Avanti's Refurbished Pendolinos! What are they like?

Up this week, we'll be taking a look at one of Avanti West Coast's refurbished Pendolinos and sampling what their Standard Premium offering is like.
Date of Travel: February 2023
Class of Travel: Standard Premium (2nd+ Class)
Rolling Stock: Class 390 Pendolino
Type of Service: Express Passenger
Operator: Avanti West Coast
Train Number: 1S90
Origin: London Euston, United Kingdom (England)
Destination: Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom (England)
Cost of ticket: £64.70 ($78.65, €73.10)
Shop Menu: www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/-/m...
First Class Menu: www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/-/m...
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[@stevelknievel4183]

This may be the first time Birmingham was ever described as scenic.

[@abdullahsarker3595]

LMAO 🤣

[@cdname47]

Oh ha ha Birmingham used as a punchline, how original... Aren't we better than these Victorian notions of looking down on cities these days?

[@RightAwayProductions005]

@@cdname47 absolutely. People hate Brum because social media tells them to

[@beorlingo]

@@cdname47 "Brum Racing". Brum as the sound of the motors.

[@cdname47]

@@beorlingo yes. And we had a kids TV show called Brum and a stock car track.....once .

[@colinriley123]

You are right. At the moment LNER offer by far the best value service. Please continue to focus on this. Avanti and Cross Country need to up their game. Videos like this will concentrate minds.

[@grumpy989]

Due to XCs model of serving rarther electic long distance routes they have very limited competition and so often get away with charging an arm and a leg for their subpar service. Seriously, barely refurbished voyagers with the stripes from the Virgin Cross Country days shouldn't cost what some of their advanced tickets charge. Avanti has some competition e.g. North west england to Glasgow / Edinburgh express services by TPE (also owned by First) and services between Birmingham and London by LNW. Although arguably LNER have the strongest competition on the ECML by both budget (Lumo & Hull Trains) and slightly more premium offerings (e.g. Grand Central). Arguably this could have forced them to provide the best service out of the 3, and also lower prices to stay competitive to leisure consumers.

[@Harrimoto]

XC are going OCTOBER 2023 I expect all trains will be replaced by hitachi and new livery done

[@tonywilkins6090]

I had the opporunity to use WCML (Glasgow to London) and ECML (London to Edinburgh), both times used 1st class. Both were advance fares with railcards. £99 with LNER and £75 with Avanti. Both journeys 4-5 hours. Both came with 1st class lounge access. Both operators offered us 2 meals for the journey plus a lot of drinks. Providing theres a 1st class service being offered, both operators are quite good. EMR and XC defintiely need to up their game as these operators have higher fares than avanti or LNER. SHF-STP 1st class cheapest is about £50 for a 2 hour trip and you dont get lounge access and the drink/snack service is almost limited [they come every 40-60 minutes] so you only get 3 chances to get snacks/drinks. LNER+avanti came round every 20-30 mins. I think avanti's mistake was offering a standard premium carriage, personally should have been another standard carriage, (at least that way people can't complain about overcrowding). Also the issue that avanti/LNER have is if you look at their advance fare structure, there are a lot of prices for their WCML/ECML full journey like for example 1st class advance fares (no railcard) for avanti start at £50 and go all the way to £260 (and then anytime ticket is £265). So unless you book quite quickly, you will miss out on the cheap tickets.

[@marklangford8561]

Especially cross country and West Midlands railway

[@kuzatheaviator]

@@Harrimoto the IET is shit lmao i hope the voyagers stay

[@tweygant]

Glad you’re back!!!🎉

[@EdgyNumber1]

Unlikely to see tilt trains after Pendolino gets decommissioned. HS2 supposed to take over the high speed duties and standard intercity services will take over the WCML. Trains will be limited back up to 110mph on older sections and 125mph on the speed upgrade sections (eg Trent Valley.) Currently there's lots of 110mph sections that have special provision for tilt train running at 125mph.

[@Farleigh1050]

Wll HS2 is really cut down now...

[@JulianShagworthy]

They've just spent a LOT on refurbing the pendos - they won't be going anywhere soon!

