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I tried the train some 2 weeks ago as a foreigner. Technically a great train, quite smooth and very quiet ride even on diesel mode. The moment of power change was mind-blowing for someone that was first time on a bi-mode train. Only the seats (standard class) are unsuitable for an Intercity train. Really hard-cushioned, and a model that is used on regional trains in Germany. But that's my only negative point.
You should have experienced the HST then. That was even better. And as for padded. What padding. There is none. I assume you havnt travelled on German or Italian ones. Do you come from the America’s. In which case you would find anything here better
@@andrewcowling5804 I have. Twice. And I must admit it was a fantastic ride, just the legroom on CrossCountry one was very tight. I am from Slovenia and have travelled on German and Italian trains too. I have said seats ARE the problem of IET, but apart from them, I can't find a single fault.
Try standard class, the seats are unbearable and completely unacceptable for any journey longer than 10 minutes. There's a reason why all the latest IETs ordered and Lumo have changed seats.
He's not going to book standard class in any case. All of these travel vloggers have to book the highest level class to show how great they are. I'm surprised that he even did a walk-through in second class. Never mind that 80% of travelers book the cheapest class.
Great looking trains. End of compliments. I used one last week (1st Class Paddington - Bristol) and the ride was dreadful to the point some passengers looked worried on some high speed sections. The seats compared with what went before are laughable for a 1st Class product (same across all 80x trains as far as I can tell) and I can't imagine what was was in the Department for Transport's head when they were ordered and forced onto the train companies. 🤔Oh, of course I can: money rather than value. The video was far better than the product sampled.
Well what do you expect with ansaldobreda trains. Look at Norway, Netherlands and Denmark. In the last 20 years the mistake to order these crappy trains. How is it possible that the UK fell for the Italian dangerous trains flabbergast me.
They have the sheer audacity to charge triple figure tickets for journeys spent on high speed ironing boards. GWR is a joke. I truly hope they refurb these at some point. I used to think “eh these units are acceptable I guess” until I took a Stadler Flirt in the east which completely blew this out of the water.
As a journalist working overseas, I was one of the few lucky ones to board the maglev between Tokyo and Nagoya. It's quiet and stable, and when I closed my eyes, I really could forget that I was moving at 500km per hour.
I can hardly believe this is your first video from your home country! Great job integrating the ad into the journey. As usual, enjoyable and informative report!
Great video mate and I think the quality of filming in this one in-particular is superb. Personally, I would love to see you make more U.K. videos like this. Lovely stuff 😊👍
The problem is steamingly high fares, poor interiors and a paucity of onboard services: this for a travelling public in either class who still remember the comfort and brilliant on-board services like the onboard chef and wonderful restaurants there were on the 125s. It’s no like-for-like replacement for them
@@NonstopEurotrip Those bacon baguettes prepared to order by the travelling chef were reason enough to travel with GWR haha. But getting a reservation in the restaurant car meant a free upgrade to 1st class and a brilliant restaurant dinner. Win win
traveled paddington to swansea in july in standard class. dreadful, so uncomfortable, It was a relief to board the class 153 for my onwards journey. the class 700 are also very uncomfortable. there is a pattern emerging here .... trains spec'd by spreadsheet muppets at DofT who don't actually use trains.
I love these trains. They are fast, smooth and look very nice. My only complaint for their journeys are the seats are uncomfortable for my lower back and they are sometimes overcrowded, meaning I had to stand in the middle isle for 40 minutes before some people disembarked at reading.
How can you like these trains if they are uncomfortable for your lower back? Are you young? I am not and suffer from lower back pain and want to know if I should travel on these trains. What would your advice be?
@@daydays12 I am young but I suffer from some back issues in my lower back. The main issue is the seats are not very padded or supporting of the lower back. Its never a massive issue, only advice is every couple hours id go for a walk up and down the carriage to stretch out a bit.
I travel on these quite regularly, and there are four main issues: - The obvious issue is the seat comfort. They’re horrid seats and a definite downgrade from the HSTs they replaced. Spending more than 15 minutes in an IET seat is a recipe for a numb buttock or two. - The interior is perhaps too bright; on a late-night train especially it has a special tendency to cause migraines and blind you. - The build quality seems rather shoddy in general; panels in the carriages rattle about and the toilet doors easily get stuck and are hard to open. - The substandard product, a definite downgrade over the predecessor train, is coupled with a massive price hike; you essentially pay significantly more for a vastly inferior journey experience which *might* be a handful of minutes faster. Maybe.
There can apparently be a great deal of difference in build quality depending which factory it came from; those from the former AnsaldoBreda factory seem to be a bit ... less precisely put together than others
Don't blame Hitachi or Japan though. They had to work to a British budget so you get what you pay for. If you want to see what Hitachi is really capable of just look at the quality of the 885 Series tilting train in Kyushu that is from the same line of trains as the Class 800s.
Hey, good report. First class seats here are like second class seats in Vilnius-Klaipėda train in Lithuania😄. I recommend you to check out that train🤔👌
Thanks for doing a UK spot and well done for the bi-lingual station labels! These IETs are my main train. I really like them- they are spacious, with loads of leg room- the ambiance is really good and they remain a calm and relaxing ride even when reasonably full. The ambiance reminds me of Swiss coaches like the EWIV, and to me, feels better than a MK3. Lots of seats and capacity in a 2x5 or 9 car setup and the aircon works flawlessly (even in the hot weather we have just had). To me the seats are firm, but ergonomically very good for you- after a trip on a Voyager or Pendollino, I need physiotherapy for a month (I'm sure not everyone will agree though). The 2nd class trolley service has a good selection of items and the staff are all friendly. For me, the ride is quite firm and sporty- I prefer it to the wallowy Mk3s previously in service-the ride is not dissimilar to a Class444 unit. Acceleration on electric is awesome and the bi-mode technology is staggering- they are good looking units too, with some nice industrial touches. The only thing more staggering is that the UK can't get its head around a full program of electrification even in the 21st century. We are sending decent electric units for scrap, whilst rattling around the place in diesels, or unnecessary bi-modes.
@@NonstopEurotrip Sadly, it isn't- they were going to electrify the full route between Cardiff and Swansea, but descoped it. Lots of GWR trains carry on to Swansea, but running on Diesel. One of the IET depots is at Swansea- they got as far as installing OHL poles at the depot, but never finished them. They had to build an extra fuelling post there too. When combined with the incomplete Berks and Hants line electrification, no wires betwen Bristol Parkway and Temple Meads, no wires into Temple Meads at all and no wires to Oxford, the project looked a bit sad. Luckily, at least they used high quality OHL for the parts they did do!
@@NonstopEurotrip Even worse, the overhead line equipment for much of the descoped areas had already been purchased- it was scrapped without being used by the UK govt. An absolute scandal that just quietly slipped by without anyone noticing.
