Britain's WORST train operator? | Arriva Cross Country

[@Vanmanyo]

Thanks for your support on this video! Do check out my similar videos to this and do consider subscribing and joining the channel, thank you 😆😆 Edit: In late July 2024, XC announced cuts to its Reading to Newcastle and York services until November citing a lack of trained drivers, so things have not improved for the TOC!

[@andrewmelbournetransport]

Honestly Transpennine Express will always be worst operator not Crosscountry

[@Gregthebaka]

@@andrewmelbournetransportthat’s what I was gonna say

[@ILovePlanes787-10]

@@Gregthebakalol😂

[@funnygallie7863]

I agree. Before crosscountry retired the HSTs, the trains from Banbury were 9 or 10 coaches. They’re now usually 4. I haven’t been able to get a seat on crosscountry since 2021

[@MrTudwud]

100% Correct. I see this regularly - see my post on here.

[@paulinegeorge289]

Excluding not going out during lock down, I have stood in vestibules more often than use a seat since 2018 when traveling from Banbury.

[@BoraCM]

​@user-bv5lc1nf5dTrains are literally the least carbon emitting mode of transport per person that isn't walking, cycling, or anything else that you propel yourself.

[@BoraCM]

@user-bv5lc1nf5d Is that genuinely the reason given? If it is, that is prime idiocy. Less capacity means more people in cars and planes, which means way more emissions. We need as much capacity as possible.

[@mattevans4377]

​@user-bv5lc1nf5dBecause it's about money, and rinsing car drivers for all they are worth, with them having no alternative, makes a ton of money.

[@KingEurope1]

Easily the worst in my opinion, and it’s not even close. Dangerous levels of overcrowding, horrendous reliability coupled with the worst delay repay terms of any TOC, a 1st class service that the Advertising Standards Authority recently reprimanded them over, their Twitter frequently has some bizarre Fawlty Towers esque customer “service” that’s actively and needlessly hostile, their Class 170s all have a design fault that pumps the smell of the toilets throughout the entirety of their filthy trains… I could go on and on but this comment would be 5000 words long. Anyway great video 😅

[@taipizzalord4463]

We dont want a refurb we want new and much longer 12 car trains. The whole XC route should be electrified but it is not.

[@Oscar.w07]

Yesterday there was a 4-car service from Aberdeen-Penzance like wth?

[@gwrydd]

Unfortunately they’re getting avantis voyegers

[@georgepom328]

Some of the lines they serve can't take that amount of coaches

[@Vanmanyo]

Refurb and longer trains please!!!

[@Weegiegreek]

Not possible to electrify all

[@IDeltic]

I live in Warwick (one stop from Leamington) and a couple of years ago I went on holiday with my mum to Mudeford (near Bournemouth). We went on the train and there is a direct Cross Country train from Leamington to Bournemouth, but it says a lot about the experience on those trains that we decided to instead use other companies, requiring us to change at Banbury, Didcot Parkway, Reading and Basingstoke, JUST to avoid the Cross Country.

[@BluejayElectra]

I remember, once the HSTs were gone from CrossCountry, the 13:35 departure from Bristol always became overcrowded after that. It was so bad on the first week that the information boards would always label it as FULL AND STANDING Even better, that 13:35 was a HST diagram before withdrawal... replaced by a single 220 or 221

[@Danse_Macabre_125]

7 coaches replaced by 4 or 5 is even worse when you remember a Voyager with five coaches has a non-negligible number of seats LESS than an HST with only four, let alone seven.

[@win7sony]

I've been looking forward to this one and I wasn't dissapointed. Living in the Southeast, I don't encounter XC very often, but when I have, I've almost always been totally appalled by the service. I was once stranded at Coleshill Parkway for over 3 hours in the dead of winter! There was also one incident, and I don't make accusations like this easily, but let's just say one of their revenue officers was extremely rude to me while checking my ticket, but polite to everyone else. I just happen to be mixed race. Of course, that's an isolated incident and not representative of the staff as a whole, many of whom I've found very polite and helpful, but I've only ever experienced rudeness on that level from railway staff twice in my whole life. One good thing that's happened recently is the end of 2-car sets on Birmingham-Peterborough route which could get horrendously overcrowded, but as you mentioned, those interiors are really tired and dirty. I've even seen seat cushions completely missing. Some people have suggested that one of the reasons XC so consistently underperforms is politics - the network is not really anyone's local railway like most other TOCs are, so the political will that would otherwise be instilled by local MPs to improve things doesn't really touch CrossCountry. I think there's some truth in that.

[@SFSEfartman]

The reason XC underperforms is down to rolling stock issues and the routes they cover, which all is arranged by DfT when they gave out franchises. Since COVID all railway decisions have been made by the DfT and because the government have been wanting to cut costs (hence one of the reasons for the strikes), XC hasn't had any new trains for a while. Their newest trains is almost 20 years old. The recent decision to overcome crowding on the Cardiff routes is to give an extra carriage to some of the 2 car 170s. 60ish seats extra, which even I can see isn't going to solve it. In an ideal world, their long route services should be 9+ carriages long similar to Avanti's 390s.

[@Vanmanyo]

Thank you! Sadly 2-car services are still common using the 170s, I saw one to nottingham (it might feature in the video) and it was so so so so busy I couldn't even describe it to you!

[@jamesgoodman1733]

I don't like cross country's first class because they only put kitchen roll that says "CrOsS cOuNtRy FiRsT cLaSs" and change the colour of the seat to a Purple/pink colour, What a scam!

[@simonboulton4490]

I contacted the department of transport a few months ago about the with drawl of the HST sets and asked them which class of train they were going to replace them with and they never answered the question.

