Latest news with #ChilternRailways
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
UK train service to relaunch first class for the first time in 23 years with comfier seats and more charging ports
The train company isn't the only one that previously ditched first class seating FIRST IN LINE UK train service to relaunch first class for the first time in 23 years with comfier seats and more charging ports ONE UK train company is bringing back its first class seats for the first time in over two decades. With comfortable seats, large windows and huge tables, these will be offered as an on-the-day upgrade for a journey that's a tad more luxurious. 5 Chiltern Railways is bringing back its first class seating and carriage Credit: chris roberts 5 Travellers will get squishy seats and large tray tables Credit: chris roberts Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards -enter to win here. Chiltern Railway is introducing newer trains to its network, called the Mark 5A train. After 23 years, Chiltern Railways is bringing back first class carriages on its newest trains which will operate between London Marylebone to Stourbridge Junction in 2026. Seats in the first class carriages will be offered as an on-the-day so travellers can upgrade to a more spacious seat. How an on-the-day upgrade works is that passengers pay the difference between a standard class ticket and first class fare at a ticket office before the journey or in some cases on the train. You can also buy a first class ticket in advance when the trains are officially introduced. The pictures of the new first class carriages show wide and comfy looking seats that have a winged headrest and large tables. Once the new fleet is rolled out Chiltern Railways said the trains will have more standard-class seats than today. Other features across the new trains include plug sockets and USB ports at every seat, free Wi-Fi and digital information screens to track your journeys progress. There will be automated onboard air conditioning that reacts to outdoor temperatures so you shouldn't ever be too cold or hot. 'This is nice' says Irish Rail passenger as she shows off new train carriages after they hit tracks 5 The standard class looks good too with seating and overhead storage Credit: chris roberts 5 Between the seats are charging and USB ports Credit: chris roberts Seat back tables will be able to fold town and there will be extendable sections for larger devices. For more storage, there are overhead luggage racks in every carriage, and onboard there will be dedicated storage for six bikes. Plus, certain passengers will be able to use the dedicated accessible areas complete with companion seating and hearing loop. Chiltern Railways scrapped its first class seats decades ago and discontinued its business zone, which offered an on-board upgrade, in March 2020. In recent years there has been a lack of demand for first class tickets which are generally more expensive, but price varies depending on whether it's in peak or off-peak journeys. Several other train operators have eliminated first class since 2020 including London Northwestern Railway, Southeastern and Stansted Express. Read here to find out where you can find the country's most beautiful train journey which takes 10 minutes and costs £3. Plus, one of Europe's most beautiful train stations could soon get direct routes from the UK.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
UK train service to relaunch first class for the first time in 23 years with comfier seats and more charging ports
The train company isn't the only one that previously ditched first class seating FIRST IN LINE UK train service to relaunch first class for the first time in 23 years with comfier seats and more charging ports Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ONE UK train company is bringing back its first class seats for the first time in over two decades. With comfortable seats, large windows and huge tables, these will be offered as an on-the-day upgrade for a journey that's a tad more luxurious. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Chiltern Railways is bringing back its first class seating and carriage Credit: chris roberts 5 Travellers will get squishy seats and large tray tables Credit: chris roberts Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards -enter to win here. Chiltern Railway is introducing newer trains to its network, called the Mark 5A train. After 23 years, Chiltern Railways is bringing back first class carriages on its newest trains which will operate between London Marylebone to Stourbridge Junction in 2026. Seats in the first class carriages will be offered as an on-the-day so travellers can upgrade to a more spacious seat. How an on-the-day upgrade works is that passengers pay the difference between a standard class ticket and first class fare at a ticket office before the journey or in some cases on the train. You can also buy a first class ticket in advance when the trains are officially introduced. The pictures of the new first class carriages show wide and comfy looking seats that have a winged headrest and large tables. Once the new fleet is rolled out Chiltern Railways said the trains will have more standard-class seats than today. Other features across the new trains include plug sockets and USB ports at every seat, free Wi-Fi and digital information screens to track your journeys progress. There will be automated onboard air conditioning that reacts to outdoor temperatures so you shouldn't ever be too cold or hot. 