For me personally I'm in the minority who actually find the seats on these really comfortable. I once used or of the LNER units all the way from Leeds to Aberdeen in standard class and had no issues at all. Ultimately though there's still plenty of things I hate about these trains and they absolutely scream of being a train designed by committee rather than by an expert, particularly the LNER units. Window alignment and seating layout could be hugely improved for a start, as could the lighting on board. The use of 5 car sets really annoys me because there's not a single route they operate on where 5 car sets are sustainable long term, even less so when you consider that nearly a full carriage is taken up by crew area and café bar making them essentially a four car train. We made that mistake years ago with the voyagers, they've made the same mistake again on the Azumas and EMR are now doing it on the Aurora's... It's completely stupid. I understand that often they operate in multiple but that means two sets of staff, two cabs which are completely useless and just waste space, inability to get between United and confusion for an inexperienced traveler. And for all that the ten cats have less than 8 cars of usable space. They should all have been ordered as 10 car units from the start. Not every platform would be long enough but even the HSTs had selective door opening! Perhaps my biggest bugbear though is on the LNER 9 car units and I genuinely think that whoever approved the interior layout needs sacking. The quiet coach is coach H in the middle of the train. A carriage whch people have to walk through is the quiet coach. The quiet coach should very obviously be coach A at the very end of the train. Unfortunately though they can't put the quiet coach in coach A because that's where the standard class wheelchair space is. In coach A. The carriage furthest north. The carriage which is furthest from the entrance/exit at Kings Cross. So wheelchair users have to navigate the whole length of the platform at Kings Cross despite being the least able to do so! They could have put the wheelchair spaces in coach K where half of it is first class, they could have put them next to the café bar so that wheelchair users could still access that facility but no. They stick it in the place that's hardest to get to. 🤦♂️
I don’t find the IET uncomfortable either. Use them on about 1 1/2 hour joirneys to weston super mare. However I do sit differently in them to how sat on the older HST units. Definitely slouch less and a more upright posture then used to on older trains.
About 10 years ago, I travelled first class to Wales from London on the HST. Very nice - a waiter kept coming round offering me coffee into my china cup from a filter jug! Much nicer than the cardboard cup you got.
I've been on these a few times - once from Reading to Liskeard and back - and I'm not impressed, with the comfort anyway. Let's hope there is a refurb sooner rather than later. While most of us on this channel would rather travel by train than by other means, what's the public transport alternative for heading to S Wales and the West Country? As someone mentioned, you could fly, but would anyone consider going by coach? Probably cheaper and more comfortable. Would take ages though.
I have always loved train travel all around Europe and beyond, but as it happens on my outward trip from Bristol to London (see my comment elsewhere in the thread) I used the coach because of threatened strikes. It took longer (two-and-half hours - scheduled for 3) but the reserved seat was very comfortable, faced forward and lined up with the large window. The driving was excellent and the ride smooth. If time is no object, it's worth considering the £4.50 fare.
Nonstop Eurotrip, great to see you in England taking the train. I have to say, I admire the trains you have in the UK; I wish we had these Azuma trains here in Canada in service with VIA Rail, and in use on a route between Toronto and Montreal.
@@NonstopEurotrip, you're more than welcome, and I hope that you _could_ (only _if_ you can do it) come to Canada (Toronto, Ontario) and take a trip on the GO (Government Of Ontario) Transit train from Toronto to Niagara Falls for a day trip to experience how it is.
Nice review - was interesting to see Cardiff station too. I love the GWR livery - inside and out - although I prefer the upholstery on the second class seats.
Nice to see you reviewing in the UK. And Dylan is also back in the UK this week 😊. I did the Heathrow Express in and out of Paddington Station, in May this year, on an 11 hour layover! Got the obligatory photo of Paddington Bear. 😊
Only way to get these harsh operators who take the public for granted is to boycott their product, try your utmost to use their competitors and perhaps they will stop treating the public like cattle, great post as usual nice to see you trying out different British companies
Great to see you in the UK, looking forward to some UK trip reports. Standard class on the early 80x class units is appalling no matter which operator. I understand the Lumo units are better. It'll be interesting to see what we get on EMR when they eventually arrive. At a local level I just want the 170s to replace the 156s asap.
@@NonstopEurotrip You should try LNER's first class service on the Azumas as I hear it is quire good. I have travelled first class on LNER on the class 91s which was amazing
Back in the sunny UK? Great video. Looks like the seats really are the same as TfW's Class 198s, but thankfully it looks like the 197 seats have more padding.
The few times I’ve travelled from Exeter to London on GWR by the time we’ve got to Taunton(about 20 mins) my back is in agony. My preferred route is the SWR line to Waterloo. Yes it takes longer but I find the seats are comfier and usually the tickets are cheaper
You should travel: 1. The EN57 trainset (it is the most populous trainset in Poland, I prefer especially the Krakow-Zakopane route 2. The Pesa 2014N tram on the route 4 or 52 in Krakow, 3. Gubałówka funicular, located in Zakopane, it is one of the breathtaking and most populous funiculars in Poland, 4. Kasprowy wierch cable car, it reaches to the Mt. Kasprowy Wierch (1987m o. s. l.) 5. Szklarska Poręba-Liberec line, operated by railbuses both polish, as well as czech, also touristic line. GREETINGS FROM KRAKOW, POLAND!!!
Loved watching this video, and the roof of Paddington train station is magnificent 19:33 and would love to watch more trip report from UK especially sleeper trains videos.
@@collareddovepigeon5621 probably. *some parts* of ECML (King's Cross to York, Newcastle and Edinburgh), WCML (Euston to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow), GWML (Paddington to Reading, Bristol and Cardiff) can reach 200kph. The CTRL (or HS1) from St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel can reach 300kph. Otherwise germany's high speed network is more spread and fast than UK rail network.
Thanks for your review. I think a lot of people have been overreacting with this train because it replaced the HSTs. I think your praise and your criticism is great.
I also hate the Class 800 seats on GWR, LNER and TPE trains. The thinner cushions and "slim profile" are designed give the illusion of more space and leg room, just like budget airlines have been doing for years. The "solo airline seat" shown is one of the worst seats as the metal table support limits any leg movement when seated.
I happened to travel from Taunton to London Paddington at the time when these Class 800s were just being phased in. On the trip to London, the train happened to be an older 125, which I found to be quiet, smooth with comfortable seating in Standard Class. My return to Taunton was on the new 800 and I have to say that the contrast was horrifying. The ride was much harsher and noisier and the seats rather uncomfortable. Definitely degraded both trains and service, in my opinion.
HSTs were the peak of customer comfort , along with a train of mark 3s on the WCML pulled by an 87 !!! Ever since those days customer comfort has gone backwards as prices go up and up. They really need to start addressing this
my buttocks actually hurt after my trip to Bristol. They'll have to do something about the seats and suspension of these trains. It will actually hurt business.
I’m afraid that when the government allowed the railways to be sold off to private companies the standard of services declined dramatically, l can remember train travel to Cornwall was considered a massive part of our holidays, l used to go by motorail from London to St Austell, the carriages all first class with breakfast & lunch served in the dining car, it was all priced extremely reasonably & we arrived at our destination refreshed & relaxed.
