Britain's BEST? LNER Intercity 225 First Class!

[@Matthew4TheWin]

When I had a bit of a laugh with NonStopEuro about your first voiceover they said you wouldn’t be doing another any time soon. Lol. Good on you Dylan. You are blowing all of the subtitle crowd out of the water. 🤗

[@royhumphrey49]

St Pancras Gardens - formerly a graveyard - It's a garden now, with a small church in the centre but the graves were moved in the 1860s by Thomas Hardy among others, and the Hardy Tree is an unofficial monument to the young Hardy's task. Gravestones piled around the base of a tree have - a hundred and forty years later - become part of the tree itself. The old church was relocated from Euston road, to make space for the Midland Railway Hotel and St Pancras station.

[@cmheadbanger]

Miss the 225s here in Scotland be unlikely for them return North of the Border, stuck with Azuma's now, I like the design of train reminds me of the X2000 Sweden's 225, with a Locomotive and DVT!

[@b00108982]

225s: "Come South of the border with me."

[@cmheadbanger]

@K F Yeah I know the Inter7City Short sets, yeah need to go on a trip on those sets somepoint soon!

[@mstrbool602]

Got my first trip on the 225 on Saturday. Azuma’s don’t do it for me!

[@dandagames6030]

I personally think that the atrium at kings cross is nice and airy, and definitely better than the monstrosity that was there before

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

The best feeling in the world, when the train pulls out of Kings X heading for Yorkshire.

[@paulbrown9802]

I think the atrium at the side works well and is a marked improvement on what used to be stuck on the front of the building!

[@timbounds7190]

Isn't it strange...I can remember when the Class91+mk4 were the newest thing on UK rails, now they are almost a nostalgia trip. The ride quality of the mk4s has always been a bit of an issue. When they were new, they threw you quite violently from side to side on the curves. They retro fitted some transverse shock absorbers which solved that problem, but there was always a high frequency vibration at speed (which the old HST mk3 sets didn't have). I attended a talk recently by someone involved with testing BR trains. He said that BR's engineers had designed a highly effective bogie for the mk4, but some higher ups decided at the last minute to fit Swiss Schliefen bogies on the grounds that Swiss trains ride well (!). However, they don't often go over 90mph and the bogies turned out to be sub-optimal. The Mk4s had lots of Air-Con issues in the early days as well, leading to several replacement designs! I wish I'd been able to travel on the Eurostar Regional sets that were used briefly by GNER - as the Eurostar sets rode superbly on the LGV, it'd been an interesting comparison with the mk4s on the ECML!

[@seaside-dn8dp]

Yeah going to miss the 225s. Lovely trains they are. I've ridden on a few and they have good ride quality. But the mark 3s have good ride quality as well.

[@soundseeker63]

Aren't the Mk4 bodies made by SIG? I've never noticed any vibration issues personally, though admittedly nothing beats a (properly maintained) Mk3 for smoothness. I did get to ride on the Eurostars on the ECML and it almost felt like you weren't moving at all. At 110mph (their top speed on the line) it was a complete non-event. Relaxing, but a tad boring, you could tell the train was built for more (which of course it was).

[@timbounds7190]

@@soundseeker63 No idea who made the bodies, but I do know that there was a late change of bogies in the spec. The vibration was notable if you got a cup of tea from the buffet - you didn't need to stir it before removing the tea bag, the liquid would positively quiver with the vibes and stir itself! Glad you got a ride on the Eurostars - that's how I expected them to have been like. We missed out there!

[@soundseeker63]

@@timbounds7190 As for high frequency vibrations, nothing can top the IETs for that! They shake shudder and rattle almost constantly!

[@timbounds7190]

@@soundseeker63 I've yet to have the pleasure of riding an IET.... I've heard a wide variety of options about them!!!!

[@VidIan262009]

I loved how you said, “I shan’t be needing them.” I love saying “shan’t” and seeing people. I could tell that Virgin were involved with the design of the trains even before you said anything. That red hue on the upholstery is a dead giveaway that it’s Virgin. As for the new King’s Cross concourse, I think I like it. In my opinion, what makes it work well IS the very strong contrast between the ultra modern and colorful concourse and the very historic building. You see each era in it’s own distinct grandeur, neither one blending into the other. I know there are other buildings in London (and other historical cities) where architects have done this type of thing, and in most instances I really like it as it honors both the past and the present. I would like to try these trains next time I’m in England. Thank you for the video!

