back to the ticket office again to be told that if I knew I might miss the train I should have asked to pay the supplement to change my ticket to an open ticket not for a particular time. I said that wasn't what the guard told me to do so they said I should go and ask the guard to explain why they'd told me to ask for the wrong thing.

Went to find him but he'd gone so I told the new guard what had happened and he said just get on any train you like and then explain it to them if they come round for tickets. Which I did and it worked so why the fook couldn't the first lot or the ticket office fookers have done the same earlier on? My carefully considered opinion is that some people are arseholes but others are alright.

...or that Southerners are just twats?

probably because the voyagers and pendolinos are able to run through deeper levels of water than the east coast hst's

only the on train guard has discretion to override the ticket rules.all the rest are told to stick to the letter of the law.most of those barrier staff are agency or on zero hour contracts and are scared to death of getting sacked if they let someone through.
I agree with your opinion

this is the bottom line. Some folks are capable of independent thoughts, and others just want to use something they have been told to follow, without any attempts at independent thoughts

These people would die if they were stranded somewhere, without a rule book or a manager to guide them

This would get them a richly deserved Darwin award

Aye only there for 40 minutes like before going to Welwyn Garden City so time for a quick pint.

Has Joe been advised not to buy a ticket yet?

Did you get her number, or was she not a looker?

That the long winded version of she blew him out politely

Chip....was it the Geordie lass with glasses????
If so she's a good friend of mine!!!!

have you flushed her insides out with population pellets like, Mutters

Everytime I have been on Grand Central its been great, apart from the fact i get on for nowt like, the conductors have been very friendly. What I am annoyed about is though that there are never any playing pieces for the drafts/chess and monopoly boards on the tablets and they need to sort this out.

I got the train to the metro on the 27th december, it was busy, no conductor came round on either the way there or the way back.

I didnt buy a ticket in advance so made a £16 saving.

Cant fall off really.

Just wanted to put that out there.

giving it to the man, is always in fashion!!! Give it to him!!

In the spirit of 'speak as you find' I have to say I'm up and down to London once or twice a week on East Coast and most of the staff are friendly, specially when they get to know your face. It's not their fault that some trains are overcrowded, the carriage heating/bogs/wifi all break down at regular intervals and there's frequent delays because the signals system on the East Coast main line seems to be on its last legs.

As for Peterborough Station, the platform buildings were boarded up being renovated for most of last year and it was one of the most unwelcoming places in Britain. I suppose they might finally have finished by now.

I've booked a table seat for my journey, are the tables big enough for me to use my laptop without being a bell end taking up the entire table?

Well, yes, they're sort of big enough, but I'm not sure there's any more room than there is a in non-table seat, and in a table seat you're always colliding with the feet or the newspaper or whatever, of the person opposite.

What there doesn't seem to be room for these days is luggage. If six people with huge cases have got on before you, the entire luggage space is gone.

Train travel ain't what it used to be, though I did have a minor success story last time I went to Edinburgh. Booked at the last minute, and found 1st class travel was only £6 more than 2nd, so got in the posh end. By the time I'd had the free coffee and food, it was cheaper than going 2nd class and paying for me own sandwiches.

I've found that a few times, mostly when going to Edinburgh or Glasgow. First class has been cheaper than or only a tiny bit more than standard, I don't mind paying an extra tenner for a better seat the free food and drinks are a nice bonus.

The main thing was the seats had much more room. And I felt quite, you know, posh

I'm going to try it again next time.

The Virgin trains first class bit feels even more posh, but they don't really do first class on a weekend (just the nicer seat and a drink).

I'm not bothering with Wifi like, only on there for less than 2 hours. 2 hours worth of Footy Manager should keep me right.

Wi-fi only uses the mobile network anyway, just use yer phone. If you're on a provider that covers 98% of the country and has 4g in over 120 places that is

Aye, I'll just tether my phone to my laptop if I need it