Eastmidlandstrains Avis 

Liked the tannoy messages which were informative. What was awful was state of the toilets-no soap or water in one. In another bits of the under sink (cables etc) falling out. Really need updating and at least checking once in a while!

Maybe it’s because of the other trains that I regularly use or the fact that I watch a fair bit of Michaels Palin and Portillo on their train borne travels but I feel the need to leave my own travel journal entry for the ‘EMR experience’.
My intercity (not sure if that’s still a train thing?) journey was not expected to resemble that of the Orient Express or the Lakes of Italy tour but I have to say I was more than a ‘little disappointed’ with the 2 carriage train (whose doors I so Britishly queued until 8 minutes prior to departure being allowed on) that presented itself for my journey across Englands green and pleasant land.
Having said that when I boarded, there was a certain nostalgia of yester-year as I became aware that the carriages I was to be conveyed in were probably as old as those traversing the Orient line, ‘magic’ regained.
On the first of my cross-country jaunts (between Norwich and Manchester) I ‘settled’ into my 1990s style seat with warmth and WiFi, so began the work I had planned for my 5 hour plus journey, so as not to doom scroll into oblivion for the entire journey.
As we pulled out of the station, I peacefully glanced at the passing Victorian architecture before returning my attention to the work at hand.
It turns out I must have been borrowing a Greater Anglia Abelio train’s WIFi because alas, there was now none!
The non-emotional answer by the ticket inspector to my WiFi question can only make me think they had heard this multiple choice puzzler a few times!
Not to be outdone by a ‘first world
problem’ I persevered through the English country side, tethered to my mobile phone, regularly being paused in connection, unceremoniously dumped from Team calls and disconnected from voice calls at technology’s whim. The lack of underinvestment in infrastructure along arterial commuter routes was not I will add, going unnoticed by me!
It transpired that the initial warmth I felt soon became somewhat ‘unregulated’ and I would be gripped by a strong desire of fresh air or woolly jumpers at irregular intervals over the next 3 hours or so!
To calm my sweated demeanour, feeling a little peckish, I thought a saunter to the cafe bar might allow my eyeballs a bit of respite from the heat and maybe regain their blink reflex? However upon stretching my legs, excusing myself into the aisle and setting my bearings (not too difficult in a 2 carriage train) the realisation dawned on me that I hadn’t passed a cafe car nor had I heard of a refreshments trolley in the muffled announcements!
Depute my stiff upper lip holding I’m fairly sure the canine population of Grantham could hear my internal cry of anguish as I crumpled back into my seat, a semi-dried out husk of my former self.
The rest of the journey is somewhat of a blur and quite hazy.
However, what I do remember is that with steadfast resolve I persevered and in between my thirst induced delirium, staving off of ‘any other tickets please’ travel documents having already been presented and the arrival of angelic figure offering victuals to my hollowed out (if in f at it wasn’t a dream?!?) I finally arrived at my destination, the northern power house city of Manchester.
The return journey was much of a muchness, few rogue timber wolves trailing the train, a suspicious death in the dining cart and a strange Belgium gentleman decrying the general state of affairs, whilst admitting he had never been faced by such a conundrum of who was to blame in his entire investigative career!

All Joking apart, charged almost £200 for a return journey on which EMR delivers a shocking service. Genuinely no WiFi at all and not a sniff of a buffet service for over 3 hours on a nearly 5 hour journey, in 2024, for that sort of price?!?
Highlights everything that is wrong with attitude towards customers whilst having a strangle hold on the market. Having said that the staff were actually very nice and considering they must face a great deal of customer frustration if the rest of the general reviews are to be believed, were pleasant friendly and really did turn up with the refreshment trolley in Nottingham.

They will never arrive at your destination on time, even if the journey is plain sailing. They make the refund policy near impossible. For the quality you get, it's still massively overpriced even if you book ahead and find the cheapest possible tickets. The toilets are a health hazard
The free WiFi is a lie. Joke company making money purely because they are a service we rely upon. I take the coach more often than not now.

Utter trash.

The most terrible service I've ever seen. Not only in all tue hundreds of times I ise them there all always been delayed or cancelled. The service staff are rude or ignorant. But yet they charge for overpriced tickets. From now on I'll be sticking with national express

thief. been trying to claim my delay repay for 40m. they are making as impossible as they can jsut so you give up. useless stack of sh!ts

They make you wait by the train in Norwich until just before departure. Train is overcrowded regularly, no space for baggage, even overhead racks are smaller than on Greater Anglia. Regular delays and faults like today when train not fit to go further than Nottingham so we all have to change

Outside of constant train delays, cancellations, strikes, and the audacity to raise prices endlessly on such a bad service.