[@andrewrobinson7641]

The lack of a first class catering offering is a story of the operator taking advantage of the customer. I have been regularly travelling on the ECML route in First since 1987. The catering product has declined consistently. We all understood when the catering was withdrawn in early 2020, but there can be no justification now. LNER catering staff are very frustrated by what is offered. Other UK and European operators can serve food. The excuse that they are trying to refine menus is just rubbish. When BA were not able to offer their normal catering service, I received a voucher to buy food at Heathrow to eat there or on the plane. My Christmas booking is at full price - if I just get that soggy "bacon butty", I will not be a happy traveller.

[@delboy7039]

Prepare to be unhappy....!!

[@roundandroundmyworld]

I did most of my train riding in the UK in earlier days, going through the transition from trains hauled by the old Deltics to the IC125, and then the IC225. I didn't notice much difference in the ride quality during the transition from the Mk 3 to the Mk 4 coaches. But I do remember that the original transition to IC225 was accompanied by a corresponding time reduction in the principal services between London and Edinburgh, which suggests that BR may have made more use of their full speed capabilities than is the case now. Anyway, you made my chuckle because I still think of the IC225 as "new" while you consider it "old" -- which I guess shows how old I am getting!

[@worigami]

LNER are taking their good time with the new menu, in the meantime the food offering is pretty poor. I travelled pre-pandemic with the James Martin inspired menu and that was pretty good. Earlier this year I took the long haul from York to Inverness and in 7 hours had one cheese sandwich, one panini and a some paltry nibbles. The hot panini was good although you'll have to ask, not something they verbally offer as an option. My advice is bring your own food. The staff are attentive when it comes to drinks, the Hop Ale is well worth a try, very nice indeed.

[@AlRoderick]

Fun fact about the 225, it's based on the design of the power car from the APT. Originally the advanced passenger train had a very unique design, effectively a headless electric locomotive in the middle of the train with driving vans on both ends, plus a mechanism for tilting the train 7 degrees through curves. That didn't last it had bad publicity and was kind of condemned by the press, plus there's a practicality issue of needing effectively two separate isolated train crews because you couldn't walk through the high voltage power car unless you were authorized personnel. But the design of the power car was pretty good overall, it had a low center of gravity and was very safe and stable, so they ditched the tilting mechanism and turned it into a more conventional locomotive with a cab on it to pull standard carriages instead, and that's the class 91.

[@mancubwwa]

The design of tilting system wasn't bad either, what failed in APT was lack of understanding of how human brain merges the information from visual stimuli with those from inner ear to create balance. The efect was a train that cancelled latteral g-forces a little too good, effectively making people seasick. After APT's failiure the tilting system patents were sold to Italians, who combined them with their own prototypes to create tilting system for the Pendolinos, producing most succsesfull family of high speed trains worldwide. And finally returned to UK in the form of Class 390.

[@roundandroundmyworld]

Fascinating bit of history, I didn't know about the Class 91 locomotive being derived from the APT.

[@stevenmoran4060]

Well it was a BR designed loco and not LNER.

[@soundseeker63]

@@mancubwwa I heard that when BR relaunched it in 1984 they'd figured that out and wound off a few degrees of tilt so a slight G-force could be felt. They managed to fix most of the unreliability issues with the hydrokinetic brakes too. But of course by that time the reports of sea sickness and unreliability had long since done the rounds, plus it was quite a complicated/expensive train to maintain, so sadly it got shelved.

[@manomaylr]

I wonder why the central power car didn’t have a narrow corridor, like on the class 755 Stadler FLIRTs on Greater Anglia.

[@ernestparker3648]

I used to be a regular traveller to the North East and the 225s were good, nice comfortable, why they were pensioned off for the horrible hatachi azumas is a mystery. I no longer use trains for long distance travel as I refuse to sit in uncomfortable seats and lighting the gestapo would be proud of. sadly I now drive.

