WATCH: Take a drive of a virtual Avanti West Coast Pendolino http://dlvr.it/TFx68z #AvantiWestCoast #Bushey #DovetailGames #HemelHempstead

Travelling on #AvantiWestCoast from #Manchester Piccadilly to #London Euston. There’s no full-fledged @diningcar, yet a very friendly steward is selling drinks and snacks from a buffet counter in the middle of the train.

From #London #Euston (probably not Britain’s prettiest railway station) to #Glasgow with #AvantiWestCoast. Having booked early, I am travelling on a discounted “Advance Single” fare - an affordable way to enjoy the comfort of a 1st class service (including food and drinks).

From #Scotland southwards over the - surprisingly scenic - West Coast Main Line #WCML with #AvantiWestCoast‘s #Class390 #Pendolinos. They haven’t got a proper @diningcar, yet there is a #buffet counter called the “shop” where a wonderful steward is selling food and drinks.

As the #Tories award #AvantiWestCoast an extended deal to run the troubled line (while being the worst performing franchise in the system), one can only marvel at the continued tolerance for failure that can be underpinned by ideology... its a marvel, but of course is a key part of the country slowing becoming the poor backwater of Europe.