@@robinjones6999 that's what I'm saying, they are pushing you to use the free mobile tickets option when ordering online rather than collecting from the station (from the Ticket Machine or Ticket Office)
You may wish to try EMR or GA (Greater Anglia), which uses the same UI as XC and Trainline (are they all related in some way?). They don't charge a booking fee and a ticket collection fee. Alternatively, just turn up at the machine or office. It feels odd booking thru EMR/GA for XC or another TOC, but remember that you can use one TOC for any UK train (except Eurostar).
@@DanFMDatabases Mobile tickets are not free to the passenger, we have to constatntly buy electricity to operate our phones. Well, those of us still mug enough to charge our phones at home!
I think that one of XCs biggest failures is acute / dangerous overcrowding. This shows up particularly in the Yorkshire sections and the Midlands. Imagine being in a sardine crush in the corridor by the very smelly toilet not knowing whether you can actually get through the crowds to alight. This is the reality for someone who commuted from New Street to Derby / Nottingham
I agree. I travelled from Taunton to Edinburgh on a Sunday 1st class - for most of the journey the overcrowding overspill extended into the 1st class carriage, making my journey most unpleasant. Even going to the toilet required you to step over bodies and push their luggage aside to allow entry to the toilet. Why the attendants did not eject the intruders is beyond me - that is surely a failure to provide a first class experience. I will never travel X-Country again. I subsequently found that travelling that same journey 1st class was £70 cheaper via London using GWR and LNER, and, 10 minutes quicker.
I agree with that overcrowding is an issue, the trains are too short. The two end units are marked A and F so there should be four carriages in between not the two or three they use. EMT can run proper six carriage trains so why not XC.
"All the comforts of home" says the on-board sign; that'll be except for the carpets and the toilet pans, I suppose. Ah well. Thanks for taking us along, Scott. The views out were great!
Easily pleased! As someone who regularly travels long distance in the UK by train Cross Country is one to be avoided wherever possible. The noise and vibration from the under floor power unit, the all pervading stench of urine and hot hydraulic oil, the uncomfortable seating and, in first class, the excuse for on train catering all conspire to make avoiding Cross Country where possible. As for the fares, more expensive than the competitors! Was once offered the "left over breakfast muffin" or a pack of crisps as the first class catering offering one evening from Derby to Waverley! When it comes to on train catering LNER come out on top (despite ever reducing standards from the days of GNER).
So glad it's not just me that notices the noise and vibration. Sometimes I feel like I'm being overly picky not wanting to be carbonated on my journey. Awful trains - the 180 has the same engine and yet it glides (when it runs at all)
Had to use them once from York to Leeds, it was enough. Train was overcrowded, dirty and worn out. Actually the Northern Supersprinter from Leeds to Carlisle was better as it only had a few pasengers and had no pretentions like Cross Country and their glorified DMUs.
The ECML catering went downhill after GNER lost the contract. The successors soon withdrew lunch from Restaurant Cars, because they said "nobody has lunch these days." Then we get the obnoxious situation which.gives first-class passengers a free meal, whilst second-class gets nothing but a buffet with a limited rage of grotty sandwiches, cakes, and biscuits. The Azumas have even less.
I recently travelled Cross Country first class from Newcastle to Birmingham. During the three hour journey over lunch time, nothing more substantial than crisps or biscuits was available to eat. Having got a cheap upgrade through Seat Frog I was left disappointed. Considering some of these First class seats are priced at hundreds of pounds, surely better catering should be provided.
Once upon a time, most long- distance trains conveyed a Restaurant Car, available to ALL passengers, no matter what type of ticket they held. I would like to know whether starving passengers is a breach of the passengers' charter. Exceeding the seating capacity certainly is; it is also a breach of Health and Safety legislation.
@@andrewtaylor5984Not exactly - every train type is tested and certified to an additional standee capacity when fully seated. If you've evidence of regulations being breached, you should probably take it up with the H&S authorities. And if passengers choose to starve themselves, I hope there's no "charter" that compromises their right to do this! Even in the days of restaurant cars, supplies could run out or equipment fail. Personally, I board any train with enough provisions to last me the journey time and then some. Planning and self sufficiency are skillsets that serve me well.
I am a retired Health and Safety officer, though not on the railways. Basically, an employer has to provide a safe working environment for everyone, including trespassers. Entry to stations can be restricted by the British Transport Police, or possibly station managers as well, to avoid overcrowding. Exceeding the seating capacity in cars, coaches, and aeroplanes is considered a danger to safety, so why should the railways be any different? I would say that exceeding the seating capacity breaches Health and Safety legislation. Something else needs to be considered. If you have a first-class ticket on a train scheduled to have first-class accommodation, and there is none, the difference between the two fares is refunded on the train. I have witnessed this. Standing passengers should get a full refund. As regards catering, bringing your own food is not a realistic solution. You are still restricted to cold snacks and finger food. You cannot carry knives in public, so that rules out a decent meal. I also find it offensive to be sitting next to people eating certain types of food. Stations are no better, with just a few exceptions. Who remembers the ghastly food hall at Euston? By contrast, you can get a decent meal at the Gare du Nord. Eating on the train is a good way of passing the time. Having to eat before or after the trip means extended journey times, or departure and arrival times may not coincide with normal meal hours. Buffet cars only serve cold snacks, and do not provide cutlery and crockery. There are times when prison inmates probably do better. We repeatedly read that train catering makes a loss. This must be because the product is wrong, the price is wrong, or both. With first-class ticket holders now getting free meals, receipts can only be going down. This can only make things worse for the majority. Weekend catering is drastically reduced; we all have to eat, no matter what day of the week it is. As you must be aware, the railways are in competition with road transport. Motorway service areas have a contractual obligation to provide a service every day of the year, including Christmas Day, although I will concede that facilities may be reduced then. And you can use all the facilities, irrespective of whether you arrive by car, bus, lorry, motorcycle, etc. The advantage of train travel is that you should be able to eat on the move. I think that the biggest mistake the railways made was to have catering on trains and on stations run by different bodies. The original set-up was eight levels of catering, three of which banned second-class ticket holders from the Restaurant Car, one other was almost non-existent, and the bottom level was the trolley.
