First Class on Cross Country Regional Turbostar Routes

[bengolding]

Hello all,

I can no longer find First Class fares in future on the Cross Country Turbostar 170 roots, such as Cambridge to Peterborough where I was able to purchase a First Class ticket a few weeks ago.

Has First Class been permanently declassified on these roots?
, The end compartment with nine seats? I found patronage rather patchy but certainly occupied on the route from Cambridge although First Class fares had increased substantially in recent years. The complementary offering from the on board trolley had also reduced with no sandwich being offered as a First Class customer.

 

[swt_passenger]

Hello all,

I can no longer find First Class fares in future on the Cross Country Turbostar 170 roots, such as Cambridge to Peterborough where I was able to purchase a First Class ticket a few weeks ago.

Has First Class been permanently declassified on these roots?
, The end compartment with nine seats? I found patronage rather patchy but certainly occupied on the route from Cambridge although First Class fares had increased substantially in recent years. The complementary offering from the on board trolley had also reduced with no sandwich being offered as a First Class customer.

Permanently removed from the timetable change, there was a discussion within the Dec 2024 thread about it a few weeks ago.
Here you go, I think there have been other mentions, but only a few days ago there was nothing on the XC website.

December 2024 timetable change

Are there sufficient drivers and guards to crew them…? Is there any point reopening the Northumberland Line if Northern can’t provide enough train crew to run existing services without adding further strain on their staffing resources…? Sure we were told at least a year ago that recruitment of...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[30907]

Yes, these trains are now Standard only.

 

[Haywain]

I found patronage rather patchy but certainly occupied on the route from Cambridge although First Class fares had increased substantially in recent years.

And were those occupying them buying first class tickets?

 

[CyrusWuff]

Specific seat reservations have also been removed from CrossCountry Turbostar routes, with a switch to counted places instead.

 

[transportphoto]

And were those occupying them buying first class tickets?

In my experience, First Class was the only section to ever see a revenue check with some guards…

 

[AlterEgo]

In my experience, First Class was the only section to ever see a revenue check with some guards…

It was very important to make sure enough seats were free for the staff travelling pass.

 

[All Line Rover]

Specific seat reservations have also been removed from CrossCountry Turbostar routes, with a switch to counted places instead.

An ingenious way of accommodating everyone when you only have enough staff to run 1 train in 3.

 

[Discuss223]

Permanently removed from the timetable change, there was a discussion within the Dec 2024 thread about it a few weeks ago.
Here you go, I think there have been other mentions, but only a few days ago there was nothing on the XC website.

December 2024 timetable change

Are there sufficient drivers and guards to crew them…? Is there any point reopening the Northumberland Line if Northern can’t provide enough train crew to run existing services without adding further strain on their staffing resources…? Sure we were told at least a year ago that recruitment of...

www.railforums.co.uk

It's a great shame. I did Nottingham to Derby in First Class early in December, it was popular with customers, a group of which had done a SeatFrog upgrade. I do think that for the distance these trains travel, First Class accommodation should be available.

 

[Envoy]

I was on a Cross Country 170 last week and knowing the First Class was declassified headed for that section. Two other passengers were in that section & I asked them if they had purchased 1st Class tickets and the answer was no. They then asked if it was indeed 1st Class and I pointed to the sign on the windows but told them it was now declassified. I guess that says it all as it is hardly the height of luxury and being on the bogie, the ride is poorer than mid coach.

 

[swt_passenger]

They’ve now altered their website to read as follows:

Do all CrossCountry services offer First Class?​

First Class is available on routes operated by our Voyager trains**, while all Turbostar trains offer 100% Standard Class seating. Voyager trains make up most of our fleet, so the majority of CrossCountry services offer First Class travel, but make sure to check before you travel to be certain that First Class is available.