[@Vanmanyo]

Too scared to say nothing I assume!

[@craigsimpson6156]

Cost is another issue. A train from Birmingham New Street to Edinburgh, 6 weeks in advance was £136.10 one way when flying was from £49 one way, even when adding on luggage, it was still cheaper and quicker to fly. It often works out cheaper to drive on my own than to take the train and is ironic.

[@Vanmanyo]

Good point! Cost is an issue across the rail network though!

[@craigsimpson6156]

@@Vanmanyo Not completely agreed on this. The West Midland Authority area I think is very good value. As example for students, Selly Oak to Birmingham New Street is about 3.5 miles and return train is £3.70, cheaper than 2 buses. Or further journeys are less than £6 return with free parking too.

[@AFCManUk]

It's hard to say whether or not getting a seat on a Crosscountry service is a good thing, as the seats are EXTREMELY hard and uncomfortable.

[@funnygallie7863]

At least it’s not standing up for 3 hours

[@AFCManUk]

@@funnygallie7863 Been there, done that. At least my ass didn't feel like it was burning in pain when I was standing up in the vestibule!! lol

[@MrTudwud]

Leaning up against a door whilst sniffing the beautiful odours from a Voyager's toilet is a lot worse!

[@annabelholland]

@@funnygallie7863 yeah even though XC is a cross country service (hence the name) many people stay on it for 2 hours max. Same can be said for East Midlands railways' Norwich to Liverpool service with only 2 cars. It's not uncommon for me to have to sit next to a someone or stand up.

[@maimadha]

@@AFCManUk when CrossCountry operated the InterCity125 sets it was the best passenger train the company had ever used

[@KennySC]

It will be good when Avanti's Voyagers go to XC; plus due to refurbishments they're in a decent condition. I agree that Cross Country should get bi-mode units in the future - I assume this may shorten journey times slightly, allowing more frequent services. Otherwise, if the railways do get re-nationalised or something, hopefully the cross country routes & rolling stock will get some much needed upgrades.

[@ianmcclavin]

Yes, it makes sense to be able to use the wires where they exist, which the Voyagers are unable to.

[@ValentaPower]

Cross Country is definetly the worst TOC, in my opinion. Awfully poor catering, ridiculously short stock being used on long services, chances of getting a seat being awfully low, the list goes on!

[@Vanmanyo]

Yeah the catering is terrible! First class from Birmingham to Manchester and no catering at all! Plus, they removed the cafe shops on board because Virgin didn't order enough luggage facilities for them... the voyagers are woeful! So is the operator in general!

[@ValentaPower]

@Vanmanyo If only the voyagers had been built with 7 - 10 coach formations, with good buffet and luggage facilities. Ah well, one can dream…

[@zackerist2]

rode on a 8 car twin voyager set on wednesday from york to chesterfield, each coach was decently balanced out in terms of passengers and no one was standing compared to my trip from chesterfield to york, on a single voyager. nearly half of the train consisted of people standing!! i love XC, however their faults lay at the hands of their stock. and their refusual to upgrade.

[@philstraintravels9281]

I catch that same train and often pay the extra for first class just to get a seat. Just last week I was crammed in the vestibule between Chesterfield and Sheffield and then in the mad scramble when people got off was "lucky" enough to find a space in the wheelchair space with my head tilted under the luggage rack.

[@zackerist2]

@@philstraintravels9281 yikes, they really shouldnt have removed the HSTs on that service, makes going to newcastle / york a real pain for me...

[@philstraintravels9281]

I frequently catch the Chesterfield to York (Penzance to Edinburgh) train and it is pretty much always overcrowded and standing room only. The train managers have even started apologising during the announcements that the overcrowding is now a regular thing on this service. I now often pay for first class just to get a seat, but even first on the 221s just means a lumpy seat that is often stuck in the recline position. There have been a few occasions where it's been so crowded that even 1st class has been standing room only. The carpets are often threadbare and the only "extras" you often get are a drink and a biscuit, actual food is very rare unlike that I've seen on other services. Waiting at Chesterfield and York stations I often wonder if it would save time if they changed the frequent announcement "The CrossCountry service to _______ is running x minutes late" and just announced those that were running on time.

[@William-ty2lt]

I use cross country trains a lot from Banbury and in my experience, their train crews are beyond fantastic, they are always so friendly, helpful and efficient but that is only in my own experience. The main issue is that there is such a limited train service at present from Reading to Newcastle and half of them terminate at York and whilst this is due to cross country trains being short on rolling stock, this has led to the Bournemouth to Manchester services being extremely overcrowded. The Reading to York and Newcastle trains are not even 2 hourly throughout the day, they are even less frequent. Hopefully this improves significantly in 2025 and 2026. I was doing some train spotting yesterday and even though the 15:03 service from Birmingham to Edinburgh was 5 coaches, it was still packed. Would not be such an issue if cross county had gone back to pre covid hourly Reading - Newcastle services. I cannot wait for next year for cross country to get more trains, personally I find their train crew excellent, just being let down by massive overcrowding thanks to the management, DFT as well. Same with Chiltern as well ( Obviously with different routes).

[@johnlochness]

I often travel around the South West by train and when my booking shows Cross Country my heart sinks. The inside of their trains are dull, grubby and depressing. The seats are uncomfortable with terrible legroom.

[@Clivestravelandtrains]

You could simply book with an alternative TOC, even if a bit dearer, like I do.