[@themeparksandtransport]

I travelled with Avanti in October last year in first class. It was only a short ride, but we were just in time for the last bit of the service, which was a hot or cold drink. It was a refurbished pendo, and I really enjoyed it. Seats were great and staff were friendly.

[@John_Fugazzi]

It seems odd that they'd put new seats in Standard but not in Premium Standard or First Class. More people usually use Standard so those old seats may have been beyond refurbishing. Still, it seems cheap of them. On the brighter side it looked like a peaceful, relaxing trip.

[@henrywilliam8506]

Great to we you back on your regular weekly blogs. Yes, I did watch last weeks too. Great Vlog! Thanks for your entertaining weekly’s and looking forward to your next.

[@clivelangham435]

Thank you. Enjoyed this a lot.

[@redorzed]

Cheers, look forward to watching this later!

[@harrystokes1412]

I respect your opinion, underwhelmed is a great descriptive word. especially at the price verses what you get.

[@Robslondon]

Great video Dylan. I’m taking a similar journey in a few weeks and this has put me in the mood for it!

[@CourtMcCheese]

When my train was delayed by 1 hour, we got a announcement saying that we won’t be stopping at all stations to fix schedule, so we had to get off the train.. we got on a refurbished one, I was happy about that.. the crossover was very very tight

[@james-reid]

I travelled on one of these refreshed trains recently in standard class - was generally really really nice. Things that I didn't like: the coat pegs are not in a place that works and, while the wireless charging points on the tables are a really great idea, I think they could benefit from some tactile surface around them to stop the phone from sliding

[@EuroDC1990]

To be fair the old standard seats were comfortable but had seen better days. The new ones definitely look fresher, have better tables, have the plug sockets and more room which is great but they're not as comfortable seats in my opinion. The whole look is a lot fresher. First and standard premium on the other hand just seems a bit meh. The seats are comfortable, sure, but the big white marshmallows on the old and broken seats is just... Not good enough really. The biggest disappointment to me though is that as part of the refurbishment the seating layout doesn't seem to have changed. It looks like the exact same layout has been kept with seats but particularly logically arranged, very poor window alignment (though with such tiny windows that's difficult) and luggage racks mid-carriage often with better window views than some seats. In all I'm just not a fan of the pendolinos and the refurb hasn't changed that

[@luisstransport]

Great trip report

[@beckysonnier6369]

Thanks for sharing

[@monseigneurLambik]

Bedankt

[@DISCOPlayz]

This looks like the Best Train I've seen in the UK

[@Lynxfan2]

Hi there Dylan, the seats in First Class have been recovered in new moquette - the old Virgin Trans moquette in First Class was very similar to a tartan in terms of appearance and styling. There are new carpets in both First Class and Standard Class. Best wishes and take care. Kind regards, Peter Skuce. St Albans. Hertfordshire.

[@egpx]

Ey up Dylan, welcome back! I had the chance to sample the refurbished Pendolino a few weeks ago from Glasgow to Wigan and back in Standard Class. I was quite impressed with the new look and the plethora of charging options. The old Standard Class seats were badly in need of replacing so I had high hopes for the new ones. After two and a half hours in one I was suffering from a very numb bum as they really are quite hard. It was rather disappointing, another example style over substance. I was about twenty minutes late on the way down too. I think that counts as an on time service at the moment, there's hardly a day goes by when there isn't some problem or other on the WCML.

[@noeonoohno4219]

Avanti is just a joke, absolute scam from a customer perspective.

[@edwinleslie1330]

Glad your back... 👌

[@lukeainley9528]

Glad your doing uk trains

[@sandrabennett6166]

Wonderful love the avant train ❤

[@kittyKatzGaming]

I had to chuckle when you mentioned having to walk the length of these trains. Working as a cleaner in a rather very busy station where these come and go from, you quickly have to get used to walking and cleaning platforms that a long enough for them haha I get your pain xD I have no idea of the train, but Avanti had to use an older set once and it looked cool in the Avanti colours, good bunch of workers those on the Avanti and were happy to let me have a gawk at it xD

[@hughmnyks]

Not much cop, as we used to say back in the day. Never forget the day when the train manager apologised on arrival of train in Norwich for the train being two minutes early. Couldn’t help noticing the comment about cutting stops to make up time. You lot are up the creek without a paddle. Remember when only half the passengers were allowed onto a train in Stafford because they could only stop for two minutes. That’s not service! Thanks for your very patient, highly competent review, BTW.