[@samstravelvlogsinthenorthe9818]

I'm glad that the Monday videos are back

[@davidgriego549]

I like the architecture at Kings Cross where the old meets the new, the train ride was enjoyable

[@benrs99]

the lack of the full menu being back on LNER might feel a bit stingy, but my native ScotRail still haven’t reintroduced *any* catering options on their Intercity services 😭

[@sloth-gaming]

Offering food spreads or doing anything that costs extra spreads to covid or something... That's what they say!

[@paulharvey9149]

@@sloth-gaming And people bringing their own food and drink doesn't?

[@andyrob3259]

For a government that is so patriotic I find Scotrail admin rather insipid. Given it covers the entire country it could be great; maybe a rename to Caledonia Railways and a new paint scheme.

[@steveg4170]

I suspect a major fall in first class full-fare business passengers who during lockdown worked from home and met on Zoom and still do so. They haven't yet returned so giving LNER a financial headache. The skimpy Deli menu is a cost-cutting measure that may well remain their only offer until lost users return in large enough numbers to restore income to former levels.

[@alexandresanturian1513]

Greetings from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil! Excellent video as usual, thank you for sharing. I like both old and new architectural styles of King's Cross Station together, they work very well - for me they are complimentary. I have been at St Pancras station in 2018 and simply loved its stunning old style facade with its refurbished interior. For me Waterloo Station is also a beautiful one, I've been there too. All the best!

[@georgew5270]

enjoyed your commentary and I do like that they kept the facade of the old station.

[@johnakerman5428]

Until a couple of years ago I made this journey every month. I agree that the 225 coaches were really comfortable. In those days there was a menu "inspired" by James Martin. The food now on offer leaves a lot to be desired. The crew were always efficient and if you were lucky you got a third beer or glass of wine! Happy times.

[@patrickswan4537]

One of my best train journeys ever was a Friday evening LNER Kings X to Edinburgh service, about 3 years ago. HST hauled, first class with full dinner service. To think dinner service in a proper, comfy first class carriage is now largely a thing of the past in the UK. How standards have fallen.

[@DaveSuperThomas]

Transport for Wales offers a full cooked meals service in "Business Class" aboard its three weekday trains which run each way between Cardiff/Caerdydd and Holyhead/Caergybi . Great Western Railway also offers Pullman Dining on two weekday trains in each direction between Paddington and Plymouth with two courses for £25 and additional courses for £5 extra. You can access the Restaurant Car on GWR trains if you hold a Standard ticket, subject to space being available. It's a long time since Silver Service dining was available on the East Coast Main Line but I've had a "hot dish" - such as stew or curry - as part of the complimentary First Class offer on weekdays.

[@converse_inverse_reverse]

I think it looks great having the old Victorian building still there, only having glass and metal attached to the old building, and still having a bigger entrance with more shops. I love these kind of extentions, much better then trying to upgrade a building by completely ruining it.

[@buzzukfiftythree]

I remember the 1980s when on BR from Kings X to Newcastle we sat for most of the journey in the restaurant car having a delicious full english breakfast. How times change! On last LNER journey to Edinburgh and back the food was mediocre at best.

[@DC4260Productions]

Although I've never been to England in real life, I still like the Class 91s and Mk4 coaches. There's something so quintessentially 80s about their appearance that I like, plus I always prefer locomotives over multiple units.

[@neilbowers6956]

One of my favourite trips was when this route was operated by East Coast trains. I sat in first class from Peterborough to Edinburgh and the service was amazing as was the food too. It's nice to see LNER have returned the route to how I remember it. I wasn't a fan of it under Virgin trains.

[@samueliouterbridge3115]

I so enjoy these videos by DYLAN. I have watch for over a year and it is nice to see what DYLAN looks like. Thank you Sam from NEW YORK CITY.

