Bleep

after a terminally terrible experience with #trainline website I was keen to find a better way to get from London to Birmingham and it turns out Chiltern Railways gets the thumbs up from this dude who did a seriously deep dive on the best rail provider between Birmingham and London. The 2024 prices are so low I almost fell off my seat.

Great information though if you need it https://railsmartr.co.uk/expert-tips/whats-the-best-train-from-london-to-birmingham/

What's the best train from London to Birmingham? - Railsmartr

Wondering what the best train from London to Birmingham is? We took a trip with all three companies in a day to find out the answer.

Railsmartr
Mar 4 at 10:13amWeb
Show threadMatt RoundMar 4
@bleepbloop Chiltern isn't perfect but always seems to be most consistent experience, you kind of know what kind of train you’ll get & how busy it'll be
Show threadBleepMar 4
@mattround I agree with you, and with him. I am in dispute with trainline dot com over them selling me a 1st Class ticket from Marylebone and selecting Chiltern for my journey when they don't have 1st Class rolling stock, but even though this irked me I actually found the carriages to be of a very nice quality and should not let this colour my opinion of the provider. I am going directly to the train station today to buy a ticket for Saturday and I think I am going via Chiltern.
Show threadMatt RoundMar 4
@bleepbloop Yeah you don't need 1st class if the train's fairly nice anyway & you can probably get a seat (but annoying they sold you it!)
Show threadBleepMar 4
@mattround I agree. I am fuming though - £300 at xmas was to guarantee I had a seat in case the network turned to shit and trains were cancelled, which has happened before and stranded me or had me standing for hours. And to find out that "Brighton to London Bridge" justifies that ticket price is absurd. The railombudsman is on the case.