[@sarribel]

Interesting. THX

[@MRTransportVideos]

When you looked at the Standard Class carriages, I couldn't help but notice that, despite the chance to refurbish the seating, they've still placed far too many of them against window bulkheads, which is just not nice, especially at the prices they charge; I did a quick check and, to take that train tomorrow (15/02) all the way to Glasgow (5 hours, 37 minutes) was £76.70 for a Standard Advance, £112.60 for an Off-Peak Single - sorry, but £112 to stare at a blank wall for 5 1/2 hours is just wrong! This may be why I use Chiltern to travel to London - trains with pretty much all seats having a view, decent prices, and two really nice stations at Birmingham Moor Street & London Marylebone.

[@desmondatkinson4642]

Thank you for the video, Dylan - always informative and enjoyable. Please ignore the few negative comments from those pedantic grammarians! Looking forward to your next edition.

[@prodby_dark]

Love it when you do Avanti West Coast¬!

[@louisthetravelspotter]

what a brilliant review dylan my legend

[@Hearts_fc_on_top]

I was on that exact train for Euston to Preston yesterday and same model on Friday from Carlisle to Euston

[@katashworth41]

This is a route I know well, but have found the new Pendolinos really comfortable.

[@tonymcdonnly6492]

Nice video. The interior was impressive.

[@shirleynitka5030]

yes I agree with you Dylan. The price was a bit steep all things considered. I can't see where the money is worth it for what you get.

[@deco983]

Nice video!

[@Nathanstrains]

Nice video

[@stepheng7586]

Great video,but having tried 1st class on both the LNER Azuma and Avanti Pendolino I much prefer the Pendolino. When I travel from Leeds to London I always make sure the train is a 225 set instead of an Azuma.

[@Crewgotwings]

These do look fresh but I do miss the table lamps on the pendolino sets

[@arokh72]

That's a nice looking train. Certainly nicer than the regional services in my part of Australia. You're not travelling with Eli anymore? I always thought it quite lovely you travelled together as a couple.

[@elijade99]

I'm still here, I just haven't been able to tag along this time as I have university :)

[@nkt1]

XPT, by any chance? I think many people would agree that Its forebear, the HST, is still a more comfortable train than the Pendolino.

[@simondavey7787]

Like you, I was a bit underwhelmed by the upgrades; I feel the trains will need another within the train's lifetime. Thanks for a great trip report.

[@tomosmerivale6297]

The new standard class seats are the same style as the ones on the lumo trains, which in turn will be the same as the class 805/807 units which are coming soon.

[@robertp.wainman4094]

One of the very few well designed liveries on UK trains!

[@1RichieRich]

I wish those standard class seats were on all IETS ,good to see them on the pendolino

[@tramcrazy]

At some point it would be very cool for you to make a ranking video of all your first class experiences - what might be the very best??

[@brian402]

I can remember Preston well but maybe for all the wrong reason's,mum and i had the most gross cup pot of tea at Preston Station.,we thought we were drinking dish water.I enjoyed watching your review here though!,awesome video👍

[@davidperkins3621]

I recall travelling north, First Class on the first ever running of the Pendolino, great fun as it was in the company of the Virgin Directors, including Richard Branson. Free Champagne and a great atmosphere.

[@ianhenderson4560]

Was it a Sunday? If so, the relatively slow run out of Euston may be explained by the Slow Lines being closed for engineering works, so all services are booked on the Fast Lines, so you would have been following a stopping service through Watford etc.

[@rezaalan3991]

Great trip. Even though the colour is Avanti West Coast, but the Virgin Train vibe still staying at the train.

[@cambsy37]

I travelled few weeks ago from Euston-Glasgow Central return on a Saturday,in standard class, where I found the seats to be like ironing boards, which seem to be the norm for new trains, though the high backs and head rest were good, but I think I would have preferred the old seats if they had been re upholstered etc, so overall the refurbishment was ok and happily travel on them again, The standard Premium seats look ok but nothing special as u said, and from what read about First class, its nothing great, and can be squeezed in to just the very front coach, which not good as only mainly forward facing seats and less than a full length coach. The running on my trip out was poor too, and we arrived Glasgow 19 mins late, but back was a lot better. Was your trip on the weekend? As the schedules are slower on Sat-Sun.