[@michaelformaini7053]

Had three wonderful journeys on these IC225 sets whilst I was there in September/October 2018. Never got to see St.Pancras Gardens but I agree, Spooky! T'was a pity about the onboard catering, but I enjoyed the better offerings in place back in 2018. But,ooohh, tut, tut! I can see you need a lesson in how to pour a beer, Lad! Too much froth too early! Next time tip the glass slightly on an angle and pour slowly. The first class lounge is definitely worth the extra fare for the privilege. My limited experience of these was quite good. The seating layout in first class is quite well thought out and I love that single seats are available on both sides of the carriage, breaking up the straight line of the corridor. Standard Class looks quite well set out too, although my experience was first class all the way, except when I was in Scotland. Keep the reviews going, Dylan, you're doing a great job! Now let's see you pour a beer better in a future instalment. Cheers from the cheeky colonial from downunder.

[@470danadidas]

Good video. I hope LNER retain these old trains as they're far superior to the jerry built Azumas.

[@michalislamprinos38]

When I was living in London I used to visit King's Cross station. The atrium is very impressive. Lovely first class lounge 😊 A great journey and lovely train 🚆

[@EuroDC1990]

I do love the 225s and whilst there's many thinks I think are improved on the Azumas (especially the leg room) there's just so much that the 225s do better. The quiet coach at the very front where it obviously should be, better seats in first class (without the bizarre hard headrests), a fixed formation so you don't have to worry whether your train will be 5, 9 or 10 coaches long and really pleasant lighting and finishes. My only real complaint with the most recent refurbishment was the use of leather in first class, personal preference but I much prefer fabric seats myself.

[@gregghoulden4453]

The Azumas are terrible in first class. I used to travel twice weekly Paddington to Cardiff via the GWR 1st Class on the old 125. It was lovely but then came the Azumas. Hardly any difference between 1st and 2nd

[@arnoldspottingvideos5269]

Great video Dylan. I do like the intercity 225 sets they still have them on LNER 👍

[@soundseeker63]

I don't know if they really are Britains "best" but one thing that nobody is disputing is that they are far, far better than those awful Azuma IETs! Seat comfort, ride quality, noise levels, interior design.... all better on the train that BR cobbled together from bits of APT-P 30+ years ago. I do find it a real shame the remaining few sets are to be retired soon - they really ought to be refurbished and repainted in their classic Swallow livery because they are such a nice relaxing way to travel. Like the HST, they will be much missed when they are gone (and not just because their sucessors are so poor!).

[@mirandamom1346]

I used to be irritated by the mixture of architectural eras, but I’ve grown more tolerant. It’s like a collage of a building’s adventures.

[@nickhingle5534]

The atrium in London looks like the atrium @ Bellevue hospital in NYC. Bellevue dates back to the 1700s. Bellevue’s atrium is hooked up to the original building.

[@noggin48]

I love your Yorkshire humour Dylan, I think that you cannot beat the Victorian splendor of railway stations. I agree with you on your opinion of those 225 sets, very elegant indeed. I reckon that the three beers, were so when you arrived back in Yorkshire, you have the polished and rosy cheeked look, of a contented Yorkshireman! :)

[@Matthewsbuses1997]

Nothing beats the architecture of York station it’s seriously a true work of art built by Brunel I think but correct me if I’m wrong

[@barbb]

Looked like a nice trip. Started off a nice day in London, clouding over along the way. I figure for a 2 hr trip, the cold selection for lunch would be ok.

[@Christian-ox7qx]

As a Dutchman, I’m not used to onboard catering. I think it’s nice to have, but people must take into consideration that catering is never profitable, so ticket prises will have to go up. And I think in the UK they are already really expensive. Keep in mind that Dylan has a discount!

[@carolynalexander314]

Many moons ago I used to work at St Pancras Hospital, which can be seen in the background of your video of St Pancras Gardens. These were indeed a graveyard to St Pancras Old Church, and have some interesting tombstones etc. The Beatles filmed music videos there for Hey Jude.

[@BombsGaspan]

Cheers Dylan. I’ve only been on a 225 a couple of times, having been very familiar with 125s so they always had a bit of a mystery allure for me, especially in comparisons of the two similarly branded classes. Great to hear you’re moving to two videos a week!