[@geoffcorker6882]

@@Clivestravelandtrains Me too. Oxford to Birmingham is quicker and more direct with XC.....but after several nightmare journeys refuse to use them any longer. Now use Chiltern Railways although inconvenient having to change stations in Bicester plus a longer overall journey a least i get a seat on a clean and reliable train....will never use XC ever again😳

[@DMVRailfan]

I said this a few times through comments but I was on a 4 car from Exeter to Manchester via Birmingham which was extremely overcrowded and tight, and when I got a seat it was one of the worst I was in. The lady sitting next to me told me how terrible it is and that it’s the most expensive TOC in the country. And that was the last time I’ll ever ride with CrossCountry

[@DMVRailfan]

@@geoffcorker6882I was heading to Edinburgh and there was a XC that was almost empty, and I just decided to let it go by after a terrible experience I had earlier with them and risk not being able to get a seat on the LNER 5 minutes behind.

[@horchan1216]

Definitely one of the few TOCs that needs some serious review of demand vs what's being run nowadays. Was based in Coventry for work and had to regularly use the services to both West and East Coast services from West Midland. Some of the most uncomfortable journeys I ever undertaken!

[@DKS225]

Now a cynic might suggest that Virgin when they held The XC Franchise acted hastily in offloading their HST's and the sight of hired sets for Summer Saturdays from other operators is evidence. Some might agree but Summer Saturday additionals have been a feature of the railway in the sunny south west since Queen Victoria was on the throne. And Cross Country are bound to run them as a condition of their franchise whether anyone uses them or not. They once had to operate an empty service to Ramsgate every Saturday believe it or not.

[@Vanmanyo]

It's a shame companies aren't more 'creative' like that now. I doubt we'll see a XC special Summer service for a few years now. It's also a shame Brighton and Kent miss out on XC services as they're quite cut off from everywhere except London! However if they're not profitable they're not profitable... Perhaps nationalisation would allow for services like these to be reinstated regardless of profitability? Well we'll find out in a few weeks!

[@ianmcclavin]

Brighton now has direct services to Cambridge as well as Bedford, plus connections via Portsmouth to Bristol and Cardiff, so still plenty of longer distance travel available with just one change of train (not necessarily in London), but yes, through Cross Country services to places like Oxford, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh ceased some years ago.

[@Clivestravelandtrains]

@@Vanmanyo I'm not sure I agree that Kent is isolated - in April I travelled from my home in Glasgow down to Dover with a swift walk between Euston and St Pancras, and it was relatively easy.

[@BrokenIET]

The time before last I was on a Cross Country service, my sister ended up having to alight at Bristol Temple Meads, where she vomited, after fainting on the train and having to be virtually carried out the door by my dad. This was entirely due to the lack of ventilation in the 221s and 220s, and the overcrowding- There were 27 people in the vestibule, NOT counting people in the toilet. Granted, a strike timetable combined with Bath christmas market didn’t help- but it was 12:00, I hate to think how bad it would’ve been at rush hour, and GWR 9 and 10 car IET services managed just fine. The 2 car 158 we got back managed the capacity better than a supposed express train which ran between Exeter and Manchester. Cross Country seriously need to invest in new rolling stock and a new timetable. I think the 220s and 221s would work a lot better with TfW or semi-fast workings on the ECML with LNER or something, not long sevices along the Bristol-Exeter and WCML and up into Scotland. Side note: Huge credit to the GWR staff at Temple Meads for taking care of my sister to the best of their abilities.

[@busspottb]

I had a 1st class ticket for a trip to Cardiff and I had to use Cross Country from Taunton to Bristol Parkway and I didn't get a seat WITH A 1ST CLASS TICKET

[@ILovePlanes787-10]

How🤬

[@ProdByJDee]

One day me and my family went to Drayton manor via cross country. When we finished our day out, we went to Tamworth station and all three services to Nottingham (and were the last ones to get) were cancelled due to train crew unavailable. My family didn’t know what to do until we got instructed to get a train to derby, which took an hour, then change for an EMR service to nottingham. The cross country service was packed and had no seats. Luckily I only had to travel 4 stops. I had to wait 15 mins for the emr service to Nottingham and the whole journey wasn’t planned to be like this. I just don’t understand why 3 Trains were cancelled one after another. And only due to train crew unavailable.

[@Clivestravelandtrains]

I live in Glasgow, but never use XC unless no alternative. We now only have one service per day out of Glasgow. I often go down to Yorkshire, but I just ignore XC options even if they are cheaper, as the trains are so awful inside. If I'm left with no alternative I try to remember to pack my own cushion! People I know will usually fly to Southampton or Bristol which is usually cheaper, quicker and easier than the XC train. Regarding electric traction - TP currently operate a Newcastle-Edinburgh "stopping" service, and the bi-mode trains use diesel power because there seems to be a supply issue for electricity on the ECML north of Newcastle. I don't quite understand it, that's what I've been told by a number of sources. Thanks for the video.