'This is nice' says Irish Rail passenger as she shows off new train carriages after they hit tracks 5 The standard class looks good too with seating and overhead storage Credit: chris roberts 5 Between the seats are charging and USB ports Credit: chris roberts Seat back tables will be able to fold town and there will be extendable sections for larger devices. For more storage, there are overhead luggage racks in every carriage, and onboard there will be dedicated storage for six bikes. Plus, certain passengers will be able to use the dedicated accessible areas complete with companion seating and hearing loop. Chiltern Railways scrapped its first class seats decades ago and discontinued its business zone, which offered an on-board upgrade, in March 2020. In recent years there has been a lack of demand for first class tickets which are generally more expensive, but price varies depending on whether it's in peak or off-peak journeys. Several other train operators have eliminated first class since 2020 including London Northwestern Railway, Southeastern and Stansted Express. Read here to find out where you can find the country's most beautiful train journey which takes 10 minutes and costs £3. Plus, one of Europe's most beautiful train stations could soon get direct routes from the UK.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Why railway is bringing first-class seating back after 10 years
Chiltern Railways is set to reintroduce first-class sections on its routes between London and the West Midlands from next year, defying a trend among other UK train operators. The premium carriages will offer more spacious seats and improved connectivity, but catering will not be provided. This move marks a significant shift for Chiltern Railways, which had eliminated first-class seating over a decade ago and a business zone in 2020. The reintroduction is primarily driven by the acquisition of new Mark 5A trains, which are already configured with first-class sections, making conversion to standard class financially unviable. The new fleet, replacing older carriages, will also feature modern amenities such as plug sockets and enhanced Wi-Fi.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Train operator brings back first-class carriages in ‘surprising' move
A train operator is set to reintroduce first-class sections on its services, defying the industry trend towards standard-class-only carriages. Chiltern Railways announced that its routes between London and the West Midlands will feature these premium carriages from next year. Passengers opting for the upgrade can expect "more spacious seats and improved connectivity", though catering will not be provided. This move marks a significant shift for Chiltern Railways, which eliminated first-class seating more than a decade ago. The operator also discontinued its designated business zone, which offered an on-board upgrade, in March 2020, citing the Covid pandemic. Several train operators in Britain have scrapped first-class travel in recent years because of a lack of demand. These include London Northwestern Railway (in May 2023), Southeastern (in December 2022) and Stansted Express (in January 2020). Others have made the switch for certain routes, such as Greater Anglia, Thameslink and Great Western Railway. First-class tickets can cost several times the amount of standard-class fares. Some long-distance operators such as Avanti West Coast and LNER provide more space, hot food and alcoholic drinks to passengers who pay extra money. Rail historian and broadcaster Christian Wolmar said he is 'very surprised' at the announcement by Chiltern Railways. Passengers wanting a premium service are 'probably in a hurry' so travel on Avanti West Coast services between London and Birmingham, which are generally more expensive but quicker, he said. For suburban services, premium travel is 'an outdated concept from the days of bowler-hatted gentlemen in their first-class compartment while their secretaries sat in second'. He went on: 'That era has gone. I think for those sort of services, there are very few people who would really want to pay for a premium.' Chiltern Railways is replacing its oldest carriages – Mark 3s which date back to the 1970s – with 13 Mark 5A trains from spring next year. The trains – previously operated by TransPennine Express – are already configured with first-class sections, and it would have cost millions of pounds to convert them all to standard class. Chiltern Railways said it will have more standard-class seats than today once the introduction of the new fleet is completed. Features for passengers include plug sockets and USB ports at every seat, enhanced wi-fi and digital information screens. The trains will enable additional services to be added to timetables from December 2026. Richard Allan, managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: 'We are thrilled for our customers that we will be able to replace our oldest trains, which are nearly 50-years-old, with their modern equivalent that are just six-years-old and provide significant improvement to their on-board experience. 