[@richdodenhoff6846]

Thank you for making certain that there was no confusion between Newark, NJ and Newark, England. :)

[@904rivers96]

I live in Korea and I just cant get over that people TALK on trains in the UK. It's actually posted on the back of the seats here that no talking is allowed

[@Alan_Mac]

Another enjoyable trip. The KGX atrium is fine - a massive upgrade on what was before. 'Hop on Board' is rather good. Shame you can't buy it in the shops!

[@pedrorubiotejero_aka_prt]

3:38 Well, modern & old styles can meet and be great. For example, the Madrid-Puerta de Atocha station. Until 1988 (The date the old station closed), the current garden zone were the train platforms Video's score: 8.1

[@davidty2006]

Kings Cross is such a great station.

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

I think its more to do with planning laws related to historic buildings,they want to be sure its absolutely clear that its not part of the original structure. I'd imagine if they wanted to build it with wrought iron,they'd be turned down as it could me mistaken for original design.

[@andywelch2350]

02:41 there is a pub named The Sir Nigel Gresley.

[@finlaywilliammckay7183]

Brilliant these trains. Shame loads of them have been retired in favour for those awful class 800 units with their underfloor engines and seats that don't align with windows. Designed to cram in as many passengers as possible sadly. 225s at least have seats that don't cause backache and seats that actually align with the windows.

[@mccobsta]

So nice that they've still got some of the old beasts running

[@paulstedman4872]

Travelled 1st class on the azuma on sat. I have to say the mk 4 experience is way superior. How did they get it so wrong

[@physiocrat7143]

Department for Transport got involved in the specification.

[@physiocrat7143]

@Greg Davidson IET trains were incredibly expensive.

[@flashtheoriginal]

Enjoyed this. Really informative. Thank you

[@nilelg5]

I'm not sure about value when travelling from London to elsewhere but I took 1st class from Doncaster to Newcastle a few weeks ago and for about £5 more a ticket it was so good. A hot bacon roll, tea and biscuits in the morning and a sandwich, snacks and an option of alcoholic drinks is great. It's just a shame its quite a bit more than £5 to upgrade on the way to and from London. Great review like always Dylan.

[@1943L]

Nice old loco and set. Smooth by the look of it.

[@UndergroundRolo]

Very familiar with travelling with these out of Kings Cross up the ECML, so interested to watch this

[@davidturner6798]

Absolutely the tops, always make this trip when I am in the UK, the food and service is the very best in the UK.

[@TheSpotify95]

Just FYI, the reason why the Intercity 225s can only do 201 in regular service is due to the lack of in train signalling. as far as I am aware, only the Class 395 Javelins (in the South East) and the Eurostar trains can do more than 201 as they have the correct signalling on the Southeastern line.

[@aaronparsons877]

haven't seen these trains in ages they still look great!

[@duncanrhodes4778]

Really nice video. Pretty impressive value ticket, even allowing for the disappointing catering offer. Thanks Dylan.

[@jasonmoors1191]

A pleasant surprise to see this trip posted on a Monday! I thought you only did Fridays unless something has changed--what are Class 3 'Happy' trains? Interesting beer selection--that brand of Budweiser isn't available stateside,much less that size can from what I know--glad to see some form of catering,no matter what cost-cutting is involved--does this train continue on past Leeds or did you choose to go no further? What to do in Leeds after arrival? With the multitude of train trips you take,has any follower of your channel ever recognized you,giving you a shout-out,perhaps a quick chat?

[@bikerpaul68]

What to do in Leeds? After arriving, leave the station by the new south exit, cross the Leeds-Liverpool canal, and have a beer in the Midnight Bell, and a other one (or several) in the brewery tap at the Northern Monk Brewery. Then go back to the station and have a curry at the Tharavadu, just off New Station Street. And in summer, if you're lucky, the Leeds Rhinos might be playing a home game at Headingley Stadium!

[@kenmccormick8059]

Class 365 trains were known as 'Happy trains' due to the front end somewhat resembling a face. The beer you refer to, seen in the video (Budweiser Budvar), is brewed in the Czech Republic and has no connection with the well-known US brand now owned by Anheuser-Busch. Budweiser Budvar takes its name from the Czech city of Budweis (now České Budějovice) which has a history of brewing dating back to 1265. There have been many disputes relating to trademarks between the two companies. Budweiser Budvar is imported into the US under the name Czechvar. In the description, Dylan gives the train number as 1D17. I checked and this service does actually terminate at Leeds.