Have to use these quite often. I always travel First Class, but they are not a patch on the old HST. I agree with you about the seats, and the meals on both LNER as well as on the West Coast route. I recently went from Euston to Glasgow on a Pendolino, returning on LNER from Edinburgh to Kings X. Got a decent meal on both services as well as free alcoholic drinks (i.e wine and beers). You have to pay on GWR. The service on both was excellent. That on GWR is absolutely abysmal, only saw the trolley once between Paddington and Exeter, while from my seat I could see the train crew chatting in the 'food preparation area', we didn't get another visit until almost in Plymouth. Even with a Railcard, the fares are exhorbitent! Much cheaper to fly from Cornwall, but I can't at present due to health.
I were in Devon last week, and used one or two of these trains, hard seating in standard,and why have a luggage on one side at the end, and then put 2 seats across the aisle with no window, better use as luggage space, incidentally they were seats 91/92..yes 92 seats per coach,when 72 was the original on HSTs.so thats that less legroom, harder seats, very little luggage space for larger cases, don`t forget, these trains serve mainly holiday places in Devon and Cornwall..The only thing I found that surprised me was how quiet they were, no noisy engines, they were very quiet, as compared to Voyagers..It seems these trains are built, do the job from an operational point of view, but when it comes to interior design layout for passenger comfort, and facilities,it really is a let down, and where they have got id badly wrong..of course its the Gov calling the shots on interior design ,by stating how many seats there must be per coach, when in actual fact an extra coach for the same seating capacity, would mean more room for standard class...and hopefully more luggage space.. but that costs more money,so cram in the passenger seating..
From Bristol Parkway you can get trains to Scotland as there's the Aberdeen to Bristol Temple Meads route and Bristol Temple Meads to Edinburgh without changing trains and calling to all stops in between!
I think the let down of these newer trains is the design and the very hard seating in standard class. I have seen seating on the older former soviet trains like those in Georgia and Estonia have better comfort with padded cushion squabs on plastic benches are better than this. Also what happened to leather seats is First Class? Why has the UK trains gone backwards when Germany, Spain, Austria and France has better first class on their express trains. This is not good. Thank you for the honest video and I really hope these UK train companies will up their game.
Take it that First Class on GWR Class 800 and Class 802 isn’t as comfortable than on the Class 43 Mk3 HSTs. Bit of a shame really. Same with First Class on LNER Class 800 & Class 801 Azumas, TPE Class 802 Nova 1, Hull Trains Class 802 Paragon and Lumo Class 803 IET rolling stocks that Hitachi have manufactured. Same with what Avanti West Coast have ordered the Class 805 and Class 807 and EMR ordered the Class 810 Aurora.
The snack you had on the train wasn't complimentary,It was included in the fare.It varies throughout the day,For example.morning breakfast.mid day lunch or at say 4-30 pm a light tea
I think it’s more about the prices that GwR charge. I used to get the train all the time to Cornwall. I can’t remember a time I was on time into Saltash. That said their staff are happy and very helpful 😘
I'm with you - the fares are eye-watering. Mind you, I bought mine from X-Country, rode GWR and got a full refund from X-Country when GWR were 2 hours late. So for free, pretty. pretty, pretty good.
I was confused by the statement high speed and class 800 in the same sentence. They are NOT high speed - this is just a very normal 21st century train speed. And they are not that bad, what a bunch of whiners - I rode from Reading - Dawlish and it was good ride on the continuous welded rail.
Don't blame Hitachi or Japan though. They had to work to a British budget so you get what you pay for. The poor quality is in the interior that has obviously been skimped on to save money not the engineering! If you want to see what Hitachi is really capable of just look at the high quality of the 885 Series tilting train in Kyushu that is from the same line of trains as the Class 800s.
I often travel in the Javelin versions used by Southeastern Kent - London. All 2nd class, the trains are fine, but not as comfortable as the older trains used on these services. The one compensation is that these travel fast, 140mph on HS1, it will be interesting to see what trains will be offered on HS2, there is still plenty of time for the designers to specify a better package.
Great trip. For that ticket fare, and consideration of distance and travel time, i think First Class passenger deserve some light meal/instant meal or pastries.
Interesting comments on the seats. Blame the dead hand of thr government. I found the HS1 seats similarly firm but the train time from Canterbury to London dropped to 50 odd minutes losing a good hour so it was a small price to pay.
Try standard class on a journey between Paddington and Cornwall not the 2 hour hop between Cardiff and London. The seats are absolute agony and you can barely walk when you get to your destination.
The HST was so good, it was always going to be a hard act to follow and this train is a massive backwards step. I hope they don't last as long as the HST's, or if they are going to be around for a while, replace the seats with something more comfortable.
@@Hattonbank That wouldn't be a good move, but Boeing did just that when they introduced the cramped and uncomfortable 777, a very poor replacement for the excellent 747, in many ways the 747 was the IC125 of the skies in its day, the plane all others would be compared to.
Nice to see you doing UK trains albeit you did choose one of the worse modern trains we have to travel on. I have sympathy for any commuter that has to use the GWR 800's for long commutes to London, especially in standard class. Never sat in such an uncomfortable seat and if like me you suffer from back pain then these are really of no use to you travelling on. You want to come back to Cardiff but this time take the class 43 Castle set from Cardiff to Penzance (the old HST) and MKIII coaches and then you'll enjoy a comfortable rid and some great scenery down through Somerset, my home town, Devon and Cornwall and when you arrive at Penzance you must treat yourself to a good ol Cornish Pasty.
Still,way better than the seats in the turboprop plane I have to take when moving from the island I live in to our capital. Except when I get lucky and get an exit row
I wonder how many of you who are complaining have done the journey from Penzance to Paddington and back! Because I have and do so regularly. No matter how comfortable a seat is sooner or later it become very uncomfortable, regardless of whether it is First Class on the train, overnight the night trains, even Concord! Given a choice between driving from Penzance in my luxurious 19th hand banger, or getting on a train - depends on my destination:- London I'll take the train every time.
@@NonstopEurotrip Trouble is they were olde (sic), and would often struggle to pull out of Truro heading to Penzance. Don't forget the 125's were designed in the 1960's and 70's to replace the Deltics etc. Even the oldest Stanier Pacific's only ran for about 30 years on the WCML, before being pulled.
@@Volcano-Man True. Honestly I like the IETs and with a few tweaks, they could be great. More padding on the seats and dimmer lighting would be a good start. And full first class meal service.
They are great apart from the seating and standard class catering. There is a big difference between London to Bristol or Cardiff and London to Penzance. The 800 series is fine for an hour or two or even three but bad for longer journeys.
@NonstopEurotrip the 2 hour journeys can be fine on any part of the routes. The experience depends on the track. The journey from Paddington to Bristol and Cardiff can feel similar to HS1, very fast and modern. The journey west beyond Newton Abbott is fine on the 800 series also but has a different feel to it. If the sandwiches run out there is no catering for hours.
The problem is that they've replaced stock which was so much more refined, classy and comfortable. The refurbished GWR first class HSTs were just a pleasure to be on, these are regional class at best, without any character whatsoever.
These trains are really clever and very comfortable in many respects fine if your in 1st, yes the standard class could be better but I don't think they are ass bad as some people try to make out.