@@harrygg8457 It used not to be like that. You could once get a decent meal on a long-distance train. The railways keep promising this, that, and the other, and never provide. Cold snacks off a trolley are not going to encourage people onto the railways.
Very good Scott. On XC 1st Class I once made the mistake of asking for the scone and clotted cream, only to discover that the cream must have been clotting for half of my lifetime! I also used the lounge at Edinburgh Waverley - I was using an all-line Rover so was able to board any train I wished, and I said I hadn't decided yet. They let me in.
An interesting video Scott. I’m not sure I would have given them such a high score, the toilet looked awful 😩 I thought your score was very generous. Thanks for sharing this. Always enjoy your videos by the way
The state of the washroom was so disgusting I would never travel with XC !! For First Class that is unacceptable to me, but Scott as always I love everything you do and I appreciate all your time and effort you put in to entertain us 😊
A first class video in more ways than one! I like the idea for this mini series. I don't think I'd bother with Crosscountry First at the prices they charge, I think it's better to stick to Standard Class and just get through the journey as quickly as possible to be honest, although that being said, I've used them once on their longest journey and found it not too bad! Great video mate and a fair assessment.
Great video, Scott, and I like the idea of comparing the various companies. I have a love/hate relationship with CrossCountry, mainly because on the routes I travel regularly, they are the only choice. Actually make that a hate/hate relationship, they are terrible and haven't improved their pathetic offering in at least 15 years. You have highlighted many of their failings. 👍
Great content as always Scott and a very interesting mini series. I have used Cross Country to travel between Exeter and Aberdeen and it was horrendous - could not recommend that to anyone. So it is very interesting to see the difference first class makes and if it is worth the extra. Looking forward to seeing the other first class offerings. Cheers.
That was a relatively easy route, but wait until the train gets south of Newcastle it will likely be rammed. XC Voyagers inadequate capacity for demand.
If I travel say from Inverness to Edinburgh for the day, I always travel LNER First Class, it’s really good value when you consider you get a freshly cooked breakfast on the way down and hot meal coming back up along with loads of cold and hot drinks and snacks served throughout the journey. I would only ever travel LNER if going First Class, ScotRail and Crosscountry have a lot to learn from LNER. Having hot meals going down and back up gives me more time to enjoy exploring Edinburgh. the former entertainment system between the seats is from when these trains started life as Virgin Crosscountry, before mobile phones do everything they do now
Thanks for sharing Scott, I was meant to have done a video involving Cross Country from Bournemouth to Southampton, but the train was cancelled and I ended up on another train company. Nice to see what I missed out on... until the next time!!!
That “what a mistaka to makeah” remark cracked me up! Fellow fan of Allo Allo, eh? Great review series, btw. I can’t see the added value of first class on this line, but perhaps others do.
I remember when the Voyagers first came in under Virgin Cross Country and they were actually a massive improvement on the HST sets which had become rather tired. That infotainment system used to work too!
I thought they were a backward step on the HST's. Give me a mark 3 coach any day with comfortable seats and no engine noise with its accompanying vibration and those high density airline style seating of the Voyagers! All this favoured the operator - not the passengers!
Hi Steve. Interesting. But I would have thought a BIG mark-down was due for that disgusting toilet. On a general note, we used to travel down fairly regularly when it was Virgin CrossCountry who operated the route but gave up on it when the current franchisee took over and the service deteriorated terribly with overcrowding all too often a major issue
Don't get Crosscountry at all. They are one of the most expensive operators (trip from Derby to Birmingham is at least £22 return), overcrowded with people standing frequently, trains are ageing and still have the Virgin Trains interior in most of the voyagers and seats too. I don't know why people aren't avoiding using them?
I found bit basic in first class if I rember straight from Plymouth to Manchester all they offered was tea and coffee Avanti do more when they bother to surve you that is
As I found out once on east coast, the food is 'complimentary' so if there are problems with catering they don't need to offer you a partial refund. You paid for the seat and the journey only!
Aberdeen to Penzance on that service, even in first class sounds like hell. Their colleagues on board will do anything. For that price I will be expecting food and drinks to be served at my table by Ozzy Osbourne
I travelled from Glasgow to Bristol on CC 1st Class on a very warm Saturday and the trolley was only present for one pass through my unit (it was a 4+5 combination) between Edinburgh and Newcastle. Staff were great but my praise ends there. I think this is a great series. Thanks
In the good old days, catering facilities on British Rail were available to all passengers, irrespective of whether they were travelling first or second class. ( I find the term "standard" offensive, and it is meaningless.) The two classes of travel on BR are really "standard" and "bog standard." The rot set in when BR was broken up into sectors. Catering on trains and on stations was run by different bodies. The former was run by a diktat on Paddington Station who decided what would be provided on trains, without passenger consultation, and it was the same menu everywhere. Half the menu was usually unavailable.
Ah they look like the old Virgin Cross Country carriages (which makes sense) - about 15 years ago they did used to have audio programmes and live radio you could listen to using those weird buttons between the seats. From memory they had some live BBC radio stations, and some music and comedy programmes from other providers played on a loop. Can't remember when they stopped but it was aaaaaages ago.