[@Vanmanyo]

I didn't even know about the TPE supply issue for the ECML! That seems ridiculous. Brand new fleet of electric trains just to be used on diesel 🤦

[@Clivestravelandtrains]

@@Vanmanyo I first noticed this when I did my film about Reston station, and I mentioned it at around 2:29. You can use that clip if you need to in the future (with a credit). kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5_MempmeriNiJo

[@lovefive5733]

A great video, Cross-country are apparently getting EMR,s class 222 trains once EMR,s new iet stock ( Auras ) are in full operation. 😊😊

[@EuroDC1990]

CrossCountry is a really difficult one because I think it's a combination of the DfT not understanding how important it is and Arriva being absolutely awful at doing anything, even the bare basics. The voyagers themselves are fundamentally very good trains, the onboard ambience is fabulous, the seats are comfortable and they'd be perfectly suited to some roles. Get them on Transpennine routes, Cardiff to Portsmouth or some of the Welsh intercity routes and they'd be fabulous. In the short term what's needed is a bit of TLC for the fleet which they're thankfully getting now and potentially a bit of a cut back network to allow longer trains on the core network - have ScotRail and GWR run longer trains where CrossCountry leaves the market and ensure decent connections. Not ideal but it's an idea. In the medium term, move the 222s over to CrossCountry as they leave EMR to allow longer trains and to build out the routes again, and look at using the retired 68+Mk5s from TPE on Nottingham - Cardiff to allow the 170s to run in multiple on Birmingham - Stansted services. In the long term a new fleet of 10 car bi-mode trains should be ordered to replace the voyagers, with a few tweaks the 80x trains would be perfectly suited for that. The voyagers can then be transferred to the routes that currently use 170s and to potentially expand CrossCountry operations to include other long distance interregional services which really should be considered CrossCountry already.

[@malvinjnrn7784]

They need to 9 car sets for their longest routes

[@aldershotcoinclub]

I regularly use xc services between Basingstoke and Birmingham International/ new street, and it has been truly shocking how bad the service is, always delayed, trains pulling up, doors opening and people packed in with no room for anyone else to get on, standing from Birmingham to Basingstoke last time I nearly collapsed in the heat as the air conditioning wasn't working in a heatwave, I actually got a full refund on my ticket last time as the train was over 30mins delayed and conditions onboard were so bad I did complain to xc. Interesting that in reply to my complaint xc stated they had maintenance staffing issues, which was causing less trains to be available and low risk maintenance repairs like the air conditioning to not be undertaken, atleast with avant I'm able to get a seat, and if not pay 15 pound for the premium seat upgrade 👍

[@simonwindsor1127]

Used CrossCountry today, the 17:15 from Wolverhampton to BristolTM, and the trains was packed, with probably 20-40 people standing in each of the 4 carriages. The use of 4 carriage trains on these routes should be banned.

[@FlanMangler]

Despite being on one of their core routes (Chesterfield) I actively avoid them, even if it means using alternative operators and changing trains - recently went to York and I chose to get Northern via Sheffield & Leeds there and ECML to Doncaster then Sheffield on the way back - yes it took longer and yes, it was more of a faff but at least: 1) I Got a seat and 2) The train wasn't ridiculously rammed and 3) Didn't stink. I think it's fair to say that when you actively AVOID the most direct & fastest operator, there must be a problem

[@joj.]

I can count on one hand the number of times I've pre-booked a seat on the Voyagers and *not* had to stand in the vestibule because the carriage was so overcrowded I couldn't even get to the seat to ask for it. XC are a horrific failure, with no willingness to improve for the almost 2 decades they've been operating. Frankly the biggest failure of the DfT is that they should have lost their franchise years ago.

[@StocktonTransport]

Some of the interior can feel run down and dirty at times, but the seats are actually comfier than most modern day high speed companies. Well, that's if you can get a seat on the four car services.

[@rankedcitizen]

Cross country desperately NEED to order a new rolling fleet stock of trains with atleast 8-10 coaches

[@jameswright7284]

Genuinely most journey should be 8 car minimum with the Aberdeen - Penzance service being 10 car minimum. It would be nice if we got Voyagers on the New Street - Cambridge runs as they won't fit on the platforns at Stansted. I have a feeling at somepoint they might invest in bi-mode units whether that is becuase of contractual obligations or they'll be able to get a grant from the DFT. Hopefully the Avanti Voyagers will help ease overcrowding a little

[@acfbrown1]

The problem is the lack of rolling stock on Crosscountry. I've pretty much avoided Crosscountry, I only remember travelling with them from Macclesfield to Oxford in 2012 and Edinburgh to Morpeth in 2013. My sister has used them a few times between Edinburgh and Leeds though.

[@MancTrainGuy]

As a frequent train rider most of xc's trains from Manchester get overcrowded because it being the next train that is going on the same route as a cancelled avanti

[@AgelessStones]

Informative, nice footage, chill narration, top quality stuff bruh

[@Vanmanyo]

Much appreciated 😆

[@RW-nr6bh]

As was recently pointed out in Private Eye, XC doesn't operate services into London and therefore is somewhat neglected by politicians who never use it.

[@astropenguin7]

I'm lucky enough to have experienced Southern Rail and their incredible path to improvement. I think that give it 2 - 3 years and they'll possibly have good capacity trains. Speaking to XC staff in my one journey it's clear its not the TMs fault. I'd welcome XC expanding to my local in the future, but only when their service is suitable.

[@Anonymoususer_8823]

Could CrossCountry inherit redundant DMU trains to boost more extra capacity on the North-South route since they got rid of the Class 43 Mk3 HSTs. And to use Class 220, Class 221 and Class 222 DEMUs that are to be replaced by new trains on Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway.

[@Vanmanyo]

Well the UK has a DMU shortage... Chiltern, GWR, XC, SR all want them! We need more DMUs really! It's not like XC are gonna go in for redundant class 150s soon... the 175s should be in service though!

[@Anonymoususer_8823]

⁠Totally agree.