Now try out the Class 395 Javelin which is another highspeed train that operates in the South Eastern region of the UK (which is where I live btw). You will like it trust me
@@NonstopEurotrip also I dare you to try out Standard class of the Class 802. It's horrendous how the seats are designed for such long journeys like for example London - Penzance (5 hour ride)
The class 800s look great but I rly miss the HST Intercity 125s on the GWR line. As a child back in the day I'd go on them with fam to London Paddington and Bath City. Rly great days
Regarding the seats, I'd say Standard class = awful, 1st = acceptable. I often put them through the ultimate test; Inverness-London on LNER. Just short of eight hours!
I travelled on the HST first day in service. Couldn't believe the speed and comfort, excellent burgers in the buffet. The GWR class 800 trains are a disgrace, thank goodness l don't have to pay to travel on them because l wouldn't!
they are im afraid typical of the rolling stock that is now used in the Uk, Cheap and Nasty, like the Azuma sets on the East Coast Mainline The seating density is too high and there are far too many Airline Seats, I absolutely detest travelling in reverse ( and it does my Bad back no Good whatsoever.. Note in Standard class the seat with no window view by the Bulkhead. I was under the impression that Level Access was a requirement for modern trains? Not a patch on the HST sets they have replaced. Is there a Buffet Car for Standard Class passengers you didnt show one, or is it an At Seat Trolley service of Tepid Tea and Coffee ( Instant at an outrageous Price)
Seeing the 2+1 seating is sending my mind for a loop since my local trains in Melbourne (both commuter and regional) are either 2+2 or 2+3. And the regional ones won't throw your back out sitting in them. But they're also broad gauge so we can get away with that. Brunel was right.
I have read the previous comments and there is a general dissatisfaction with these trains. British Rail had it right but the clueless DfT couldn't even use best practice from BR and actually consider the passengers.
I've never been impressed by pre-packaged food in first class on trains - nor planes - especially considering sky high first class fares. A few years ago some genius at Amtrak upper management decided to eliminate hot meals - and serve only sandwiches - in Acela First Class which costs twice as much as no frills Business Class. Passengers abandoned first class in droves until the hot meals returned. I expect better from European train operators but I guess crappy food service knows no borders. I was shocked to learn there will be no complimentary food or beverages in first class on German ICE trains I'll be riding next month.
I really like the train's outside looks especially the front for any of Hitachi's cool looking high speed trains but the seats in the inside interior are just rock hard and even Standard class looks very unpleasant looking. And what's really confusing for me is how the seats are actually the design of commuter train's used in countries like Spain and Germany. When on express trains like this one. They are absolutely unsuitable for rides like London - Penzance (5 hours ride) etc.
I never knew England had electrified tracks and trains. The inventors of the train stuck in the bureaucratic Stone Age. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, the HSL runs at 80km/h because of poor concrete construction. A billion repair bill awaits.
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sure if you tell us what equipment you used to film?
@@valuetraveler2026 it's in the description
Is the app only useable in the UK/ Europe or can you get started with it in the US?
@@bcperry1973 I believe you can use it anywhere!
I tried the train some 2 weeks ago as a foreigner.
Technically a great train, quite smooth and very quiet ride even on diesel mode. The moment of power change was mind-blowing for someone that was first time on a bi-mode train.
Only the seats (standard class) are unsuitable for an Intercity train. Really hard-cushioned, and a model that is used on regional trains in Germany. But that's my only negative point.
Glad you enjoyed it, on the whole 😁
You should have experienced the HST then. That was even better. And as for padded. What padding. There is none. I assume you havnt travelled on German or Italian ones. Do you come from the America’s. In which case you would find anything here better
@@andrewcowling5804 I have. Twice. And I must admit it was a fantastic ride, just the legroom on CrossCountry one was very tight.
I am from Slovenia and have travelled on German and Italian trains too. I have said seats ARE the problem of IET, but apart from them, I can't find a single fault.
@@NonstopEurotrip lp
The ONLY negative point. It is the only important point. Why would I damage my already painful back on these trains?
Try standard class, the seats are unbearable and completely unacceptable for any journey longer than 10 minutes. There's a reason why all the latest IETs ordered and Lumo have changed seats.
This is true...!
@@NonstopEurotrip yes my butt normally hurt after I ride standard class why everyone hate the iet and says the hst is better
Really, personally I think the class 800s are fine for long journeys
He's not going to book standard class in any case. All of these travel vloggers have to book the highest level class to show how great they are. I'm surprised that he even did a walk-through in second class. Never mind that 80% of travelers book the cheapest class.
@@mikeymutual5489 over half of my videos are in second class
Great looking trains. End of compliments. I used one last week (1st Class Paddington - Bristol) and the ride was dreadful to the point some passengers looked worried on some high speed sections. The seats compared with what went before are laughable for a 1st Class product (same across all 80x trains as far as I can tell) and I can't imagine what was was in the Department for Transport's head when they were ordered and forced onto the train companies. 🤔Oh, of course I can: money rather than value. The video was far better than the product sampled.
Well thanks I guess 😉
@@NonstopEurotrip Yes, I should have said 'End of compliments for the train'. I always look forward to your releases. 🙂
@@ChrisH-1952 I got ya 😊🙏🏻
Well what do you expect with ansaldobreda trains. Look at Norway, Netherlands and Denmark. In the last 20 years the mistake to order these crappy trains. How is it possible that the UK fell for the Italian dangerous trains flabbergast me.
@@SuperDoetinchem They're Hitachi - Japanese.
They have the sheer audacity to charge triple figure tickets for journeys spent on high speed ironing boards. GWR is a joke. I truly hope they refurb these at some point.
I used to think “eh these units are acceptable I guess” until I took a Stadler Flirt in the east which completely blew this out of the water.
I'd agree with that 🙏🏻
As a journalist working overseas, I was one of the few lucky ones to board the maglev between Tokyo and Nagoya. It's quiet and stable, and when I closed my eyes, I really could forget that I was moving at 500km per hour.
If you have any footage, let me know and I'll make a video on it 😁🙏🏻
I can hardly believe this is your first video from your home country! Great job integrating the ad into the journey. As usual, enjoyable and informative report!
I know right, me too! 😂
Great video mate and I think the quality of filming in this one in-particular is superb. Personally, I would love to see you make more U.K. videos like this. Lovely stuff 😊👍
I'd give it an 8/10 😉 xx
The problem is steamingly high fares, poor interiors and a paucity of onboard services: this for a travelling public in either class who still remember the comfort and brilliant on-board services like the onboard chef and wonderful restaurants there were on the 125s. It’s no like-for-like replacement for them
Exactly. I wish they had food service like Avanti and LNER 🙏🏻
@@NonstopEurotrip Those bacon baguettes prepared to order by the travelling chef were reason enough to travel with GWR haha. But getting a reservation in the restaurant car meant a free upgrade to 1st class and a brilliant restaurant dinner. Win win
@@hoof2001 sounds perfect to me 🥰
You are certainly not wrong there.
traveled paddington to swansea in july in standard class. dreadful, so uncomfortable, It was a relief to board the class 153 for my onwards journey.
the class 700 are also very uncomfortable. there is a pattern emerging here .... trains spec'd by spreadsheet muppets at DofT who don't actually use trains.