We traveled by cross country trains 2 months ago from Derby to Plymouth utter chaos ,standing room only and that was with a reserved seats in which three other people had had reservations all along to Exeter in fact the driver said that was nothing compared with the other week we had to push people on the train like the Japanese do on those type 221/220 trains. On the way back we was thrilled that we got a h s t that has more comfort….sad to say cross country trains have got rid of them now sent them to Mexico and said words to the effect stuff the people here in the uk make do with cattle class
Recently travelled with LNER 1st class and it was excellent. Never on a train have had such excellent customer service and the food was delicious. Drinks were offered all through the journey. Cannot praise them enough. If only i travelled with them every 3/4 months instead of cross-country i would be very happy...
You were very brave to touch that toilet seat with your hand !.. Especially when you ate the roll afterwards ! Hope you managed to escape catching something horrible .. Eurgh. .. Surely the toilet was worth losing more points for ?! Thanks again for braving such things so we don't have to !
I wonder if this old virgin stock because the entertainment module was on there back in the late 90s/ early 2000s. I remember plugging my headset in. Virgin radio, etc
Scott. Commendable as you found that leg of Cross Country's service, you had it easy. Why not try one of their much longer distance services from say Edinburgh to Birmingham or further afield to Reading , then you might well see Cross Country at its best or at its worst. For three years between 2016 and end of 2019, I travelled regularly on the services running between Basingstoke and Doncaster in both directions, but the major issue was the problem of overcrowding on certain portions of the service. The northbound services all ran into Birmingham New Street, where one service ran direct up to Manchester, whilst alternate ones would run up to Sheffield, Doncaster and all points North. Thus the portion from Reading to Birmingham was usually jammed solid and because of the overcrowding of these services on that section of route, grew steadily worse in terms of timekeeping, with extra dwell times at stations en-route. Arrival into Birmingham could be up to 20 minutes late! If you had a seat reservation boarding at any station en-route, you'd zero chance of being assured to find your seat. Once I tried to board at Oxford, but as I had a leg injury and had booked via Passenger Assistance, the train manager put me onto the Trolley attendants "jump seat" at the front of the train! Just as others have mentioned, Cross Country only run 4 - 5 carriage trains, totally unsuitable for the lengths of their services. But it isn't Cross Country's fault or decision about these unsuitable train formations.... that is down to the Mandarins and Civil Servants within the Government who in awarding each franchise contract, also determine what train operators use, rolling stock wise. Thus, Scott, maybe we can look forward to a much longer trip on Cross Country by you and see what your impression is then? Oh, as far as Lounges go in stations, invariably they are supplied by whoever has the managerial contract or owns the station. Cross Country only have their services running through, starting from or terminating, but don't have any operational control in these stations.
One can blame Cross-Country. These trains used to be formed of (at least) ten coaches, hauled by a Peak or Class 47, and extras could be added at busy times, such as Summer Saturdays. The rot set in with fixed formations; the HST only had seven (passenger) coaches, and the loco-hauled trains were also reduced to this length. Why? In the eighties British Rail went one stage further and arranged its loco-hauled trains into fixed sets, meaning that strengtheners could no longer be added. Then came the van trailers, making it impossible to add extra coaches to those trains.
I travelled on CrossCountry once last year between Newcastle and Leeds (as I'd been up to see the rugby league at Newcastle and stayed overnight the night before) but don't think I travelled first class. However once last year, I travelled first class on LNER from Leeds to London (as I was making my way down to Brighton to see England in the Women's Euros) and it was a great experience, other than the fact we (me and my Dad) couldn't have any hot food, as the ovens weren't working
Never travelled first class on Crosscounty, but have the misfortune of having to use them occasionally to go from York to Edinburgh and they are awful. Old trains will no leg room on the seats but you can book accessible seats that have a normal about of legroom. LNER are so much better
Dont bother coming to Sunderlands newly refurbished station still no buffet facilities at all. The South end of the station is still not open despite it was promised for 31st July 2023.
XC have dramatically cut the number of services - on most routes out of Birmingham they are now hourly to places like Reading and Bristol, where they used to be twice hourly, this means many services are absolutely rammed and standing is normal. Their fares (in England at least) are incredibly expensive. I have to travel a lot to Reading and Bristol for work (so usually starting my journey before 0900) and find it very difficult to buy tickets for much less than £5 quid less than full fare
Just seeing your video of the same train that Steve Marsh reviewed for the ful trip 3 weeks ago but 2nd class. Foodwise also for you the same question, why not stock up at the local supermarket the night before?
That other guy who lives in Montrose has of course done the 08:20 all the way to Penzance. How much would that cost 1st class and how much food would you actually get up to 21:30?
When I had to travel from central Leeds to central Birmingham on business I tried XC (the only realistic option unless going via Manchester at vast expense in cost and time) a couple of times then gave up. Overcrowded, slow, uncomfortable, unpleasant smells, almost always delayed behind slower commuter trains; not a chance of a third attempt - took to driving to Tamworth and getting a local train from there. Once tried it again from Leeds to Edinburgh - not so crowded but as soon as you were north of York you were sharing the ECML with LNER so travelled at 125mph. With small wheels and underfloor engines on each coach it was noisy and the vibration was seriously uncomfortable - back to LNER and change at York (which was actually quicker owing to fewer stops!).
I don’t use CrossCountry, my fav is LNER- their first class is usually excellent except lest Sunday I was just an inconvenience to a member of staff! Waverley has an LNER lounge. Also used Avanti West Coast who I usually don’t like but their lounge at Euston and on board catering was proper first class!
What I enjoy about this series is that before Scott starts we know how he is going to mark it - some jaded travel videos I have seen they appear to have made up their mind before they start. Not Scott- he weights the whole journey - not just if one thing is wrong. Both Scott (and Steve Marsh - another excellent traveller) take the time to talk to people to ask them questions to pass that extra little bit of information that would help you make up your mind on which train company to choose. Excellent !
I`m wondering just how bad the toilets need to be on your train journeys Scott for you to give a realistic point score. I would never have used that toilet even if i was bursting, it looked disgusting. I feel these train companies will do anything to the barest minimum for the maximum profit to just above the point of being sued. Overall, another good video though.