[@HumbertoMesa]

Thanks Dylan for one more ride .... an expensive ticket !!! 🇺🇾

[@alanshelly7068]

Welcome back buddy from Alan in Lowestoft buddy

[@bobarty]

I,m with you about the chaotic boarding at Euston not some thing I enjoy they seem to hold you back ages and it always seems a stampede to get on,I see you were waiting to board a train to Bradford from Preston guessing the train to York from Blackpool now that is a journey that never gets up to speed except the last bit from Leeds

[@ianrobertson2634]

The trick I have with Euston is to look on the network rail app and work out what platforms the trains are arriving at. 75% of the time I get this right, so I am right next to the platform as it is announced which saves some of the mad scramble where 100's of people rush to get a seat they have probably got a reservation for anyway!

[@hellenrosa8914]

Hello, incredible video, congratulations, i'd like know how can i travel by train with my insulin in long travels?

[@TheSpotify95]

10:38 Those speeds are much, MUCH better than what EMR provide on their Class 222 "Meridian" units! With the latter, you can barely get anything to load at all, so 0.5Mbps - 1Mbps will at least do for basic tasks.

[@joermnyc]

We took Virgin on these back in 2014, from Euston to Holyhead, but in the standard seats. Not a bad train, better than Acela around the same time (haven’t been on the new Acela), and certainly better than the ferry we caught in a rather rough seas heading over to Dublin. 🤢

[@davidwilliams8405]

If I hadn't said it before, I'll say it again, good to see you're still alive and kicking Dylan! Last September, while on holiday in merry old England, I had to take a train from Oxford to Saint Bees up in Cumbria. I was informed it would be possible to travel kind of straight from Oxford, but that I would have a couple of train changes...what an understatement! I left Oxford at 9am-ish but arrived at Saint Bees around 4:30-ish! I had to change at Birmingham New Station, and then Euston, then Carlisle and Whitehaven; it was scenic, but it would have been more enjoyable if it hadn't been raining cats and dogs, on a Friday before a scheduled train strike, and everybody and their cousin, dogs included, weren't all trying to get somewhere. I wonder now that perhaps I should've gone back to London Paddington and take a taxi to Euston station to take a more direct train route. I can't imagine it would've been more hectic and time-consuming, but I also know what London traffic is like, and didn't know how far from Paddington Euston is located. I must add that the train ride from Scarborough to London King's Cross was much less...dramatic but much more enjoyable. Cheers dude!

[@alang5764]

Well, you went more than 100 miles in the wrong direction and doubled back on yourself so yes, it was always going to be a rather long journey.

[@davidwilliams8405]

@@alang5764 But it still was an informative yet enjoyable experience.

[@Abnerbandanovotempoinscrito1mi]

Boa tarde Dylans lindo trem avanti esse trem mais bonito mesmo

[@chrislodzinski9056]

Did you go into First Class0000? Did they have the old seats there as well?

[@colin.d]

The standard premium class seems to be just an excuse to avoid having to provide catering yet still charge a higher price than standard class.

[@transportlegend.shorts]

Amazing video Dylan keep it up Can you do a review of ScotRail class 334 on Helensburgh central Edinburgh Waverley Or a ScotRail class 380 Glasgow central Largs

[@harryelliott4310]

Avanti West Coast Class 390

[@john07973]

Good video 👍 I notice they have a Leon eatery at Euston, on my boycott list along with Asda as it's owned by EuroGarages fuel profiteering Issa brothers.

[@alexroutmaster]

I like lner over avanti as on broad Internet works as what you show did not etc.

[@gftyhify]

I’ve never travelled on Avanti’s pendolinos or LNER’s Azumas. However the pendolinos look much more comfortable and appealing to me. Next time I go to London I’ll probably take the pendolinos, handy too as I live in Glasgow

[@OhSome1HasThisName]

seriously would recommend that you take LNER instead - Avanti's service atm is incredibly unreliable

[@gftyhify]

@@OhSome1HasThisName that would require a trip to Edinburgh first. Also I’ve heard and seen the LNER azumas have hard seats, lighting that is overly bright and bad ride quality

[@s125ish]

Surprised you haven’t tried either lner or avanti. Do you fly or drive to London?