Standard government incompetence 🤓
I took a Class 717 for ONE stop between Moorgate and Essex Rd and I found it intolerable sitting on those ironing board seats
I love these trains. They are fast, smooth and look very nice. My only complaint for their journeys are the seats are uncomfortable for my lower back and they are sometimes overcrowded, meaning I had to stand in the middle isle for 40 minutes before some people disembarked at reading.
Fair enough!
How can you like these trains if they are uncomfortable for your lower back? Are you young? I am not and suffer from lower back pain and want to know if I should travel on these trains. What would your advice be?
@@daydays12 I am young but I suffer from some back issues in my lower back. The main issue is the seats are not very padded or supporting of the lower back. Its never a massive issue, only advice is every couple hours id go for a walk up and down the carriage to stretch out a bit.
@@leonstansfield Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me . I really appreciate it and have taken note of your advice. 🙂
Clearly you only ride on them for 30 minutes then. Try doing 5-6 hours on one!
I travel on these quite regularly, and there are four main issues:
- The obvious issue is the seat comfort. They’re horrid seats and a definite downgrade from the HSTs they replaced. Spending more than 15 minutes in an IET seat is a recipe for a numb buttock or two.
- The interior is perhaps too bright; on a late-night train especially it has a special tendency to cause migraines and blind you.
- The build quality seems rather shoddy in general; panels in the carriages rattle about and the toilet doors easily get stuck and are hard to open.
- The substandard product, a definite downgrade over the predecessor train, is coupled with a massive price hike; you essentially pay significantly more for a vastly inferior journey experience which *might* be a handful of minutes faster. Maybe.
Agree,yes 🙏🏻
There can apparently be a great deal of difference in build quality depending which factory it came from; those from the former AnsaldoBreda factory seem to be a bit ... less precisely put together than others
@@AndreiTupolev standard for them 😆
Don't blame Hitachi or Japan though. They had to work to a British budget so you get what you pay for. If you want to see what Hitachi is really capable of just look at the quality of the 885 Series tilting train in Kyushu that is from the same line of trains as the Class 800s.
Hey, good report. First class seats here are like second class seats in Vilnius-Klaipėda train in Lithuania😄. I recommend you to check out that train🤔👌
I've been on it 🙂
It's remarkable that a tunnel of that length was built before modern methods were developed. A lot more hand labor then!
I know right! 🙂
Thanks for doing a UK spot and well done for the bi-lingual station labels! These IETs are my main train. I really like them- they are spacious, with loads of leg room- the ambiance is really good and they remain a calm and relaxing ride even when reasonably full. The ambiance reminds me of Swiss coaches like the EWIV, and to me, feels better than a MK3. Lots of seats and capacity in a 2x5 or 9 car setup and the aircon works flawlessly (even in the hot weather we have just had). To me the seats are firm, but ergonomically very good for you- after a trip on a Voyager or Pendollino, I need physiotherapy for a month (I'm sure not everyone will agree though). The 2nd class trolley service has a good selection of items and the staff are all friendly. For me, the ride is quite firm and sporty- I prefer it to the wallowy Mk3s previously in service-the ride is not dissimilar to a Class444 unit. Acceleration on electric is awesome and the bi-mode technology is staggering- they are good looking units too, with some nice industrial touches. The only thing more staggering is that the UK can't get its head around a full program of electrification even in the 21st century. We are sending decent electric units for scrap, whilst rattling around the place in diesels, or unnecessary bi-modes.
Thank for the lovely comment! At least this route is all electric 🙂
@@NonstopEurotrip Sadly, it isn't- they were going to electrify the full route between Cardiff and Swansea, but descoped it. Lots of GWR trains carry on to Swansea, but running on Diesel. One of the IET depots is at Swansea- they got as far as installing OHL poles at the depot, but never finished them. They had to build an extra fuelling post there too. When combined with the incomplete Berks and Hants line electrification, no wires betwen Bristol Parkway and Temple Meads, no wires into Temple Meads at all and no wires to Oxford, the project looked a bit sad. Luckily, at least they used high quality OHL for the parts they did do!
@@NonstopEurotrip Even worse, the overhead line equipment for much of the descoped areas had already been purchased- it was scrapped without being used by the UK govt. An absolute scandal that just quietly slipped by without anyone noticing.
@@danielparrott8339 fk
@@danielparrott8339 sorry I meant that route in the video 🤓
For me personally I'm in the minority who actually find the seats on these really comfortable. I once used or of the LNER units all the way from Leeds to Aberdeen in standard class and had no issues at all.
Ultimately though there's still plenty of things I hate about these trains and they absolutely scream of being a train designed by committee rather than by an expert, particularly the LNER units.
Window alignment and seating layout could be hugely improved for a start, as could the lighting on board.
The use of 5 car sets really annoys me because there's not a single route they operate on where 5 car sets are sustainable long term, even less so when you consider that nearly a full carriage is taken up by crew area and café bar making them essentially a four car train. We made that mistake years ago with the voyagers, they've made the same mistake again on the Azumas and EMR are now doing it on the Aurora's... It's completely stupid.
I understand that often they operate in multiple but that means two sets of staff, two cabs which are completely useless and just waste space, inability to get between United and confusion for an inexperienced traveler. And for all that the ten cats have less than 8 cars of usable space. They should all have been ordered as 10 car units from the start. Not every platform would be long enough but even the HSTs had selective door opening!
Perhaps my biggest bugbear though is on the LNER 9 car units and I genuinely think that whoever approved the interior layout needs sacking. The quiet coach is coach H in the middle of the train. A carriage whch people have to walk through is the quiet coach. The quiet coach should very obviously be coach A at the very end of the train.
Unfortunately though they can't put the quiet coach in coach A because that's where the standard class wheelchair space is. In coach A. The carriage furthest north. The carriage which is furthest from the entrance/exit at Kings Cross. So wheelchair users have to navigate the whole length of the platform at Kings Cross despite being the least able to do so! They could have put the wheelchair spaces in coach K where half of it is first class, they could have put them next to the café bar so that wheelchair users could still access that facility but no. They stick it in the place that's hardest to get to. 🤦♂️
Very objective observations, I agree with you 😊
I'm fairly sure LNER use different seats to GWR. I might be wrong though.
@@idot3331 they're identical except for the colour
I don’t find the IET uncomfortable either. Use them on about 1 1/2 hour joirneys to weston super mare. However I do sit differently in them to how sat on the older HST units.
Definitely slouch less and a more upright posture then used to on older trains.
@@NonstopEurotrip I think they used to be identical but I heard that LNER added more cushioning to their seats
About 10 years ago, I travelled first class to Wales from London on the HST. Very nice - a waiter kept coming round offering me coffee into my china cup from a filter jug! Much nicer than the cardboard cup you got.
Completely agree. A backwards step in some ways 😭
@@NonstopEurotrip Some ways? LOL come on buddy. In almost every way!?
I've been on these a few times - once from Reading to Liskeard and back - and I'm not impressed, with the comfort anyway. Let's hope there is a refurb sooner rather than later.
While most of us on this channel would rather travel by train than by other means, what's the public transport alternative for heading to S Wales and the West Country? As someone mentioned, you could fly, but would anyone consider going by coach? Probably cheaper and more comfortable. Would take ages though.