Another enjoyable video. That toilet was "bogging"..pardon the pun. I hope you had plenty of hand wipes! I remember the halcyon days of East Coast where First Class from Aberdeen to London was a real treat, full cooked breakfast , choice of 2 or 3 hot lunches plus sandwiches in the afternoon!! Now bacon roll or yoghurt! Still better than ScotFail.....sorry Scotrail.
The prices they charge they could easily have got some long distance loco haulage in with some kind of driving luggage thing up front. The units they have are only suitable for linking up to the mainlines, not for Aberdeen to Penzance!
Try getting a train from Durham/Newcastle to Liverpool. Nigh on impossible without them either being cancelled or diverted so you have to change trains. Plus well over £100 one way ...
I travel between Vendome and Paris on a monthly ticket for 612 EUR. Although the two places are 180 km apart the buffet car is closed, possible because the journey takes 45 minutes. However I can use the lounge in Paris Montparnasse and there is a waiting room in Vendome which is partially closed as its shared with bats. Do you think Im getting value for money?
All these fares are pre booked,turn up on spec,and you'll get a shock we don't always know when we want to travel.i gave up on trains ages ago rock hard seats,not much legroom awful experience, it's car for me now even a traffic jam is ok with radio 3 to listen to.
Buy your ticket from the ticket office in advance which is the same price & you won't be charged a £1 plus excellent service from the ticket 🎫 clerk 👍😊 Plus LNER will win as the trains & food is far better 😊
I used to take cross country from edinburgh to Leeds each Thursday... shoddy to say the least and £50 more than LNER where you got decent food, alcohol etc... if you asked for a can of coke they gave you the worlds smallest can... and looked at you with disdain if you dared ask for some of the complimentary sandwiches etc.
Lack of lounges and poor food selection in first class on CrossCountry aren't great. The fares always seem really high (though the weekend first upgrades are excellent value). The trains are nowhere near long enough for the routes they serve and are showing their age a fair bit given they've never had a full interior refurbishment. All of that said their seats in both standard and first class have got to be some of the most comfortable on the network. I recently spent four hours in CrossCountry first class and it was such a comfortable journey.
I am enjoying your videos, Scott. Those sandwiches look delicious. 🍔🥪 I am about to make myself a large coffee ☕, so that " I can get to cruising altitude" .
I avoid Cross Country at all costs. They were first introduced by Richard Branson when it was Virgin Cross Country. It was a "job lot" of cheap and nasty rolling stock. I find the toiltes not fit for purpose. Standard class is far too cramped with inadequate luggage provision.. Wherever you are sitting, the engine noise is too loud. If ever I travel to the west country, I find it beneficial to travel via London -- it often works out cheaper too as I find Cross Country fares to be exhorbitant.
First class? Possibly slightly better than the usual cattle class I suppose..... but only because of the lack of other passengers in that carriage, presumably being scared off by the incredibly obscene ticket price! Yet another failed privatisation.....along with ALL the other privatisation without exception! We've been had!
£48 for a single ticket covering 127 miles in 1st class. Expensive enough at 40p a mile but if you applied the pricing of Manchester to Birmingham (£1.50 a mile) theyd charge you approx £180!! Should we grateful - I dont think so!!
Charging a pound extra for ticket collection is obscene
that's why they want everyone to pick mobile/etickets which are free, so paper tickets go obsolete and they can close Ticket Offices
@@DanFMDatabases I take your point Dan but these tickets are not from a ticket office but an Un manned machine -
@@robinjones6999 that's what I'm saying, they are pushing you to use the free mobile tickets option when ordering online rather than collecting from the station (from the Ticket Machine or Ticket Office)
You may wish to try EMR or GA (Greater Anglia), which uses the same UI as XC and Trainline (are they all related in some way?). They don't charge a booking fee and a ticket collection fee. Alternatively, just turn up at the machine or office. It feels odd booking thru EMR/GA for XC or another TOC, but remember that you can use one TOC for any UK train (except Eurostar).
@@DanFMDatabases Mobile tickets are not free to the passenger, we have to constatntly buy electricity to operate our phones. Well, those of us still mug enough to charge our phones at home!
Scott is becoming the Geoff Marshall of Scottish railways . Nice listening to someone you can trust !
I think that one of XCs biggest failures is acute / dangerous overcrowding. This shows up particularly in the Yorkshire sections and the Midlands. Imagine being in a sardine crush in the corridor by the very smelly toilet not knowing whether you can actually get through the crowds to alight. This is the reality for someone who commuted from New Street to Derby / Nottingham
That's just what I found. When I go up north I avoid them.
🤪 you so true. THis hell lol never pay more for 1 class. by cc and the food and drinking pffff... lol
I agree. I travelled from Taunton to Edinburgh on a Sunday 1st class - for most of the journey the overcrowding overspill extended into the 1st class carriage, making my journey most unpleasant. Even going to the toilet required you to step over bodies and push their luggage aside to allow entry to the toilet. Why the attendants did not eject the intruders is beyond me - that is surely a failure to provide a first class experience. I will never travel X-Country again. I subsequently found that travelling that same journey 1st class was £70 cheaper via London using GWR and LNER, and, 10 minutes quicker.
Even better now since they binned their 7 car HST fleet!
I agree with that overcrowding is an issue, the trains are too short. The two end units are marked A and F so there should be four carriages in between not the two or three they use. EMT can run proper six carriage trains so why not XC.
"All the comforts of home" says the on-board sign; that'll be except for the carpets and the toilet pans, I suppose. Ah well. Thanks for taking us along, Scott. The views out were great!