[@jimbobafrodite]

Yeah I can't believe cost wasn't mentioned in this video. I used to work for XC in Leeds in the mid 2010s so was able to benefit from free travel but now living in Southampton and paying for train journeys again, if I wish to go back to visit Leeds by train...the least hassle way of doing the journey is to use XC from Southampton to New Street and just have the one easy change to the service towards Edinburgh. Problem is even booking in advance I'm looking at at over £300 for the return journey, and that's for (in my opinion) a far inferior quality of on board experience to that of going via London. Southampton to Waterloo and then King's Cross to Leeds, does involve the hassle of connecting across London on the tube, but can be done for as little as £70 return on advance purchase tickets. Not to mention enjoying 10 car trains on SWR and 9 car trains on LNER, so very rare that you aren't able to get a decent seat for the whole journey. I swear XC think that because for large swathes of their route they have little or no competition they can just charge ridiculous amounts to passengers and milk them dry

[@lonun67]

If only if the Voyagers get rebuilt into 'eVoyagers' back in the 2010s. They could have seen vast improvements and additional capacity thanks to the addition of a pantograph car. I don't think the Voyagers would ever turn electro-diesel during the 2020s overhaul. I think the livery is a-bit overdesigned for the Voyagers, I would prefer the Turbostar livery applied to the entire Cross Country fleet.

[@keirrobinson4156]

I've never forgiven XC for the downgrades they made to the onboard catering among other things. Also, I travelled regularly between Manchester and Glasgow from 2004 to 2010, previously the service was run by Virgin XC but with the franchise changes, they were transferred to TPE who also downgraded that route. From that point on I always looked for journeys involving a change at Preston rather than a direct train.

[@lewiss626]

Another issue I was told by someone who worked at XC before that the 221/220s aren't ETMS compabable apparently. whether that means they would need to be retro fitted or can't run under the system at all i'm not sure.

[@ooliver]

I remember when I was younger, I had to sit on the floor of the doorway eating mcd from birmingham ns to nottingham - which has always been 2 coaches despite at that time needing at least 4, at least our tickets were funded by the children's hospital at the time

[@kevinellis8869]

I used to use Bournemouth-Birmingham regularly and now use Nottingham-Birmingham and Derby-Leeds on a weekly basis. It's depressing to see the number of units undergoing maintenance at Central Rivers, the long distance services need to be 8/9 coaches and Nottingham-Cardiff need to be 4/5 coaches. I'm not sure all the WMR 170s are going to EMR so there should be scope to bolster the fleet.

[@Vanmanyo]

All the Ex-WMR 170s are at EMR already sadly!

[@eternalturtle2439]

South Western Railway are high competition for worst operator! Traveling with them daily is a full blown nightmare, especially on their forgotten West of England route!

[@Mike-kc8rl]

My only experience with XC is when visiting the NEC on a few Sundays,and I don't think I've ever gotten a seat ? Especially on the return journey! Nearly all were five car sets! Arriva simply doesn't invest in vehicles on the road or the rail! Maybe things will change now DB are no longer the owners?

[@ILovePlanes787-10]

I went there a few years ago and it is massive

[@HstGary]

Why did they retire the HST before they had a suitable replacement ,bad management decision what planet do they live on, its not rocket science no consideration for the fare paying passengers,they deserve to be the worst railway company.

[@craiglogistics2092]

How can you replace a 9-car HST with a 4-car Voyager?

[@thesudricmerman3318]

other day i was traveling on cross-country train from Cheltenham to Sheffield and it was very short just 4 coaches going all the way to Edinburgh cross country service should be 13 coaches at bar minerals as the train i was on way very dangerous over crowed and only matter off time until some bad going happen hate to think what could happen if service did derail or worse wise dangerous over crowed 😬

[@Vanmanyo]

Ive had many a trip like that sadly.... Services definitely need to be 8 coaches at minimum and preferably more like you say! Im going on them tomorrow so, wish me luck!!!

[@axtonhaltjoshua6361]

One time, I was heading from reading to basingstoke and had to sit in the vestibule of a voyager. it was so overcrowded when the food trolley came thought I had to go under the luggage rack. the service was meant to be 9 coaches, but because of either a coupling fault or an engine fault 221 wasnt there, worst part was. we got stuck at a red just outside reading green park for about 20 minutes

[@yuritrainspotting]

My ass waiting on n Sheffield because they promised electrification in the 1950s and Nigel freshet had to design an electric train for a route between Sheffield and Manchester (still not happened)

[@Speedster-jw7qx]

Ever heard of the woodhead line

[@HJFam]

This is so true, I do dance lessons in Leeds and I am stunned by cross country, they service schedule is good and their trains are mostly on time but what makes me so mad is how I need cross country to be able to get places and they put 4 carriges to edinborough ITS PATHETIC and they put 8 carriges on quiet services and when its a event or a football match they put 4 car on they shoudlnt of retired theyre hst

[@ianbrown4411]

They are also sooooo expensive. I travel from Cardiff to Leeds quite often. A single bought a few days before the journey costs double to go GWR/XC via Bristol than it does to go TFW/TPE via Manchester. The Manchester route takes about 30 mins longer but that's neglegable on a 4-5 hour journey.

[@kevinrowett9334]

I have recently had to travel from Leeds to Swansea a few times, after travelling with XC from Derby to Cardiff on one trip, my following 2 trips were Leeds to London Kings Cross, then London Paddington to Swansea, a far more pleasant journey.

[@loftlegacy]

I’ve had some bizarre journeys on XC. The height of lunacy saw a guard threaten to throw a woman off as she’d stored her pram was stored in the wheelchair space. The woman said she’d gladly move it if anyone needs or and when her baby, who was asleep in her arms, woke up. The guard ranted and raved at her and said he get her arrested. What a plonker! What I find utterly bizarre is how empty first class is. With eye watering fares, and little advantage booking in advance, it’s not surprising.