Tonight, 2 people were checking tickets just after going through the gates(which already check your tickets). They do this most days and it is a massive waste of 2 salaries and forcing a queue which explains the hike in prices while we float these pointless roles.

On top of that the train. Was posted and the rudest woman was shouting at people for coming through (as they were instructed) and having them stand to the side.

I am so sick of this company. Can we just nationalise railways? These companies are just ripping us off and delivering nothing.

I travel on several trains, but the services from the Midlands to London St P is the worst by far and to compound matters the most expensive.

They just do not seem care, trains dirty, over crowded, delayed, wifi is like dial up etc. I think they have a captive market and know it.

Late slow dirty and poor communication.
Has to be the worst railway on the track !

Worst train line possible. Expensive fares, train tickets are checked constantly. Staff are rude at St Pancras barriers and not helpful. Constant announcements on train. Don’t know how they can get away with running this line. Tickets are also non refundable for delayed journeys.

Please stop lying that you offer WiFi on first class and other fares. Having travelled multiple times Nottingham - Paris, I can confirm that that the best connectivity for a simple email is beneath the English channel rather than Nottingham - London. Please sort yourselves out, you're an embarrassment

Train from London to Sheffield was late so tried to claim compensation. Asked for copies of tickets but none issued as etickets were provided. So printed them off took photographs and sent these but these copies were not acceptable. Delay department again asked for copies of tickets but none were issued!! Ticket numbers were supplied but apparently this was insufficient. Advised to claim via journey planner but no obvious way to get copies of tickets this route. Then told to ring Customer Services. Not expecting much joy there. EMR obviously have made the delay repayment claim system so complicated to avoid paying out genuine claims.

On top of the various types of poor customer service, the two trains i took on the day were both late to arrive. The first by nearly 20 minutes. So it is not just the bad wifi, dirty, tatty, stained livery and lack of regard for the customer on board.

Traveling from Norwich to Altrincham the East Midland on a two carriage train with fumes and heat bellowing inside the carriages. A 4 hour journey with no power points. What’s going on here ? I would go via London Liverpool street but the escalators at Euston are not working.
Holding thumbs as I find the East Midlands, although conviennent. It’s not worth it.

Really poor attitude and way to run a business. The train today was 45 mins late arriving to London, which is very frustrating when the total travel time was only supposed to be an hour so this delay almost doubled it.
These things happen which I do understand, however I think they really take the biscuit when they still manage to come round and check your ticket 15 times each journey. Its very cheeky to check if passengers are doing their bit and paying their fares when you aren't holding up your end at all. Sort your out your priorities

I've used them twice during LNER strikes. Never again. Trains generally overcrowded, uncomfortable seats in standard, and trust me joining one at St.Pancreas is a loathsome experience. Queueing forever, staff with no communication skills, and if you have a seat reserved you can forget it. All part of the awful incompetent service.

I travel on EMR most weeks. Not because I like it, but because I have to. The bus service from Leicester to London can take 4 hours on a bad day. The train is over an hour. However getting cheap fares, now that megatrain has disappeared, is so difficult. I sat between carriages again this evening and I had paid nearly £80 for the ticket. Wifi is really poor. I've been using this line for nearly 25 years. Buffet bar closed. Souless. This is the worst it's ever been. and that's before strike days....I drive so much now because the train is so extortionate in the mornings.

Expensive. Slow, Ancient and uncumfortable. Seats need replacing badly. Hand wash not working in WC. It was on time an the staff are friendly but its not a good traveling experience and VERY expensive.

Really poor service today, cancelled our train without notice - left us on a freezing cold platform waiting for a train that never arrived.

When they do arrive the trains are dirty, and don't feel well maintained.

To improve, this train operator needs to focus on 3 things, reliability, reliability and reliability. Once they've done this then they need to invest in some cleaners and maintenance on their trains.

Perhaps the worst train provider in the UK; poor service with continual delays and cancellations, rude and unhelpful staff at London St Pancras and extortionate prices for tickets.

It’s a real shame as the routes are brilliant for getting into and out of London, however the quality of service provided is disappointingly bad.

Delay repay never works and there is often no notice of cancellations, meaning the trains that do run are hugely overcrowded and at times unsafe with people having to stand in the aisles or sit on the floor and block aisles and exits.

The company needs a huge shake up and to stop focusing on profit and start focusing on providing reliable transport.