Easily pleased! As someone who regularly travels long distance in the UK by train Cross Country is one to be avoided wherever possible. The noise and vibration from the under floor power unit, the all pervading stench of urine and hot hydraulic oil, the uncomfortable seating and, in first class, the excuse for on train catering all conspire to make avoiding Cross Country where possible. As for the fares, more expensive than the competitors! Was once offered the "left over breakfast muffin" or a pack of crisps as the first class catering offering one evening from Derby to Waverley! When it comes to on train catering LNER come out on top (despite ever reducing standards from the days of GNER).
However bad it undoubtedly is, XC Voyager 1st class is better than Standard class....
So glad it's not just me that notices the noise and vibration. Sometimes I feel like I'm being overly picky not wanting to be carbonated on my journey. Awful trains - the 180 has the same engine and yet it glides (when it runs at all)
Had to use them once from York to Leeds, it was enough. Train was overcrowded, dirty and worn out. Actually the Northern Supersprinter from Leeds to Carlisle was better as it only had a few pasengers and had no pretentions like Cross Country and their glorified DMUs.
The ECML catering went downhill after GNER lost the contract. The successors soon withdrew lunch from Restaurant Cars, because they said "nobody has lunch these days." Then we get the obnoxious situation which.gives first-class passengers a free meal, whilst second-class gets nothing but a buffet with a limited rage of grotty sandwiches, cakes, and biscuits. The Azumas have even less.
I recently travelled Cross Country first class from Newcastle to Birmingham. During the three hour journey over lunch time, nothing more substantial than crisps or biscuits was available to eat. Having got a cheap upgrade through Seat Frog I was left disappointed. Considering some of these First class seats are priced at hundreds of pounds, surely better catering should be provided.
Once upon a time, most long- distance trains conveyed a Restaurant Car, available to ALL passengers, no matter what type of ticket they held. I would like to know whether starving passengers is a breach of the passengers' charter. Exceeding the seating capacity certainly is; it is also a breach of Health and Safety legislation.
@@andrewtaylor5984Not exactly - every train type is tested and certified to an additional standee capacity when fully seated. If you've evidence of regulations being breached, you should probably take it up with the H&S authorities. And if passengers choose to starve themselves, I hope there's no "charter" that compromises their right to do this! Even in the days of restaurant cars, supplies could run out or equipment fail. Personally, I board any train with enough provisions to last me the journey time and then some. Planning and self sufficiency are skillsets that serve me well.
I am a retired Health and Safety officer, though not on the railways. Basically, an employer has to provide a safe working environment for everyone, including trespassers. Entry to stations can be restricted by the British Transport Police, or possibly station managers as well, to avoid overcrowding. Exceeding the seating capacity in cars, coaches, and aeroplanes is considered a danger to safety, so why should the railways be any different? I would say that exceeding the seating capacity breaches Health and Safety legislation. Something else needs to be considered. If you have a first-class ticket on a train scheduled to have first-class accommodation, and there is none, the difference between the two fares is refunded on the train. I have witnessed this. Standing passengers should get a full refund. As regards catering, bringing your own food is not a realistic solution. You are still restricted to cold snacks and finger food. You cannot carry knives in public, so that rules out a decent meal. I also find it offensive to be sitting next to people eating certain types of food. Stations are no better, with just a few exceptions. Who remembers the ghastly food hall at Euston? By contrast, you can get a decent meal at the Gare du Nord. Eating on the train is a good way of passing the time. Having to eat before or after the trip means extended journey times, or departure and arrival times may not coincide with normal meal hours. Buffet cars only serve cold snacks, and do not provide cutlery and crockery. There are times when prison inmates probably do better. We repeatedly read that train catering makes a loss. This must be because the product is wrong, the price is wrong, or both. With first-class ticket holders now getting free meals, receipts can only be going down. This can only make things worse for the majority. Weekend catering is drastically reduced; we all have to eat, no matter what day of the week it is. As you must be aware, the railways are in competition with road transport. Motorway service areas have a contractual obligation to provide a service every day of the year, including Christmas Day, although I will concede that facilities may be reduced then. And you can use all the facilities, irrespective of whether you arrive by car, bus, lorry, motorcycle, etc. The advantage of train travel is that you should be able to eat on the move. I think that the biggest mistake the railways made was to have catering on trains and on stations run by different bodies. The original set-up was eight levels of catering, three of which banned second-class ticket holders from the Restaurant Car, one other was almost non-existent, and the bottom level was the trolley.
Catering is subject to availability so you should be more grateful you received anything.
@@harrygg8457 It used not to be like that. You could once get a decent meal on a long-distance train. The railways keep promising this, that, and the other, and never provide. Cold snacks off a trolley are not going to encourage people onto the railways.
Very good Scott. On XC 1st Class I once made the mistake of asking for the scone and clotted cream, only to discover that the cream must have been clotting for half of my lifetime! I also used the lounge at Edinburgh Waverley - I was using an all-line Rover so was able to board any train I wished, and I said I hadn't decided yet. They let me in.
An interesting video Scott. I’m not sure I would have given them such a high score, the toilet looked awful 😩 I thought your score was very generous.
Thanks for sharing this. Always enjoy your videos by the way
The state of the washroom was so disgusting I would never travel with XC !! For First Class that is unacceptable to me, but Scott as always I love everything you do and I appreciate all your time and effort you put in to entertain us 😊
Its called a toilet.
Really?? How smart you are !!
Correct.@@shirleythurston4213
A first class video in more ways than one! I like the idea for this mini series. I don't think I'd bother with Crosscountry First at the prices they charge, I think it's better to stick to Standard Class and just get through the journey as quickly as possible to be honest, although that being said, I've used them once on their longest journey and found it not too bad! Great video mate and a fair assessment.
I wont ruin the surprise, but of the five companies tested, only two had a decent service.
@@PlanesTrainsEverythingI think you just did...😊
When is your next video Steve....tomorrow.?