[@magicjack4076]

I was going from Birmingham to Leicester, was rush hour and the previous train got cancelled. We have 2 trains into one, I almost about suffocated with how many people was there

[@wilsonator2008]

When I was travelling from Leeds to York for work I’d actively try get the TPE or Northern services where possible entirely to avoid XC services and that was 7 years ago. Even now, if I’m travelling to Sheffield, Wakefield or York for work I’d rather get Northern, TPE or LNER services where applicable purely to try and avoid XC services

[@thomascross6871]

I swear every time I travel on a XC class 170 the seats always seem to be wobbly or falling to bits and the voyagers are always packed like a tin of sardines, honestly the thought of travelling with XC gives me the ick.

[@ejc7129]

Great video. Virgin were over optimistic and ill advised with “Operation Princess” in 2003, leaving a legacy fleet of trains to short for their intended purpose…the Voyager 🫣 I can remember diesel hauled XC services under BR in the 1980’s being at least ten coaches long. Fast forward 40 years and you have a train a roughly third of a size running between Edinburgh and Plymouth while the population of this country has increased a great deal since the 1980’s…it just does not add up. XC can take 12 extra Avanti 221’s, but this won’t solve the overcrowding completely 🤔 losing the HST’s was a travesty for capacity, but thats a different story. Which ever way you look at it, Voyagers are not fit for purpose for a vast network like XC. The DFT and Arriva need to invest in a fleet of 9 or 10 car bi-mode trains to utilise the 25KV between New Street & Manchester and between Glasgow/Edinburgh & Wakefield . A 9 car IET or something similar could provide 1 and three quarter coaches of 1st class (including a small cafe bar) and 7 coaches of standard class accommodation which by GWR AT300’s provides around 580 standard class seats. Further electrification between Birmingham/Wakefield and Doncaster would be a great idea plus Birmingham to Bristol too, utilising the 25KV option more, but alas, this all requires “Money”, so don’t expect any of these improvements anytime soon 🤔

[@jakemoxham7371]

Didn't they get GNER in the summer aswell that went via Bath spa and Westbury to Paignton think it was the 07.35

[@jakemoxham7371]

From Bristol temple meads

[@jimbo6059]

I do miss the Sussex Scot. I used to get it at times from Redhill to Kensington Olympia as I worked in high street Kensington at the time. This was am inter city train with a loco amd MK 3 coaches.

[@qinjuanni6382]

There could be a bi mode voyager as there was a project that would add a pantograph onto the voyagers but was cancelled so unlikely

[@harry7608]

I was delayed for over two hours on a cross-country train due to overcrowding and then a fire by the track outside of Gloucester. When claiming delay repay, I had to take the complaint to the rail ombudsman because my complaint was ignored. This process took over 60 days!! TFW and GWR are much better for owning their mistakes in my experience.

[@solsburian]

With renationalisation on the cards (at last), with their franchise ending in 2027 at the earliest, it could make things interesting. Unless they are contractually committed to refurbishments (I don't think they are), would it be commercially worthwhile to do it? Also, with the 222s not having a long term home, I guess they may have a role in improving capacity. The real fix would be the replacement of the Voyager fleet with a new build of bi modes at least 7/8 coaches in length at least (just like the old HST and Mk2 fleets). Regardless what happens, it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

[@OfficialRyanx]

I’m surprised you didn’t go into why XC are in the mess they are in with rolling stock. Virgin’s plan was to run an ‘Operation Princess’ plan - frequent trains on core networks - York/Leeds - Birmingham New Street and then the ongoing services to the distal ends of the network. However, finding space in timetables to run these more frequent services was challenging and the large distance XC travel means that delays on the network had a massive impact on what could actually be run reliably. DaFT refused to allow Virgin to purchase more rolling stock or to extend the lengths of the Voyagers. In effect, passengers are left with shorter rolling stock on an, as now, similar timetable that was operated by 7-car trains.

[@5filliou]

Good video on a bad topic. XC is horrible, I travel regularly and it's always bad except for occasional quiet mid-day trains. How can they be allowed to carry on like this? Passengers are a joke for them. I'll believe the increased capacity when I see it.

[@Vanmanyo]

Thank you 😆

[@JacobsTrainVideos]

Retiring the HSTs was definitely not the right decision stretching their fleet almost bare.. Trains from Cornwall to Scotland and Bournemouth to the North are often 4-5 cars which is a yikes. The service idea is also bad, frequent trains with less coaches in the idea they could still move the same amount of passengers. This was of course wrong and more passengers started travelling with no boost to capacity. Add the retirement of the HSTs and you have an operator with barely any capacity leading to overcrowing to shit. The outdated interiors especially the voyagers which are STILL remaining in their original Virgin condition is ridiculous.

[@ricjuk]

I've had the misfortune of travelling long distance on these trains for my job, a hell of a lot over the last two years and I actually can't get my head around how bad the trains and the service as a whole is. SURELY if you're providing the longest train services in the country, passenger comfort and onboard facilities should be the absolute number one priority as TOC?!?! Firstly, a seat for every passenger shouldn't be too much to ask. Then a top class onboard food service should come second. But what you get, (if you're even lucky enough to get a seat at all) is many hours with no legroom to the point where I've often felt like I might literally be in danger of causing my legs some kind of damage. And then the best you can hope for food-wise is a single trolley being wheeled along the train. And even that is often too much to ask. I once found myself without any food or drink for the entirety of a trip between Exeter and Darlington when I got on the train at dinner time, already feeling very hungry and expecting to be able to eat on the train. In my opinion, a service like this should be at least 9 coaches, loco hauled to avoid the droning, rattling vibration of a DMU, soft, comfy seats with lots of legroom and reclining function and a dedicated onboard buffet with a hot meals/dining service available. That's what long distance rail travel should look like. It was possible in the 50's, 60's and 70's so why not now?! What happened to things progressing rather than regressing?! The ONE thing I do prefer over most other modern trains though is the less harsh and more cosy lighting temperature on the Voyagers but I'm sure that will be replaced with the cold bright and harsh lighting on all other new trains these days... Rant over!