[@gftyhify]

@@s125ish it depends on where I’m going in London specifically and what the price is. The last time I travelled to London by train was in 2014. Back then I lived in Edinburgh that was before the Azumas were introduced. I would never drive to London either

[@Transpennine]

How come one of the antimacassars adjacent to your seat was a first class one when you was in standard Premium?🙂

[@stevecooksley]

I took a Pendolino for the first and only time last year to Liverpool in Standard Premium - it soon became my new favourite train in the UK and made me think the money being haemorrhaged by HS2 could have been better served in developing the next generation of tilting trains and in-cab signalling systems. As a footnote I believe companies like Avanti will not spend huge amounts on upgrades as they know they could lose their franchise at any point - where's the motivation to invest?

[@Bungle2010]

And how would any of that give the same benefits as HS2?

[@baseballfan99]

3 years ago I paid that for First Class. The cheapest First Class price with Avanti is around £90/£100 more than 3 years ago which is crazy.

[@cliveomahoney4096]

In the darkest days of BR, the level of service was never as bad as it is now. Thankfully, from a safety perspective, these crims don't get to skimp on network maintenance. Hopefully they, and the gov, will realise that the whole thing was a massive error and bandits like these will be no more = No Chance.

[@PtrkHrnk]

I'd give this ride 66/100, that's 🥈

[@aslamibrahim5453]

How do I find out which train is refurbish please

[@stevehornsby7727]

Someone is missing. I hope things are still ok with you both.

[@AndrewG1989]

I do like the Class 390 Pendolino and they are so nice. Same with the Class 221 Voyagers which are to be replaced by the Class 805 Bi-mode and are expected to enter service this year. And the Class 807 to also enter service this year. Plus London Northwestern Railway are to introduce the Class 730 5-Car Aventra trains in service this year. As they are to replace the Class 319 and Class 350/2 Desiro.

[@marklangford8561]

The pendolino was the first time I red avanti and 225 first time I rode virgin in 2020

[@dennisyoung4631]

Wigan? Is there a *Pier* there?

[@West-Yorkshire-train-spotter]

somehow i cant get my head around how LNER is cheaper than this even if its first class. and great videos btw

[@polandiumi5211]

Dylan, you need to go to Poland, the Pendolinos there by ICC Intercity are amazing, they come with a bar and other things too, they are also incredibly cheap (in my opinion) for example, a pendolino from Lebork (Northwest Poland) to Krakow Glowny (Southwest Poland) Are 241 PLN (roughly £48) and it goes further than Euston To Warrington (190 miles compared to 413 Miles)

[@derricklewis5397]

big ups dillon yes my man cmon bro, hold tght you man yeah cmon g

[@sabryepa5226]

I found out that they are refurbing the 390 so that they can look more like thier IET/P’s

[@harrisonsnazel7482]

They look very shiny. Also, spoiler, these train have been refurbished since 2019 or 2020. I can't remember, though

[@vibeuk2003]

Over £100 to travel on a train in the UK is stupid. Sorry but no. I could catch a flight out to Europe for that!

[@marklangford8561]

Wait I rode a virgin train in 2020 to Preston 225 then northern to blackpool

[@keirrobinson4156]

On the subject of price comparisons, it's telling that LNER, unlike Avanti, is publicly owned...

[@EssexResident2000]

Given Avanti are potentially mere weeks away from losing the West Coast Main Line, this doesn't surprise me. I've intentionally avoided the West Coast Main Line since Avanti took over, owing to the reputation it's gained. I've found Chiltern Railways, LNER and Scotrail to be much better

[@peterd788]

The advantage of the LNER deal is you end up in Leeds rather than Preston. Dear God, I feel for you having an onward journey to Bradford.