Watching it on utube is such a wonderful experience, enjoying the real journey must be at another level altogether!!! 🙏 Thank you sir.
Great video, Scott, and I like the idea of comparing the various companies. I have a love/hate relationship with CrossCountry, mainly because on the routes I travel regularly, they are the only choice. Actually make that a hate/hate relationship, they are terrible and haven't improved their pathetic offering in at least 15 years. You have highlighted many of their failings. 👍
Great content as always Scott and a very interesting mini series. I have used Cross Country to travel between Exeter and Aberdeen and it was horrendous - could not recommend that to anyone. So it is very interesting to see the difference first class makes and if it is worth the extra. Looking forward to seeing the other first class offerings. Cheers.
Thanks Scott for the prolonged shot of the disgusting toilet bowl just as I was eating dinner.
That was a relatively easy route, but wait until the train gets south of Newcastle it will likely be rammed. XC Voyagers inadequate capacity for demand.
Travelled with XC first class several times when in the UK and found them very good never found overcrowding in first class. 👍🇦🇺🇬🇧
If I travel say from Inverness to Edinburgh for the day, I always travel LNER First Class, it’s really good value when you consider you get a freshly cooked breakfast on the way down and hot meal coming back up along with loads of cold and hot drinks and snacks served throughout the journey. I would only ever travel LNER if going First Class, ScotRail and Crosscountry have a lot to learn from LNER. Having hot meals going down and back up gives me more time to enjoy exploring Edinburgh. the former entertainment system between the seats is from when these trains started life as Virgin Crosscountry, before mobile phones do everything they do now
Great video. Another advantage of LNER is that they allow you to choose your seat online so you won't be stuck with an aisle seat if you want to film!
Thanks for sharing Scott, I was meant to have done a video involving Cross Country from Bournemouth to Southampton, but the train was cancelled and I ended up on another train company. Nice to see what I missed out on... until the next time!!!
That “what a mistaka to makeah” remark cracked me up! Fellow fan of Allo Allo, eh? Great review series, btw. I can’t see the added value of first class on this line, but perhaps others do.
I remember when the Voyagers first came in under Virgin Cross Country and they were actually a massive improvement on the HST sets which had become rather tired. That infotainment system used to work too!
I thought they were a backward step on the HST's. Give me a mark 3 coach any day with comfortable seats and no engine noise with its accompanying vibration and those high density airline style seating of the Voyagers! All this favoured the operator - not the passengers!
@@telmas7183 maybe it was because I was only 16 and didn't need such comfy seats. Or maybe it was just because they were shiny and new!
I suppose it's down to whatever 'floats ya boat' 😄@@awild10
I like the wet-fart decor on the cludgie. Very thought provoking.
Hi Steve. Interesting. But I would have thought a BIG mark-down was due for that disgusting toilet. On a general note, we used to travel down fairly regularly when it was Virgin CrossCountry who operated the route but gave up on it when the current franchisee took over and the service deteriorated terribly with overcrowding all too often a major issue
What was that brown stuff on the toilet rim?
I do not want to know
Purley rhetorical
Very beautiful scenery, view and old cross country train cabin..;-)
Don't get Crosscountry at all. They are one of the most expensive operators (trip from Derby to Birmingham is at least £22 return), overcrowded with people standing frequently, trains are ageing and still have the Virgin Trains interior in most of the voyagers and seats too. I don't know why people aren't avoiding using them?
They call the included food and drink 'complimentary' so there's no obligation on them if they can't provide this for any reason
I found bit basic in first class if I rember straight from Plymouth to Manchester all they offered was tea and coffee Avanti do more when they bother to surve you that is
As I found out once on east coast, the food is 'complimentary' so if there are problems with catering they don't need to offer you a partial refund. You paid for the seat and the journey only!
That's kind of scammy
Aberdeen to Penzance on that service, even in first class sounds like hell. Their colleagues on board will do anything. For that price I will be expecting food and drinks to be served at my table by Ozzy Osbourne
I travelled from Glasgow to Bristol on CC 1st Class on a very warm Saturday and the trolley was only present for one pass through my unit (it was a 4+5 combination) between Edinburgh and Newcastle. Staff were great but my praise ends there. I think this is a great series. Thanks
The train seemed ok the voyagers are like the Poundland version of the Pendolino. TripAdvisor is full of Poundland travel “experts” aswell lol.
Amazed at the score 57/60. What about that disgusting toilet! Apart from that enjoyed the journey. Thanks for travelling.
First class in the Netherlands never entails snacks, drinks, etc. unless you bring these yourself
Many UK train operators - e.g. South Western Railway - also provide no extra service or catering in First Class.
In the good old days, catering facilities on British Rail were available to all passengers, irrespective of whether they were travelling first or second class. ( I find the term "standard" offensive, and it is meaningless.) The two classes of travel on BR are really "standard" and "bog standard." The rot set in when BR was broken up into sectors. Catering on trains and on stations was run by different bodies. The former was run by a diktat on Paddington Station who decided what would be provided on trains, without passenger consultation, and it was the same menu everywhere. Half the menu was usually unavailable.
Love your videos Scott, really enjoyable.
I like watching your videos I'm up to Aberdeen by train tomorrow the second attempt this time
Voyagers are far more comfortable than Azumas but are often too short.
Ah they look like the old Virgin Cross Country carriages (which makes sense) - about 15 years ago they did used to have audio programmes and live radio you could listen to using those weird buttons between the seats. From memory they had some live BBC radio stations, and some music and comedy programmes from other providers played on a loop. Can't remember when they stopped but it was aaaaaages ago.
We traveled by cross country trains 2 months ago from Derby to Plymouth utter chaos ,standing room only and that was with a reserved seats in which three other people had had reservations all along to Exeter in fact the driver said that was nothing compared with the other week we had to push people on the train like the Japanese do on those type 221/220 trains. On the way back we was thrilled that we got a h s t that has more comfort….sad to say cross country trains have got rid of them now sent them to Mexico and said words to the effect stuff the people here in the uk make do with cattle class
Loving the little under-the-table can can dance!