[@Vanmanyo]

It was a good rant! I agree with what you're saying though. It's a shame things have got worse in terms of overcrowding and comfort on intercity services since privatisation

[@Mugtree]

Hi have to agree. I live in Bristol so this is my service north to Edinburgh (home town) and Nottingham where I work. I hate them so much not (not the staff you are great) that I now take local trains to Nottingham and go to London then north on LNER, Cross Country as has been said has shocking time keeping. The over crowding is next level. The only operator I ever see that is overcrowded to be honest. Even when I have a reserved seat sometimes the train is so busy you can't get to it. Was working in Leeds last month and had to get them home. My train was cancelled so stood from Leeds to Cheltenham, who puts on a train from Edinburgh to Plymouth in the rush hour going through a lot of major cities that is only 4 coaches!!!. I hate Cross Country and nationalisation can't come quickly enough for them. Have been on the Avanti West Coast recently and it was fantastic. A long train and not packed. This felt like heaven and the coaches were so well laid out and clean. Love them

[@stevede1766]

Words can't express my contempt for xc services truly horrible experience so much I now book gwr from Bristol to London and then avanti from London up north

[@captaindebug]

Excellent video - Cross Country is truly the worst train operator - and it's one which I alway try to avoid. You hit the nail on the head with stating the Virgin only bought 4 coach sets to replace 9 coach HST sets plus the Voyagers are a terrible design with lots of noise and vibration. Couple this with overcrowding - and your journey is always an unpleasant experience.

[@Vanmanyo]

Thank you!

[@michaelclarke1792]

I tried three separate times to use cross country on relative shirt journeys and on every occasion the trains were cancelled. I will never use them again!

[@JackGourdon-je4ze]

Cross Country has under taken Avanti West Coasts Class 221 Super Voyagers on their services with them being replaced by class 805s i commented this at 11:45 and at 17:00 XC got the 221s

[@sprinterofficial8457]

the IETs would suit XC however I would much rather ride on an overcrowded 220 then an IET for 4+ hours

[@annabelholland]

It's crazy how the DFT decided to extend the contract with Arriva rather than to take control of it, like with that they did to Northern, TransPennine Express and LNER. Same can be said for Avanti West Coast.

[@Gregthebaka]

Btw my uncle drives for Xc and he says voyagers are getting a new refurb and a new livery so yeah the new livery looks crap

[@richardstout6364]

Hopefully XC can take on the entire 221 and 222 fleets when Avanti and EMT get there 800’s. This will give them several 7 car 222’s to replace the lost HST’e and a much larger fleet of 4 and 5 car 221/222’s.

[@chriswade7470]

Punctuality on X Country services has always been problematic, even in BR days. It’s due to choke points along its routes. Birmingham New Street being a case in point. The length of trains ie capacity is down to the fact, they run frequent services over the core routes. Passengers are expected to stagger their journeys ie if a train is full catch the next. A 4 or 5 car train does not replace a 7 or 8 coach HST. The problem with that of course is advance purchase tickets are only valid on the train they are booked for. I’m lucky now I don’t have to use the franchise.

[@Alexliftswm]

Went on 2 voyagers today and was stuck in vestibule for both trips

[@Dexter037S4]

They could probably get VIA Rail's Renaissance Coaches once they're retired at the end of next year, they were originally built for British Loading Gauge anyways, just hire some 68s and be done with it.

[@warrenmcclintoch4232]

I would rather travel by National Express than by Cross Country Trains between Bristol and Leeds. It might take longer, and you have an hour layover in Birmingham, but you always have a seat and somewhere to put your luggage , I got sick and tired of the overcrowding and getting off the train in Leeds was an absolute nightmare having to climb over people.

[@jondavies9347]

In January I was in a 3 car XC service from the Midlands to Edinburgh.Ridiculous.

[@taipizzalord4463]

Oh boy, XC here we go!

[@minimaxi802]

The longest service in Britain is Aberdeen to Penzance taking 13 hours with 40 stops.

[@CongletonMike]

Their trains are too small (4-5 coaches on the Manchester - Bristol or Bournemouth route), and they are very expensive compared to Avanti

[@TheCoasterStar.0]

The last time i was on one o was sat next to some random dude and the family infront had kids who couldn't leave the blinds alone , i hated it :(

[@bus131]

hopefully the Class 222 fleet will move over to Cross Country once they come off lease with East Midlands Railway.

[@intercity234]

Thank you for this video, I cannot express how much I hate XC so much!! They were literally such a downgrade to Virgin. XC removed the onboard shops and excellent customer service provided by Virgin. I remember travelling with Virgin XC as a child and even on a short 15 minute journey a member of staff would always be present to give children a toy box containing books and colouring sets. In contrast you are lucky to get anything at all on XC onboard horrible tatty trains! I still have many of the Virgin books at my home and thanks to Virgin XC's excellent customer service, Virgin will always have a special place in my heart. Stripping Virgin of the XC franchise was one of the biggest mistakes ever made by the DFT.

[@Vanmanyo]

You're lucky to see a staff member even in first class nowadays! I made a series on the Pendolino and it was incredible researching all the effort they went into to just get the customer service to the level they wanted! It's a shame I wasn't old enough to experience Virgin XC! Thanks for your comment 😆

[@intercity234]

@Vanmanyo Honestly, Virgin XC was one of the best franchises in the UK. Even though people have fond memories of GNER, I would always dread going on them as Virgin's service was that good! GNER always felt stuffy and old-fashioned by comparison.