[@markmcniven2625]

Glad to see you're back to 2 videos a week now.

[@hippy9799]

Lovely video! I'm Japanese. I took LNER Intercity 225 First Class from Kings X to Edinburgh Waverley with BritRail Pass in 2019 July. It was so comfortable journey! Really impressed with three times served tea or coffee with light meals and the scene from the window. I'd love to ride Azuma from far east next visit, because I missed to ride it at that time.

[@MartinBrez]

Woop! Always like it when Newark (My hometown) gets a mention on your videos on the ECML 🎉

[@williamnightingale2285]

Nice to see that video. I think the atrium at Kings Cross works really well as it appears light, spacious and airy. Nice to spot that at Alexandra Palace you can still briefly glimpse the line of the 5 furlong chute of the old Alexandra Park racecourse which was within the palace grounds. The racecourse closed in 1970 and the stands demolished however it is still possible to trace and walk the old line of the course.

[@johnlladron735]

Great video, thanks a lot. The first class 225 experience up to Edinburgh was great back in the day, but LNER have really taken the COVID pandemic as an excuse and cut back on what they offer. There really shouldn't be any reason why the standard offering can't be available.

[@WayneKline]

Hello Dylan, another great narrated video, thank you for doing more of the narration’s, really good. Also good to see the return of the Monday video’s, that will keep you busy! 😅

[@AG-jn1ef]

I would definitely recommend LNER's Intercity 225s, they are great trains.

[@anthonywarrener1881]

Thank you for a great review. I agree with all that you say, and find the Mark IV stock vastly superior in every way to the dreadful Azuma trains ! Every Azuma I have travelled on has had very loud knocking noises in the suspension, particularly at high speed, and I am not surprised that severe cracking has been found in the suspension throughout the IET fleets . The LNER on-board catering in 1st Class is a disgrace, and there can be no reason other than penny-pinching for not providing a more substantial food service. This applies to the Azumas also. Many thanks.

[@kenstevens5065]

It's the same with almost everything in the UK, you pay through the nose and get worse service slowly but surely. Amazing as we are a so called consumer economy. I think we accept too much bad service as the norm. Complaining perhaps isn't the British way of doing things but that doesn't mean we have to accept a rip off Britain. As to the Azuma it's about time the train operators and the manufacturer did something about it's comfort level, build quality etc.

[@andyjamess]

12:43. I had 2 Hop on Boards on my way to see Iron Maiden in 2018

[@williamevans6277]

The no toasters or hairdryers gag is a little gift from Virgin Trains East Coast. Thanks Virgin

[@DaveSuperThomas]

In the good old days of the "East Coast Rewards" customer loyalty scheme the First Class lounge at King's Cross virtually became my second home. If ever I was spending a day in London on business I'd use it as an office, washroom and cafeteria. It used to be such fun looking down from the windows and seeing all the Diesel trains (with electric transmission) preparing to run "under the 25kV wires" to such exotic places as Aberdeen, Inverness, Sunderland or Hull. Of course, it was too generous a loyalty scheme to last for long, but it left me with happy memories of complimentary Prosecco by the bucketful on a convivial Friday evening ....

[@scottmcintosh2511]

The Mark 3 and mark4 coaches are the best passenger stock we have ever had in Britain. Their slow replacement by the Hitachi emus is a distinct decline in quality and passenger ambiance. I have always thought that the 'best of the best' were the GNER 'Mallard' refurbished trains. I used to commute quite frequently by the GNER service at one time and my favourite place to travel was in seat M3 of the afternoon down trains, that part of the coach had been the last hold out of smoking on the train and GNER had put a bulkhead - with door - to partition off a small 'Smoking Saloon', when smoking was finally banned in all of the train this area was given a deep clean and recovered seats to remove any lingering tobacco smells, but the bulkhead remained. The resulting compartment was often occupied by railway staff and officials, as I was also in the industry we had many interesting chats and much gossip about railway matters. The Steward brought the drinks trolley round very soon after we left the Cross and I would be into a very welcome G+T by the time we passed Ally Pally.