[@Class43Goat]

hmmm tbh I have payed £75 for 2 advance singles from Manchester picadilly to London Euston (and back) standard premium which I do not think was too bad of a deal seen as an off peak return standard is £64 anyway (with 1/3 16-25 railcard)

[@neiltaylor6645]

Wow everyone was in a hurry to get your train 🚂 look like everyone was running

[@poppyland74]

This happens for just about every departure from Euston because they only announce the platform about 5 minutes before it is due to leave. Hence the scrum. Probably even worse now there are individual ticket gates to pass through. It is actually very dangerous for anyone caught trying to go against the flow. Obviously this is ignored by the people 'running' this operation and they carry on as before.

[@kafka8886]

Was supposed to go Preston to Euston with this shower 2 days ago - they cancelled the train and then the one after it. Refunded and drove there and back instead. Stopped in Edgware, Northern Line into Euston. The train is no longer a viable alternative to driving these days. The sooner Avanti lose that franchaise the better.

[@aviano72]

It's nice to have you back Dylan Euston station must be UK's ugliest station :(

[@TheRip72]

Euston is not pretty from the outside but it works better than most. Having the concourse completely separate from the train shed is a huge improvement from cold, smelly places like Kings Cross or Paddington. Recent changes have done their best to mess it up though: The new destination screens are not as easy to read as you walk into the station so you cannot just check them & head straight for your train. Whoever thought of blocking off the entrance to the underground should be shot; Having to walk outside then back in again is a terrible idea.

[@aviano72]

@@TheRip72 But it is still ugly 🤮

[@TheRip72]

@@aviano72 As a commuter, I could not care less about how it looked from the outside. I was more interested in there being a dry, bright, clean concourse rather than the dark, smelly, cold mess like Paddington where you didn't know if your train would arrive in one of the main platforms or you would have the 2-3 minute march down platform 11 to one of those next to the Met.

[@aviano72]

@@TheRip72 🥱🥱🥱

[@767kevin]

Pendolino tilting is sick. i thought for a 20yr+ old design back in the Virgin Trains era it was super modern inside & out

[@edwardharris5301]

I went on one of these recently after 20 years of travel out of Kings cross, standard class was hell - it was like sitting in a tin can forgot how crap the interior engineering was

[@dandasipek7475]

1:49 that pidgeon there

[@Harrimoto]

Avanti is going soon April -May 2023 … what will the government do with those I wonder … when they take over

[@Luftkuhlt964]

I used to travel regularly to Liverpool when these were introduced. They are considerably less comfortable than the trains they replaced.

[@roadie4360]

The economics of virtually running empty First and Premium carriages does seem crazy, and don't get me stated on the chaos of Euston ticket barriers. A couple of gates working last time I used them back in January, one staff member checking tickets that the barriers didn't except, which seemed to be most, and 5 staff members looking on like guard dogs. Along with announcements that the train doors were going to be shutting shortly while everyone's trying to get through the barriers. Not exactly pleasant and why I drove to the Lakes instead last week.

[@TheSpotify95]

Interesting... Worth it for the tables and plug sockets/wireless chargers, not so worth it over anyhing else? It'd be interesting to see what the prices of Standard and First would have been like compared to Standard Premium. Also, why do Avanti think that 3 different classes of travel are required on the same train ?

[@poppyland74]

Because they don't have the demand for all the first class carriages but did not want the cost of refitting one first class coach as standard (note that they couldn't even be bothered to replace any of the first class seats in this refurb) so they went for first class without any frills to fill up the extra one.

[@CMTransport156]

I have travelled on some of the refurbished 390 units in standard premium and first, the only complain i have is the catering fridge, it sounds like a jet engine and has the loudness of one too. It just ruins the comfort of the journey for me.

[@maimadha]

The refurbished pendolinos looks smart

[@anobre35]

Nice seats for me.

[@keithparker2206]

Considering the time Avanti have held the franchise, they STILL haven't got their house in order! They are not as bad as TransPennine Express (i.e. they do run the occasional train) but the service is still not as good as Virgin was. It is still not possible to reserve a seat on-line if you have an anytime booking or an interrail pass (always available with Virgin) without writing to Avanti weeks in advance of travel -- if they deign to reply. The sooner Avanti lose the franchise, the better.

[@72thewho]

Don’t know what they are like as the drivers are always on strike or Avanti mess up the timetables I can’t travel on them ! The Railway industry in this country is finished , using National Express in future

[@importedmusic]

I cant quite believe it. A train video that isnt a Caledonian Sleeper review!