[@rolandharmer6402]

Thanks for the video and research. Cross Country management is presiding over a crappy service. With such overcrowding what sort of organisation would agree to withdrawing the HSTs - probably the most comfortable trains in the fleet - with the rather lame reason that the power cars are out of date and then for the trains to be bought by a Mexican railway? The thing is that Cross Country management and the DfT has a monopoly and little accountability. They are making money, they are happy - the passengers can suffer why do anything about it? Would this have happened under British Rail? I agree about the bi-modes. Surly somebody could design a better train than the Hitachi class 800.

[@michaelscott7166]

I have to travel to my Grandma's funeral next week from Yorkshire to Newport. It is £30 cheaper each way, only 45 minutes longer and way more reliable to get on LNER to Kings Cross and then a GWR from Paddington than it is getting on XC and go via Bristol. It's frankly ridiculous.

[@Vanmanyo]

Sorry for your loss Michael I hope the journey goes smoothly

[@michaelscott7166]

@@Vanmanyo Thank you.

[@michaelwells6797]

Cross Country is by far the worst. It has held the longest franchise,over 15 years. It has never invested in any new trains or increase in capacity. Trains are always overcrowded, frequently late with an awful customer service. My mother in law frequently travels from Derby to Newcastle. She has been " dumped " in Darlingto,York,because trains running late and journeys curtailed. She is 84 and left to her own device for onward travel. They have dumped their HST sets adding to further overcrowded trains. They have also cut out trains stopping at Tamworth,Chesterfield and Wakefield. They are an absolute disgrace. They have also stated that in the event of an accident the passengers would be safer as they would be so full no one would be thrown about.

[@DMVRailfan]

Went on CrossCountry recently from Exeter to Manchester. They operated a 4 car train that was very overcrowded. Very terrible color scheme, would never go on it again even if it was the only operator available.

[@thatlonewolfguy2878]

Wasn't there a plan for them to get every single class 222 unit from East Mids when their 810s fully come into service? I remember reading that somewhere, that plan should honestly go ahead, that or if they really want to overhaul their fleet they should replace the 221's with 802's, can run them electric on the ECML and the line via Birmingham to Bristol and can run them diesel on every other line, if they do get the 222 fleet their 220s should immediately replace the 170s, I genuinely think its unbelievable that they're even operating 170s in the first place, especially on a route such as Cardiff to Nottingham, that's an intercity line, not a local commuter line, its stock should reflect that

[@Vanmanyo]

I don't believe there was an official plan - but rumours definitely!

[@Andrewjg_89]

Wish that CrossCountry would replace East Midlands Railway Norwich-Nottingham/Liverpool Lime Street service and of course add more new services to & from Norwich to Birmingham New Street.

[@Danse_Macabre_125]

I'd say keep L'pool-Norwich EMR, but make it an EMR InterCity route

[@Andrewjg_89]

⁠Totally agree.

[@AymanTravelTransport]

All because the DfT consistently ignore XC and never allowed them to have any kind of major investment, just because they don't have anything to do with the main cash cow of intercity travel that is London. They don't even allow them to have a new franchise agreement, which is what is required to allow them to have drastic improvements in capacity in the form of new longer trains, instead constantly renewing the old franchise that's been in place since 2007. XC have been blamed for something they have absolutely no say in, as they've been desperate for capacity for years, but barely anybody ever realises it's the DfT that won't let them. To add more insult to injury, XC have actually been forced to scrap cheap advanced fares on many of their routes and cut out stops to reduce overcrowding, all because the DfT keep ignoring them (deliberately given they only ever renew the old franchise instead of allowing a new one) when it comes to extra capacity, instead preferring to take it away months before any replacement becomes available due to short-sighted cost savings over any ounce of practicality. By the time XC finally get some sort of improvement in the coming years (an extra 12 Voyagers from Avanti plus total refurbishment of their fleet), most of its market will have already defected to the car (especially while coach travel is still a niche market), and that's already the case now. Meanwhile in Germany, their ICE has trains far superior (in every possible way) to what LNER and Avanti have on routes that are comparable to XC (providing a plethora of connections between multitude of cities without relying on Berlin). Yes, their Hamburg to Munich avoiding Berlin has 8-16 car electrics that can go past 125mph in service, while our Edinburgh to Plymouth avoiding London (comparable distance) is stuck with 4-5 car diesels taking 4 hours longer, 8-9 if you're very lucky AND there's staff available to operate both units.

[@zoobaaf]

there was a rumor before that XC would get the EMR 222s after EMR gets the 810s

[@Jakegriffin2006]

I dont have a problem going form Derby but on returns from York Leeds Birmingham or even Bristol they are either cancelled or full to the brim one time it was a 8 coach from Bristol i thought it was like that all the way NO! it wasnt they tool the second one out of service at Birmingham so about 100 people came scrambling out to board the other 4 coach one at the front while people from Birmingham was also boarding it was the worst thing ive ever seen and i work on the railway for EMR.

[@sandletters39]

I remember someone telling me that the railways weren't privatised. Perhaps he was right because of the increased government bureaucracy.

[@SirKenchalot]

You pointed to the DfT's numerous failures many times in your video and yet your solution is to give them more power through renationalisation? That sounds like a great idea!

[@Vanmanyo]

Well that's not the conclusion I came to. I suggested major reform is needed to the railways perhaps in the form of nationalisation. If nationalisation did happen major changes to the DfT would need to happen of course.