Why are train loos always so grim....?
Recently travelled with LNER 1st class and it was excellent. Never on a train have had such excellent customer service and the food was delicious. Drinks were offered all through the journey. Cannot praise them enough. If only i travelled with them every 3/4 months instead of cross-country i would be very happy...
You were very brave to touch that toilet seat with your hand !.. Especially when you ate the roll afterwards ! Hope you managed to escape catching something horrible .. Eurgh. .. Surely the toilet was worth losing more points for ?! Thanks again for braving such things so we don't have to !
Hey Scott, when are you going to do the Lisbon to Singapore journey by train :)
I wonder if this old virgin stock because the entertainment module was on there back in the late 90s/ early 2000s. I remember plugging my headset in. Virgin radio, etc
interesting project look fwd to the final results stay safe
Scott. Commendable as you found that leg of Cross Country's service, you had it easy. Why not try one of their much longer distance services from say Edinburgh to Birmingham or further afield to Reading , then you might well see Cross Country at its best or at its worst. For three years between 2016 and end of 2019, I travelled regularly on the services running between Basingstoke and Doncaster in both directions, but the major issue was the problem of overcrowding on certain portions of the service.
The northbound services all ran into Birmingham New Street, where one service ran direct up to Manchester, whilst alternate ones would run up to Sheffield, Doncaster and all points North. Thus the portion from Reading to Birmingham was usually jammed solid and because of the overcrowding of these services on that section of route, grew steadily worse in terms of timekeeping, with extra dwell times at stations en-route. Arrival into Birmingham could be up to 20 minutes late! If you had a seat reservation boarding at any station en-route, you'd zero chance of being assured to find your seat. Once I tried to board at Oxford, but as I had a leg injury and had booked via Passenger Assistance, the train manager put me onto the Trolley attendants "jump seat" at the front of the train!
Just as others have mentioned, Cross Country only run 4 - 5 carriage trains, totally unsuitable for the lengths of their services. But it isn't Cross Country's fault or decision about these unsuitable train formations.... that is down to the Mandarins and Civil Servants within the Government who in awarding each franchise contract, also determine what train operators use, rolling stock wise.
Thus, Scott, maybe we can look forward to a much longer trip on Cross Country by you and see what your impression is then? Oh, as far as Lounges go in stations, invariably they are supplied by whoever has the managerial contract or owns the station. Cross Country only have their services running through, starting from or terminating, but don't have any operational control in these stations.
One can blame Cross-Country. These trains used to be formed of (at least) ten coaches, hauled by a Peak or Class 47, and extras could be added at busy times, such as Summer Saturdays. The rot set in with fixed formations; the HST only had seven (passenger) coaches, and the loco-hauled trains were also reduced to this length. Why? In the eighties British Rail went one stage further and arranged its loco-hauled trains into fixed sets, meaning that strengtheners could no longer be added. Then came the van trailers, making it impossible to add extra coaches to those trains.
scot all the voyages class 220/221s was built in brugge belguim
I travelled on CrossCountry once last year between Newcastle and Leeds (as I'd been up to see the rugby league at Newcastle and stayed overnight the night before) but don't think I travelled first class. However once last year, I travelled first class on LNER from Leeds to London (as I was making my way down to Brighton to see England in the Women's Euros) and it was a great experience, other than the fact we (me and my Dad) couldn't have any hot food, as the ovens weren't working
Never travelled first class on Crosscounty, but have the misfortune of having to use them occasionally to go from York to Edinburgh and they are awful. Old trains will no leg room on the seats but you can book accessible seats that have a normal about of legroom. LNER are so much better
Used to use them between Leamington and Birmingham New Street when new. Dire then. My journey was short but wouldn’t have wanted to go any further.
You do some things I would never do - I was on a cc once overcrowded akin to Northern - follow the money who owns them ultimately ?!!
Dont bother coming to Sunderlands newly refurbished station still no buffet facilities at all. The South end of the station is still not open despite it was promised for 31st July 2023.
XC have dramatically cut the number of services - on most routes out of Birmingham they are now hourly to places like Reading and Bristol, where they used to be twice hourly, this means many services are absolutely rammed and standing is normal.
Their fares (in England at least) are incredibly expensive. I have to travel a lot to Reading and Bristol for work (so usually starting my journey before 0900) and find it very difficult to buy tickets for much less than £5 quid less than full fare
you're very very lucky. i don't this this is a fair review of crosscountry. normally you cant even get on these trains let alone get a seat!
Just seeing your video of the same train that Steve Marsh reviewed for the ful trip 3 weeks ago but 2nd class. Foodwise also for you the same question, why not stock up at the local supermarket the night before?
That other guy who lives in Montrose has of course done the 08:20 all the way to Penzance. How much would that cost 1st class and how much food would you actually get up to 21:30?
Handy tip use seat frog for upgrades can usually get for £10
Great video. Isn’t it faster by car from Aberdeen to Edinburgh lol.
When I had to travel from central Leeds to central Birmingham on business I tried XC (the only realistic option unless going via Manchester at vast expense in cost and time) a couple of times then gave up. Overcrowded, slow, uncomfortable, unpleasant smells, almost always delayed behind slower commuter trains; not a chance of a third attempt - took to driving to Tamworth and getting a local train from there.
Once tried it again from Leeds to Edinburgh - not so crowded but as soon as you were north of York you were sharing the ECML with LNER so travelled at 125mph. With small wheels and underfloor engines on each coach it was noisy and the vibration was seriously uncomfortable - back to LNER and change at York (which was actually quicker owing to fewer stops!).