[@davebournemouth]

Great news Ive just seen on the LNER website, they have reintroduced hot food in first class after a very long time. no full English Breakfast, but its hot food and looks very appetising, A great improvement, well done LNER.

[@Bungle2010]

Breakfast is coming on the 19th.

[@TheMVberyl]

Dylan, thank you for including route distances. for a Tasmanian planning post Covid travel, it is invaluable.

[@amtrakharry]

Inter City 125's & 225's best trains ever!!! Thanks for sharing :):):)

[@andrewlloyd9077]

Love your voice ..

[@ecw0647]

I loved the mix of old and new in the station.

[@James-gf9jl]

Absolutely right. At least you get a toilet you can move in instead of one of those tiny soaking wet cupboards on the Azuma.

[@paulharvey9149]

I know what you mean about the atrium added to the side of Kings Cross, but it has given the station a life that it really never had before - as well as reducing the space between it and St Pancras. It's also great to see the original frontage of Kings Cross - as opposed to yet another branch of WHSmith... I agree that LNER's first class food offer is generally very poor these days. A few weeks ago I travelled south on the 1630 from Waverley, thinking I'd at least get the hot "Dish of the Day" (which itself was disappointing when compared with other offers), but apart from a single round of sandwiches and the brownie; all I was offered in addition were crisps and alcohol... It's very difficult to see why they can't at least offer to serve further items from the buffet car when trains run over a main mealtime - even if it was at an additional cost. To make matters worse, staff south of Newcastle were also surly and quite unfriendly - so that you almost felt guilty about taking what was on offer. In future I will be using Lumo, I suspect.

[@Humberto-F7]

Thanks for the ride !!!

[@stevieinselby]

The IC225s have always been my favourite intercity trains (much better than the HSTs, if they doesn't get me shot down in flames for saying it!). Completely agree that train operators should not be charging full fares for first class if the inclusive catering is not provided. (If they're still giving you all the freebies that are included but have a more limited menu for food you have to pay for on top of the ticket price then that is a different matter). I know train operators are in a difficult financial position at the moment, but this is a simple matter of not delivering the advertised service.

[@threeninetyexpress9243]

You’re not alone in preferring the IC225 to HST. I do as well. I really want to know if more will return to service.

[@stevieinselby]

@@threeninetyexpress9243 I doubt they will return to the East Coast, but it would be great to see Chiltern take on the Mk4 coaches to replace Mk3s on their loco-hauled trains like TfW have done.

[@threeninetyexpress9243]

@@stevieinselby Sorry, I was meaning the ones that are being overhauled by Wabtec. Only three Class 91s run per day on the ECML. Since they're overhauling 12 of them, I would hope they'd bring more running per day. But then again maybe not. I personally don't like the idea of MK4 carriages on Chiltern Railways because, If Chiltern receive MK4 carriages and don't receive Class 91s (For obvious reasons). That'll just mean, more 91s for scrap, which I don't want at all.

[@stevieinselby]

@@threeninetyexpress9243 I agree it seems wasteful to abandon the class 91s - but I don't know what other plans there are. The rationale I heard for replacing the IC225s with Azumas was that refurbishing the IC225s to the standard expected was not cost-effective, so it seems odd if they are now doing just that. With GC apparently abandoning their ambitions for a Blackpool service in the foreseeable future, I can't see any likely use for class 91s, other than reinstating them as the mainstay on LNER services that are all under the wires and cascading the surplus Azumas to other operators that would get more benefit from bi-mode trains. Which would be great for so many reasons, but I don't think it will be happening...

[@JISJ1964]

Peterborough used in "paper times" to be an important place on the map as the main office of Cooks was situated there and produced the important works "Cooks Continental Timetable" and Cooks Overseas Timetable" the two big companions for us Inter or Eurailing around.

[@sarribel]

Perpetual moaners will not like this, having travelled across Europe's railways for Quite a long time now, including France,Switzerland,Portugal, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, Britain's railways are back amongst the very best in the world. THX

[@dsdonovan]

Thanks for clarifying that it wasn't Newark, New Jersey :)

[@dsdonovan]

Also, you need to start a new Dylan's Beer Report sub-channel.