I have always loved train travel all around Europe and beyond, but as it happens on my outward trip from Bristol to London (see my comment elsewhere in the thread) I used the coach because of threatened strikes. It took longer (two-and-half hours - scheduled for 3) but the reserved seat was very comfortable, faced forward and lined up with the large window. The driving was excellent and the ride smooth. If time is no object, it's worth considering the £4.50 fare.
I took flixbus once because Superalbs refused to go on this train with me 😂
Nonstop Eurotrip, great to see you in England taking the train. I have to say, I admire the trains you have in the UK; I wish we had these Azuma trains here in Canada in service with VIA Rail, and in use on a route between Toronto and Montreal.
Thank you 🙏🏻
Well ask Japan then because that's where the Azumas come from.
Cardiff isn't in England.
@@NonstopEurotrip, you're more than welcome, and I hope that you _could_ (only _if_ you can do it) come to Canada (Toronto, Ontario) and take a trip on the GO (Government Of Ontario) Transit train from Toronto to Niagara Falls for a day trip to experience how it is.
@@Neville60001 I've actually been before, but didn't film it! 🥲
I live in Cornwall and took a GWR800 to London and back once. And only once. Since then I've used the plane. It was pretty grim.
Oh dear 😂
In France the TGV has almost killed off internal flights, here it looks like these units are encouraging internal air. So much for the environment.
Nice review - was interesting to see Cardiff station too. I love the GWR livery - inside and out - although I prefer the upholstery on the second class seats.
I'm the opposite Linda 🤣
Nice to see you reviewing in the UK. And Dylan is also back in the UK this week 😊. I did the Heathrow Express in and out of Paddington Station, in May this year, on an 11 hour layover! Got the obligatory photo of Paddington Bear. 😊
Of course, they recently moved Paddington to a more prominent position too 🐻
I had to ask a couple of coppers where he was! 😂😂
Only way to get these harsh operators who take the public for granted is to boycott their product, try your utmost to use their competitors and perhaps they will stop treating the public like cattle, great post as usual nice to see you trying out different British companies
Thanks John 🙏🏻
Great to see you in the UK, looking forward to some UK trip reports. Standard class on the early 80x class units is appalling no matter which operator. I understand the Lumo units are better. It'll be interesting to see what we get on EMR when they eventually arrive. At a local level I just want the 170s to replace the 156s asap.
Thank you Kevin! Hopefully the Avanti and EMR ones will be better 🙂
@@NonstopEurotrip I think the EMR ones will better than the Avanti ones
Problem with these 800s is they order five cars
You should try the Class800s on LUMO the seat comfort is much better even though they're supposed to be a budget option.
I have 🙂
The first class seats looked okay. Food service not suitable for first class.
Coach seats terrible.
Thanks Max for the comparison
😀😀💚💚
Thanks Scott! I agree they need a full food service in first class 🙏🏻
@@NonstopEurotrip Yes😀
😀
@@NonstopEurotrip You should try LNER's first class service on the Azumas as I hear it is quire good. I have travelled first class on LNER on the class 91s which was amazing
Back in the sunny UK? Great video. Looks like the seats really are the same as TfW's Class 198s, but thankfully it looks like the 197 seats have more padding.
I sent my UK correspondent 😅
The few times I’ve travelled from Exeter to London on GWR by the time we’ve got to Taunton(about 20 mins) my back is in agony. My preferred route is the SWR line to Waterloo. Yes it takes longer but I find the seats are comfier and usually the tickets are cheaper
My friend totally agreed with you on that point 🙂
You should travel:
1. The EN57 trainset (it is the most populous trainset in Poland, I prefer especially the Krakow-Zakopane route
2. The Pesa 2014N tram on the route 4 or 52 in Krakow,
3. Gubałówka funicular, located in Zakopane, it is one of the breathtaking and most populous funiculars in Poland,
4. Kasprowy wierch cable car, it reaches to the Mt. Kasprowy Wierch (1987m o. s. l.)
5. Szklarska Poręba-Liberec line, operated by railbuses both polish, as well as czech, also touristic line.
GREETINGS FROM KRAKOW, POLAND!!!
Great ideas, thank you ☺️
Paddington Station would be nothing without Paddington Bear. Nice video.
Absolutely!
Loved watching this video, and the roof of Paddington train station is magnificent 19:33 and would love to watch more trip report from UK especially sleeper trains videos.
Thanks mate! I'll hope to do some more in the future! 🙂
@@NonstopEurotrip Hey is ICE faster then england trains??
@@collareddovepigeon5621 probably. *some parts* of ECML (King's Cross to York, Newcastle and Edinburgh), WCML (Euston to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow), GWML (Paddington to Reading, Bristol and Cardiff) can reach 200kph.
The CTRL (or HS1) from St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel can reach 300kph.
Otherwise germany's high speed network is more spread and fast than UK rail network.
@@gab_v250 Ice 3 goes 330 kmh
Thanks for your review. I think a lot of people have been overreacting with this train because it replaced the HSTs. I think your praise and your criticism is great.
Thank you ☺️
Finally! I was wondering if you were gonna do a video in the UK
Thanks I guess 🙂
I also hate the Class 800 seats on GWR, LNER and TPE trains. The thinner cushions and "slim profile" are designed give the illusion of more space and leg room, just like budget airlines have been doing for years. The "solo airline seat" shown is one of the worst seats as the metal table support limits any leg movement when seated.
I happened to travel from Taunton to London Paddington at the time when these Class 800s were just being phased in. On the trip to London, the train happened to be an older 125, which I found to be quiet, smooth with comfortable seating in Standard Class. My return to Taunton was on the new 800 and I have to say that the contrast was horrifying. The ride was much harsher and noisier and the seats rather uncomfortable. Definitely degraded both trains and service, in my opinion.
I'd agree with this 👌🏻
The only thing I could add would be the piss poor build quality. The interior panel rattles after only being service for a year are annoying as hell.
I also feel the lighting is way to harsh, Nothing soothing or inviting about it. In fact I just find the whole cabin to be harsh.
HSTs were the peak of customer comfort , along with a train of mark 3s on the WCML pulled by an 87 !!! Ever since those days customer comfort has gone backwards as prices go up and up. They really need to start addressing this
8:08
Seats on Indian Railways AC Chair Car coaches look better than that imo
Also the seats on the 800 seem to be harder than seats in Chair Car
😂😂😂
@@NonstopEurotrip 😂
The seats aren't bad imo, looks amazing too! Great trains and glad to see more of them, though value for money from their operators.... 😶
Hopefully the problems are ironed out with the newer versions 🙏🏻
I completely agree with you @ce183
Awesome video!
my buttocks actually hurt after my trip to Bristol. They'll have to do something about the seats and suspension of these trains. It will actually hurt business.
Fabulous channel here friends all the best keep it up 👍👍👍👍
Thank you ☺️
First class may be comfy enough and have a nicely padded headrest, but it would be interesting to hear the opinion of standard class
I’m afraid that when the government allowed the railways to be sold off to private companies the standard of services declined dramatically, l can remember train travel to Cornwall was considered a massive part of our holidays, l used to go by motorail from London to St Austell, the carriages all first class with breakfast & lunch served in the dining car, it was all priced extremely reasonably & we arrived at our destination refreshed & relaxed.
