The CrossCountry Voyager trains here in Britain are - finally - being refurbished. What did the Department for Transport have to say to make Arriva actually do this?! Or is it Beacon Rail / the DfT itself paying for this?

They still don't look as nice as other UK train interiors IMHO, but perhaps at least they will have seat coverings again...

https://www.reddit.com/r/uktrains/comments/1r11prx/first_look_at_xc_voyager_refurbishment_as_press/

https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/2/alstom-reveals-first-refurbished-crosscountry-voyager-train-uk

@seabass What's wrong with CrossCountry Voyagers? They're one of the better UK trains I've been on. They have big tables and armrests even in second class, much better than the horrible Thameslink class 700s with no tables or armrests. I haven't seen any missing seat coverings, but I haven't been on one in years (since at least 2019).

@noisytoot There's indeed plenty of space compared to many other classes, but when run as this specific service the demands are much greater: people are more likely to be travelling with suitcases (very few commuters on XC trains). The luggage racks at the end of the coaches are too small for this, and although there's one large luggage area, nobody can get to it when the aisle is blocked, so chaos often ensues...

Originally, these were tilting trains, so the ceiling is lower than usual to allow the vehicle to still fit in the British Rail loading gauge. That also means that the overhead luggage shelf is far too small for suitcases, which makes the aforementioned storage problem even worse. But, to save costs, the tilting mechanism was deactivated years ago, so one doesn't even get a more comfortable or shorter ride than with other classes any longer!

The sets are much shorter than what you might expect for an intercity service, so they are still rather overcrowded and expensive IMHO.

There's a bad smell in the vestibules near each toilet, and the loos themselves all have suspicious brown patches on them every time I've travelled on these trains...

Finally, the seat coverings have, I believe, never been replaced since Virgin lost the CrossCountry franchise, so many of the seats are just totally worn through.

Everything is relative, but I'm amused that you picked the 700s as an example of a poor interior as those are some of my favourite UK trains 😄 (Admittedly, only for shorter journeys of ~20 minutes in my case)

First class is OK on the CrossCountry Voyagers, but really nothing amazing. If you bring your own thermos then I'd say Standard class on perhaps an Avanti set would be far preferable. I tend to spend half an hour extra waiting for a GWR service in preference to going on a Voyager as those are the two options for the Bristol-Plymouth stretch.

@seabass The times I've been on CrossCountry trains (mostly Cambridge <-> Stansted Airport, often late at night/early in the morning, and possibly also Cambridge <-> Ely a few times (I don't remember)) weren't busy at all so I didn't notice any of that, whereas the class 700 trains I've been on (Cambridge <-> various stations in London during the day) were much busier and a longer journey.

My problem with the class 700s is the lack of tables or armrests in standard class.

Next time I go to Stansted Airport I'll want to go by Greater Anglia rather than CrossCountry though, because it seems they replaced all their trains since 2019 and I've never been on a FLIRT or class 720.

@noisytoot Yeah, I would also appreciate tables on the Thameslink 700s if I were going to be on them for longer than a few minutes. However, remember that the first class section at the rear of the train is always declassified - and it has tables! If you're starting your journey at Cambridge, I'd say you are pretty likely to get a seat in that section too :)

As for the FLIRT - you'll be in for a treat. They're really lovely trains in all their varieties!

The class 720s are also pretty nice, although 3+2 seating is a bit of a disappointment, I'd say.