End of the line for the 18.15 train buffet club

There is anger and despair in the buffet car on the 18.15 from Waterloo to Portsmouth. The regulars are up in arms about the decision by the new privatised operator to close down the buffets on most of the Portsmouth trains and replace them with a trolley service.

The buffet car drinkers are a clubbable bunch who love the smoky, spit and sawdust atmosphere of the old coaches. "It's a great end to the day, particularly on Fridays," said Simon Grimmer, who takes the 18.15 specially to drink in the bar with rugby playing friends from Haslemere, even though it does not stop at Woking, where he lives. He has to take a train back from Guildford to Woking but thinks its worthwhile because "it's better than my local pubs".

Other drinkers testify to the fact they will "bust a gut" to get on the 18.15 or the 18.50 to meet their friends. In fact, jokes Jeremy Arden, an 18.15 regular, "the 18.50 are a wilder crowd, stockbrokers, moneybrokers and other nasty people like that. This is a rugger crowd, no footie here".

Stagecoach, the bus company which has run South West trains since February, is closing down the buffets on all its older stock on the line from today. "The buffet car kitchens are not up to standard and it is not economic to spend money on this old rolling stock," it says.

However, the company has no plans for new trains and intends to put in more seats to replace the buffet areas. The drinkers suspect Stagecoach does not care because the buffet is run by OBS, an entirely separate company.

Tim Vine, a broker with Lloyds and a bar regular, says he is planning to talk to Stagecoach about taking over the franchise for the buffet.

Mr Arden cannot understand why the buffet cannot be run at a profit. He complains that it does not open until the train reaches Clapham Junction. "If this was a good efficient service, it would make a profit. But it often doesn't open and it's much more expensive than the station buffets."

The regulars are dismissive of the plans for a trolley service, especially as it can only carry 12 cans of beer. "They tried a trolley a couple of years ago but it couldn't get through the crowd on the peak time trains," said one.

While the bar sometimes takes as much as pounds 200, the regulars deny they get drunk. The days when a round was bought every time the train goes through a station with a W in it - Wimbledon, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge, West Byfleet, Woking and more - have long gone, they say, thanks to the stricter drink driving laws and the faster trains.

Another City gent, Mac Hardy, is angry that no one from South West trains has told them about the changes: "The ticket inspector didn't even know. This buffet might not make a profit, but it's part of the service. Now a little bit of my daily pleasure has gone," he said.

He complains that privatisation was supposed to bring improvements but this is "in direct conflict with the notice they put up saying privatisation was going to benefit passengers".