I frequently ride in First Class between Neath and Cardiff. It matters to me from the perspective of using my journey to take a break.
Have to use these quite often. I always travel First Class, but they are not a patch on the old HST.
I agree with you about the seats, and the meals on both LNER as well as on the West Coast route. I recently went from Euston to Glasgow on a Pendolino, returning on LNER from Edinburgh to Kings X. Got a decent meal on both services as well as free alcoholic drinks (i.e wine and beers). You have to pay on GWR. The service on both was excellent. That on GWR is absolutely abysmal, only saw the trolley once between Paddington and Exeter, while from my seat I could see the train crew chatting in the 'food preparation area', we didn't get another visit until almost in Plymouth. Even with a Railcard, the fares are exhorbitent! Much cheaper to fly from Cornwall, but I can't at present due to health.
Agree Avanti and LNER are far superior services
I were in Devon last week, and used one or two of these trains, hard seating in standard,and why have a luggage on one side at the end, and then put 2 seats across the aisle with no window, better use as luggage space, incidentally they were seats 91/92..yes 92 seats per coach,when 72 was the original on HSTs.so thats that less legroom, harder seats, very little luggage space for larger cases, don`t forget, these trains serve mainly holiday places in Devon and Cornwall..The only thing I found that surprised me was how quiet they were, no noisy engines, they were very quiet, as compared to Voyagers..It seems these trains are built, do the job from an operational point of view, but when it comes to interior design layout for passenger comfort, and facilities,it really is a let down, and where they have got id badly wrong..of course its the Gov calling the shots on interior design ,by stating how many seats there must be per coach, when in actual fact an extra coach for the same seating capacity, would mean more room for standard class...and hopefully more luggage space.. but that costs more money,so cram in the passenger seating..
I prefer to a voyager
I'm not getting the voice-over; only subtitles. is this intentional or is there a problem with my browser?
Superb quality ❤️❤️❤️❤️🥇🥇
Thanks 🙏🏻
From Bristol Parkway you can get trains to Scotland as there's the Aberdeen to Bristol Temple Meads route and Bristol Temple Meads to Edinburgh without changing trains and calling to all stops in between!
Woooow 😁
I think the let down of these newer trains is the design and the very hard seating in standard class. I have seen seating on the older former soviet trains like those in Georgia and Estonia have better comfort with padded cushion squabs on plastic benches are better than this. Also what happened to leather seats is First Class? Why has the UK trains gone backwards when Germany, Spain, Austria and France has better first class on their express trains. This is not good. Thank you for the honest video and I really hope these UK train companies will up their game.
I think the lights are too bright.
Once again a very nice video :)
I agree 💯
Take it that First Class on GWR Class 800 and Class 802 isn’t as comfortable than on the Class 43 Mk3 HSTs. Bit of a shame really. Same with First Class on LNER Class 800 & Class 801 Azumas, TPE Class 802 Nova 1, Hull Trains Class 802 Paragon and Lumo Class 803 IET rolling stocks that Hitachi have manufactured. Same with what Avanti West Coast have ordered the Class 805 and Class 807 and EMR ordered the Class 810 Aurora.
Oh for sure give me an HST anyday 🥰
@@NonstopEurotrip Indeed.
The snack you had on the train wasn't complimentary,It was included in the fare.It varies throughout the day,For example.morning breakfast.mid day lunch or at say 4-30 pm a light tea
You're aware what complimentary means?
LOVE them. Quite proud of them.
The shelter at 13:00 on Bristol Parkway looks pretty wide and useful... 🧐 Surely one stays dry under it when it's raining.
😂
I think it’s more about the prices that GwR charge. I used to get the train all the time to Cornwall. I can’t remember a time I was on time into Saltash. That said their staff are happy and very helpful 😘
Yeah I'll go with that 🙂
I'm with you - the fares are eye-watering. Mind you, I bought mine from X-Country, rode GWR and got a full refund from X-Country when GWR were 2 hours late. So for free, pretty. pretty, pretty good.
@@linesided UK delay repay 🥰
I was confused by the statement high speed and class 800 in the same sentence. They are NOT high speed - this is just a very normal 21st century train speed. And they are not that bad, what a bunch of whiners - I rode from Reading - Dawlish and it was good ride on the continuous welded rail.
If we have paid our own money to use them, we are more than entitled to whine
It is when you don't have dedicated HSL 🙂
Don't blame Hitachi or Japan though. They had to work to a British budget so you get what you pay for. The poor quality is in the interior that has obviously been skimped on to save money not the engineering! If you want to see what Hitachi is really capable of just look at the high quality of the 885 Series tilting train in Kyushu that is from the same line of trains as the Class 800s.
Great trip report
I often travel in the Javelin versions used by Southeastern Kent - London. All 2nd class, the trains are fine, but not as comfortable as the older trains used on these services. The one compensation is that these travel fast, 140mph on HS1, it will be interesting to see what trains will be offered on HS2, there is still plenty of time for the designers to specify a better package.
When you regularly travel on 200mph trains, 140mph ain't all that 😉
I hate these new trains, the old HSTs were much better and had a way superior first class.
Agree with the first class!
Great trip. For that ticket fare, and consideration of distance and travel time, i think First Class passenger deserve some light meal/instant meal or pastries.
Completely agree 😌
They used to on gwr
Interesting comments on the seats. Blame the dead hand of thr government. I found the HS1 seats similarly firm but the train time from Canterbury to London dropped to 50 odd minutes losing a good hour so it was a small price to pay.
Lovely video
Thanks 🙏🏻
Try standard class on a journey between Paddington and Cornwall not the 2 hour hop between Cardiff and London. The seats are absolute agony and you can barely walk when you get to your destination.
😐😐😐
Or London to Aberdeen or Inverness
Love you ❤️😘 BRO really appreciate you ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for commenting on ride quality.
The HST was so good, it was always going to be a hard act to follow and this train is a massive backwards step. I hope they don't last as long as the HST's, or if they are going to be around for a while, replace the seats with something more comfortable.
Very true!
Imagine if Airbus launched a new airliner that was inferior to one produced 50 years ago!
@@Hattonbank That wouldn't be a good move, but Boeing did just that when they introduced the cramped and uncomfortable 777, a very poor replacement for the excellent 747, in many ways the 747 was the IC125 of the skies in its day, the plane all others would be compared to.
You get seats in standard class? I had no idea.
Crazy right 😜
It was a good 'trip'. Thanks
Very nice trains,I,ve been on the Azuma aswell.
Nice to see you doing UK trains albeit you did choose one of the worse modern trains we have to travel on. I have sympathy for any commuter that has to use the GWR 800's for long commutes to London, especially in standard class. Never sat in such an uncomfortable seat and if like me you suffer from back pain then these are really of no use to you travelling on.
You want to come back to Cardiff but this time take the class 43 Castle set from Cardiff to Penzance (the old HST) and MKIII coaches and then you'll enjoy a comfortable rid and some great scenery down through Somerset, my home town, Devon and Cornwall and when you arrive at Penzance you must treat yourself to a good ol Cornish Pasty.