I don’t use CrossCountry, my fav is LNER- their first class is usually excellent except lest Sunday I was just an inconvenience to a member of staff! Waverley has an LNER lounge. Also used Avanti West Coast who I usually don’t like but their lounge at Euston and on board catering was proper first class!
What I enjoy about this series is that before Scott starts we know how he is going to mark it - some jaded travel videos I have seen they appear to have made up their mind before they start. Not Scott- he weights the whole journey - not just if one thing is wrong. Both Scott (and Steve Marsh - another excellent traveller) take the time to talk to people to ask them questions to pass that extra little bit of information that would help you make up your mind on which train company to choose. Excellent !
I`m wondering just how bad the toilets need to be on your train journeys Scott for you to give a realistic point score.
I would never have used that toilet even if i was bursting, it looked disgusting.
I feel these train companies will do anything to the barest minimum for the maximum profit to just above the point of being sued.
Overall, another good video though.
Another enjoyable video. That toilet was "bogging"..pardon the pun. I hope you had plenty of hand wipes! I remember the halcyon days of East Coast where First Class from Aberdeen to London was a real treat, full cooked breakfast , choice of 2 or 3 hot lunches plus sandwiches in the afternoon!! Now bacon roll or yoghurt! Still better than ScotFail.....sorry Scotrail.
The prices they charge they could easily have got some long distance loco haulage in with some kind of driving luggage thing up front. The units they have are only suitable for linking up to the mainlines, not for Aberdeen to Penzance!
Try getting a train from Durham/Newcastle to Liverpool. Nigh on impossible without them either being cancelled or diverted so you have to change trains. Plus well over £100 one way ...
honestly if the voyagers arent overcrowded and you get a decent seat they are really good units
The problem is the further you go the more the difference between first and standard increases. It's 3 or 4 x more on longer runs.
Scott. Why are your videos so short?
I hope Scott will bring his wife along on a trip soon. His Ms is a charming lady. The videos can get longer this way.
I’m on first class on a voyager right now
A very quick look suggests that a Scotrail first class ticket from Aberdeen to Dyce is £3.90. Does that get you into the lounge? If so, bargain.
Yes
nice! do you know if you'll do tfw first class as well?
first time ive ever seen the WiFi working on corsscountry trains
I travel between Vendome and Paris on a monthly ticket for 612 EUR. Although the two places are 180 km apart the buffet car is closed, possible because the journey takes 45 minutes. However I can use the lounge in Paris Montparnasse and there is a waiting room in Vendome which is partially closed as its shared with bats. Do you think Im getting value for money?
My goodness those Cross Country Voyagers are tired and in need of refurbishment!
All these fares are pre booked,turn up on spec,and you'll get a shock we don't always know when we want to travel.i gave up on trains ages ago rock hard seats,not much legroom awful experience, it's car for me now even a traffic jam is ok with radio 3 to listen to.
Buy your ticket from the ticket office in advance which is the same price & you won't be charged a £1 plus excellent service from the ticket 🎫 clerk 👍😊 Plus LNER will win as the trains & food is far better 😊
I used to take cross country from edinburgh to Leeds each Thursday... shoddy to say the least and £50 more than LNER where you got decent food, alcohol etc... if you asked for a can of coke they gave you the worlds smallest can... and looked at you with disdain if you dared ask for some of the complimentary sandwiches etc.
XC. Never mind them. Feels cheaper older rolling stock…. But. Who cares. Well. I do like Hitachi LNER trains.
You remind me of my grandad. ❤
I think you'll find you can travel First class from ABD to EDB for less than £47 with LNER.
Frist class is the same has standard class on cross country
👍👍👍
This is the train Steve used for the longest journey in the UK to Penzance
How are they charging a booking fee? I'm 100% certain that is a franchise infringement.
I dread to think what standard class is like.
Lack of lounges and poor food selection in first class on CrossCountry aren't great. The fares always seem really high (though the weekend first upgrades are excellent value). The trains are nowhere near long enough for the routes they serve and are showing their age a fair bit given they've never had a full interior refurbishment.
All of that said their seats in both standard and first class have got to be some of the most comfortable on the network. I recently spent four hours in CrossCountry first class and it was such a comfortable journey.
GOAT
I am enjoying your videos, Scott. Those sandwiches look delicious. 🍔🥪
I am about to make myself a large coffee ☕, so that " I can get to cruising altitude" .
I paid £115 or there abouts from Leeds to Edinburgh in December 2021.
20 pounds extra for a 2 hr train ride seems great value for money.
57/60 with those toilets?
I couldn’t have used the toilet! 😟😟😟
I avoid Cross Country at all costs. They were first introduced by Richard Branson when it was Virgin Cross Country. It was a "job lot" of cheap and nasty rolling stock. I find the toiltes not fit for purpose. Standard class is far too cramped with inadequate luggage provision.. Wherever you are sitting, the engine noise is too loud. If ever I travel to the west country, I find it beneficial to travel via London -- it often works out cheaper too as I find Cross Country fares to be exhorbitant.
Any first world country would have electrified the Cross Country Line (I know about the bridges etc) by now-I don't think it will ever happen.
I believe that all trains between Derby and Birmingham are operated by Crosscountry so you don't have a choice.
First class? Possibly slightly better than the usual cattle class I suppose..... but only because of the lack of other passengers in that carriage, presumably being scared off by the incredibly obscene ticket price! Yet another failed privatisation.....along with ALL the other privatisation without exception! We've been had!
£48 for a single ticket covering 127 miles in 1st class. Expensive enough at 40p a mile but if you applied the pricing of Manchester to Birmingham (£1.50 a mile) theyd charge you approx £180!! Should we grateful - I dont think so!!
Looks like they need a new toilet seat in first class. They should use the funds they collect from the machine.
You didnt comment about the toilet, on video that fidnt look great.
So was it worth it? You don’t say.