[@thatlonewolfguy2878]

I love the 225 sets, I must have ridden on one of the last services in Scotland of those sets back in February 2020 down south to Morpeth

[@sjc14031974]

One of these sets transported me from Peterborough to Edinburgh in 2019 where I was in Standard class. It was one of 3 train journeys I made on that particular day, the others being Ipswich to Peterborough and Edinburgh to Dunfermline Queen Margaret

[@CarolgTX]

I liked the train ride, but agree the food options should be returned to full service. As for the station, I love the juxtaposition. From roots to bloom.

[@TheMrTomkennedy]

It was nice to get back to your quietly civilised video, after the other stuff I'd watched today! Also, I think St. Pancras suffered from 'façadism,' something which we in Sydney are all too familiar with.

[@paultidd9332]

Like you having traveled LNER first class many times since the easing of travel restrictions in the country; I wish LNER would now come cleaning on what is going on with their first class catering off? It seems very clear passenger demand to travel first class has returned. tbh I never liked the leather seats after the mini-refurb they had and now I feel I’ve become an LNER Azuma convert!!

[@peak45]

Many people are now doing this sort of format but I still prefer your reviews.

[@transitcaptain]

It’s what I expected. A sort of redo of your other video just with a voiceover among other differences. I like it

[@manomaylr]

CURTAINS! They make the experience extra-special!

[@petermc7098]

Hello There, this is a great Travel Report, thank you for sharing this, it's much appreciated, it looks like a great journey. Cheers Peter :-)

[@TheBigLemon679]

The more I hear your voice, the more it sounds smoother 😴 Great video!

[@sodorflubbs5000]

I travel from Aberdeen to Newark Northgate. LNER is my train company. We are serviced by Azuma trains. I think the problem is the staffing. I feel there doesn’t seem to be so many staff on the train. I must admit, while I do miss the hot meals the variations in what we’re given during the day still gets me to Newark Northgate full as anything.

[@happyface96]

Credits for posting on Monday as you said you would, I know the amount of work needed to do that.

[@RICHM7BV7]

Train looks very good and it looks like a good value for first class. I would like to take a train in England I'd be coming from Chicago, and have taken trains with my train pass through Europe in 1974. It was great.

[@HayeS_DnB]

Yes yes big ups to Dylan

[@miniroll32]

Great report! Keep up the good work 😊

[@DavidChilson]

Thanks to my connecting train being late into Peterborough, I got to ride the IC-225 when I visited York last week. I got a decent Mocha coffee and a good Bacon Roll from the buffet car. I wasn't able to get a picture but the tail car was the Scottish flag one.

[@timgee999]

Omg, I have just watched your video, and this year I have traveled from Grantham to kings cross and back 3 times in first class and I never new there was a first class lounge at kings cross to use. How frustrating.

[@streaky81]

After riding them up north and back once a month for 10 years, now they're gone I don't miss 'em. Pretty amazing engineering achievement though. I've never once been upstairs or in the lounge at Kings Cross since it was redeveloped, shows how on time I usually am for my train..

[@albe6253]

I don't know LNER's plans; in Spain since november Renfe has reintroduced the cafeteria, first class lounges and at-seat meal service (last one only in AVE and Euromed), and this is called now "Billete Premium". The menus are new and created by spanish chef Ramon Freixa.

[@hoppersmotorsportvlogs]

Awesome video again Dylan I've been to Doncaster to visit my brother in law many times and looking forward to many more videos

[@dfbiker]

Oh my god. I never knew that those gardens existed.

[@martyns398]

Another great, educational and entertaining video! I've watched London's KX develop over nearly 60 years and always like to spend time there - usually before a trip back to Leeds. I sent links to this video to some friends in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada; everyone in these places loved your style and commentary....but!.... everyone ALSO asked why you didn't show, or even mention Harry Potter! It seems Harry Potter's link with King's Cross is more famous than a statue of the famous steam-train designer!! (Maybe next time?!) Harry Potter traveled via an unusually named platform of course. I remember getting quite confused when I had to find the hidden Platform Zero! Thanks again.