I've done it already last summer 😊
@@NonstopEurotrip Look forward to the video then
@@SteveSmithRailways I didn't film it sorry, was just out with a friend ☹️
@@NonstopEurotrip Come back and do it again then.....lol
@@SteveSmithRailways 😂😂😂
Still,way better than the seats in the turboprop plane I have to take when moving from the island I live in to our capital. Except when I get lucky and get an exit row
😂😂😂
But your aircraft flies faster and can cross water!
I wonder how many of you who are complaining have done the journey from Penzance to Paddington and back! Because I have and do so regularly.
No matter how comfortable a seat is sooner or later it become very uncomfortable, regardless of whether it is First Class on the train, overnight the night trains, even Concord!
Given a choice between driving from Penzance in my luxurious 19th hand banger, or getting on a train - depends on my destination:- London I'll take the train every time.
I agree. I've done it a few times and would ways take the train. Although give me an HST anyday 😅
@@NonstopEurotrip Trouble is they were olde (sic), and would often struggle to pull out of Truro heading to Penzance. Don't forget the 125's were designed in the 1960's and 70's to replace the Deltics etc. Even the oldest Stanier Pacific's only ran for about 30 years on the WCML, before being pulled.
@@Volcano-Man True. Honestly I like the IETs and with a few tweaks, they could be great. More padding on the seats and dimmer lighting would be a good start. And full first class meal service.
I've been on these trains a few times from Bristol to London.the seats are a little narrow but they are comfortable enough.the leg room was good
Oh dear...
Have or when will you make a video on the Elizabeth line
I won't, sorry!
They are great apart from the seating and standard class catering.
There is a big difference between London to Bristol or Cardiff and London to Penzance. The 800 series is fine for an hour or two or even three but bad for longer journeys.
Ouch 😆
@NonstopEurotrip the 2 hour journeys can be fine on any part of the routes. The experience depends on the track.
The journey from Paddington to Bristol and Cardiff can feel similar to HS1, very fast and modern. The journey west beyond Newton Abbott is fine on the 800 series also but has a different feel to it.
If the sandwiches run out there is no catering for hours.
The problem is that they've replaced stock which was so much more refined, classy and comfortable. The refurbished GWR first class HSTs were just a pleasure to be on, these are regional class at best, without any character whatsoever.
The problem is we've expected to get high quality Japanese trains but we've bought them on a British budget!
Trains are best things in the world
Aren't they just ☺️
These trains are really clever and very comfortable in many respects fine if your in 1st, yes the standard class could be better but I don't think they are ass bad as some people try to make out.
Always wondered why most British- made cars, buses and trains fail miserably as regards comfort, performance and reliability
Ikr 😂
Now try out the Class 395 Javelin which is another highspeed train that operates in the South Eastern region of the UK (which is where I live btw). You will like it trust me
Already have. They're ok. Nothing compared to an ICE, TGV, AVE or Frecciarossa tho
@@NonstopEurotrip oh nice
@@NonstopEurotrip also I dare you to try out Standard class of the Class 802. It's horrendous how the seats are designed for such long journeys like for example London - Penzance (5 hour ride)
Elizabeth line passengers to Sheffield have to change at Liverpool station. Are thru-trains on the horizon?
Yes, expected completion is Autumn 2022. Hopefully done before 2023
So … hard seats 👎🏻. Harsh lighting 👎🏻. No full meal service in First Class 👎🏻 = choose their competitors 👍🏻😉
Unfortunately, there is no competition on this route!
@@NonstopEurotrip 😕. Hence there’s no reason for GWR to put themselves out 🤔
@@robyoungquist5803 very true ☹️
The class 800s look great but I rly miss the HST Intercity 125s on the GWR line. As a child back in the day I'd go on them with fam to London Paddington and Bath City. Rly great days
Me too 😭
Regarding the seats, I'd say Standard class = awful, 1st = acceptable. I often put them through the ultimate test; Inverness-London on LNER. Just short of eight hours!
Sucker for punishment 😂
Nice video!
Thank you! Hope you're enjoying my content 🙂
They really spoil us with that platform waiting room and cup of tea on board 🙄
I travelled on the HST first day in service. Couldn't believe the speed and comfort, excellent burgers in the buffet. The GWR class 800 trains are a disgrace, thank goodness l don't have to pay to travel on them because l wouldn't!
Wow I would have loved to have done that 😃
I don't understand why they call this Highspeed ????
It's all they got rn 🤣
they are im afraid typical of the rolling stock that is now used in the Uk, Cheap and Nasty, like the Azuma sets on the East Coast Mainline The seating density is too high and there are far too many Airline Seats, I absolutely detest travelling in reverse ( and it does my Bad back no Good whatsoever.. Note in Standard class the seat with no window view by the Bulkhead. I was under the impression that Level Access was a requirement for modern trains? Not a patch on the HST sets they have replaced. Is there a Buffet Car for Standard Class passengers you didnt show one, or is it an At Seat Trolley service of Tepid Tea and Coffee ( Instant at an outrageous Price)
I agree 💯 yes!
No buffet on these trains, trolly service only when they can get through the train
Gwr don’t have buffets silly when lner do. I prefer a forward facing airline seat
Yes, the hate is justified
😂
Seeing the 2+1 seating is sending my mind for a loop since my local trains in Melbourne (both commuter and regional) are either 2+2 or 2+3. And the regional ones won't throw your back out sitting in them.
But they're also broad gauge so we can get away with that. Brunel was right.
Still narrower than Iberian gauge
@@NonstopEurotrip What is Aussie broad gauge and what is Iberian gauge?
It's so quiet and but u didn't mentioned the speed. Appreciate it if u would put dark background for your descriptions. It's kinda hard to read.
Sorry 🙏🏻
I have read the previous comments and there is a general dissatisfaction with these trains. British Rail had it right but the clueless DfT couldn't even use best practice from BR and actually consider the passengers.
I've never been impressed by pre-packaged food in first class on trains - nor planes - especially considering sky high first class fares. A few years ago some genius at Amtrak upper management decided to eliminate hot meals - and serve only sandwiches - in Acela First Class which costs twice as much as no frills Business Class. Passengers abandoned first class in droves until the hot meals returned. I expect better from European train operators but I guess crappy food service knows no borders. I was shocked to learn there will be no complimentary food or beverages in first class on German ICE trains I'll be riding next month.
You get free haribo 😂
Only need to read the comments on the seats (especially Standard Class) to understand why these trains aren't popular!
The only problem with the 800-803 is the seats. Everything else is lovely
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I really like the train's outside looks especially the front for any of Hitachi's cool looking high speed trains but the seats in the inside interior are just rock hard and even Standard class looks very unpleasant looking. And what's really confusing for me is how the seats are actually the design of commuter train's used in countries like Spain and Germany. When on express trains like this one. They are absolutely unsuitable for rides like London - Penzance (5 hours ride) etc.
True yeah 😂
The seats in standard - and in the Class 700 variadespite
😂
I never knew England had electrified tracks and trains.
The inventors of the train stuck in the bureaucratic Stone Age.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, the HSL runs at 80km/h because of poor concrete construction. A billion repair bill awaits.
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