First Class Train Ticket Information | CrossCountry

Sit back and relax with CrossCountry First Class train tickets, complete with reclining seats and complimentary refreshments. Book CrossCountry rail travel.

www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk

So does that mean you’ll still be able to buy first class fares for use on (for example) the Nottingham to New St leg booked for a Voyager towards Southampton, and the odd Voyager services to/from Cardiff, that form those much discussed Edinburgh extensions?

 

[WAB]

They’ve now altered their website to read as follows:


So does that mean you’ll still be able to buy first class fares for use on (for example) the Nottingham to New St leg booked for a Voyager towards Southampton, and the odd Voyager services to/from Cardiff, that form those much discussed Edinburgh extensions?

Yes. First class fares are available on Cardiff-Notts as the Voyagers are available on these routes.

It's a little more complicated on the Birmingham-Leicester-Stansted route, as it has been removed from the 'Not via London' tickets but not the 'Any Permitted' tickets where they exist. Obviously, first class options still exist if you travel via London.

 

[Spaceship323]

And were those occupying them buying first class tickets?

It was mostly staff travelling in first anyway, to be fair the guards were pretty good at checking you had the correct ticket / upgrade

 

[Discuss223]

Part of me wonders if the fact that First Class isn't wheelchair accessible has been a contributing factor in this decision.

 

[weeklycommuter]

It's a great shame. I did Nottingham to Derby in First Class early in December, it was popular with customers, a group of which had done a SeatFrog upgrade. I do think that for the distance these trains travel, First Class accommodation should be available.

First class is not normally available on Regional East West train services. The East Midlands Railway Norwich to Liverpool Lime Street service, which is similar to the XC Regional services, is also standard class only, as is the GWR Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service.

 

[Discuss223]

First class is not normally available on Regional East West train services. The East Midlands Railway Norwich to Liverpool Lime Street service, which is similar to the XC Regional services, is also standard class only, as is the GWR Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service.

It opens a wider debate about what is and isn't regional. All TransPennine services offer First Class accommodation. I certainly wouldn't call a service that begins in Wales and ends in Nottingham regional.

 

[edwin_m]

It opens a wider debate about what is and isn't regional. All TransPennine services offer First Class accommodation. I certainly wouldn't call a service that begins in Wales and ends in Nottingham regional.

With the only exceptions (I think) being Transpennine and services between Scottish cities, the Regional Railways network under BR became Standard Class only. This included the predecessors of today's Nottingham-Cardiff and Birmingham-Stansted routes as well as others such as Liverpool-Norwich and Cardiff-Portsmouth (origin-destination pairings changed quite a bit over the years but that's another story).

Those two routes only regained First Class in 2008 when Central Trains was carved up and they were assigned to CrossCountry, and I believe this was so that operator could offer First on all its routes. I do agree that it's incongruous that Nottingham-Birmingham-Cardiff now doesn't have First and Cardiff-Bristol-Southampton hasn't for many years, when Liverpool-Manchester-Leeds always has. But it's essentially reverting to the longstanding situation and it's the last 16 years or so that have been different.

 

[rocrat]

I hope that the loss of the last bit of 1st class catering on ELY-LON via CBG routeings will result in a cheaper 1st class ticket via Cambridge for relevant fares... off peak 1st class via CBG is all but useless now on Breckland line-STP/KGX as there's nothing that declassification can't get you NRW-ELY, ELY-CBG, CBG-KGX/STP/LST now (let's not pretend that Great Northern 1st class has any value outwith commuter times...)

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I hope that the loss of the last bit of 1st class catering on ELY-LON via CBG routeings will result in a cheaper 1st class ticket via Cambridge for relevant fares... off peak 1st class via CBG is all but useless now on Breckland line-STP/KGX as there's nothing that declassification can't get you NRW-ELY, ELY-CBG, CBG-KGX/STP/LST now (let's not pretend that Great Northern 1st class has any value outwith commuter times...)

Do you mean to say there was really a high proportion of people with first class tickets specifically boarding Stansted-bound CrossCountry services at Ely and changing to a London service at Cambridge - as opposed to taking the direct service - just to get a free drink and biscuit? Surely not...