'Chiltern will be renting more trains than it has today, which means we can operate additional services from the end of 2026 to help meet rising demand. 'The trains will be formed of modern carriages hauled by locomotives fuelled by recycled vegetable oil and fitted with the latest stop-start engine technology.' The announcement forms part of the operator's ambition to modernise and decarbonise its trains by 2030. This includes replacing its diesel trains with battery-electric trains. 'This Government is putting passengers back at the heart of the 21st-century railway by investing to make journeys easier, greener and more comfortable,' Rail minister Lord Hendy said. 'We are continuing to support Chiltern as they develop a plan to introduce additional services into their timetable, giving people more opportunities to work, live and socialise.' The Department for Transport has not announced when Chiltern Railways will be nationalised as part of its strategy to bring all train operators under public control as existing contract expire or reach a break point. The operator's contract runs until December 2027.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Train operator brings back first-class carriages in ‘surprising' move
A train operator is set to reintroduce first-class sections on its services, defying the industry trend towards standard-class-only carriages. Chiltern Railways announced that its routes between London and the West Midlands will feature these premium carriages from next year. Passengers opting for the upgrade can expect "more spacious seats and improved connectivity", though catering will not be provided. This move marks a significant shift for Chiltern Railways, which eliminated first-class seating more than a decade ago. The operator also discontinued its designated business zone, which offered an on-board upgrade, in March 2020, citing the Covid pandemic. Several train operators in Britain have scrapped first-class travel in recent years because of a lack of demand. These include London Northwestern Railway (in May 2023), Southeastern (in December 2022) and Stansted Express (in January 2020). Others have made the switch for certain routes, such as Greater Anglia, Thameslink and Great Western Railway. First-class tickets can cost several times the amount of standard-class fares. Some long-distance operators such as Avanti West Coast and LNER provide more space, hot food and alcoholic drinks to passengers who pay extra money. Rail historian and broadcaster Christian Wolmar said he is 'very surprised' at the announcement by Chiltern Railways. Passengers wanting a premium service are 'probably in a hurry' so travel on Avanti West Coast services between London and Birmingham, which are generally more expensive but quicker, he said. For suburban services, premium travel is 'an outdated concept from the days of bowler-hatted gentlemen in their first-class compartment while their secretaries sat in second'. He went on: 'That era has gone. I think for those sort of services, there are very few people who would really want to pay for a premium.' Chiltern Railways is replacing its oldest carriages – Mark 3s which date back to the 1970s – with 13 Mark 5A trains from spring next year. The trains – previously operated by TransPennine Express – are already configured with first-class sections, and it would have cost millions of pounds to convert them all to standard class. Chiltern Railways said it will have more standard-class seats than today once the introduction of the new fleet is completed. Features for passengers include plug sockets and USB ports at every seat, enhanced wi-fi and digital information screens. The trains will enable additional services to be added to timetables from December 2026. Richard Allan, managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: 'We are thrilled for our customers that we will be able to replace our oldest trains, which are nearly 50-years-old, with their modern equivalent that are just six-years-old and provide significant improvement to their on-board experience. 'Chiltern will be renting more trains than it has today, which means we can operate additional services from the end of 2026 to help meet rising demand. 'The trains will be formed of modern carriages hauled by locomotives fuelled by recycled vegetable oil and fitted with the latest stop-start engine technology.' The announcement forms part of the operator's ambition to modernise and decarbonise its trains by 2030. This includes replacing its diesel trains with battery-electric trains. 'This Government is putting passengers back at the heart of the 21st-century railway by investing to make journeys easier, greener and more comfortable,' Rail minister Lord Hendy said. 'We are continuing to support Chiltern as they develop a plan to introduce additional services into their timetable, giving people more opportunities to work, live and socialise.' The Department for Transport has not announced when Chiltern Railways will be nationalised as part of its strategy to bring all train operators under public control as existing contract expire or reach a break point. The operator's contract runs until December 2027.
