What are CrossCountry's Classic InterCity 125s like?

Up this week, we take a ride aboard one of CrossCountry's Intercity 125 HST sets from Bristol to Leeds. These trains typically have a good reputation in the UK but be prepared to pay out of your ears for this one!
Date of Travel: September 2020
Class of Travel: Standard Class (2nd Class)
Rolling Stock: Intercity 125 (2x Class 43 locomotives with Mk3 coaches)
Type of Service: Express Passenger
Train Number: 1S51
Origin: Bristol, United Kingdom (England)
Destination: Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom (England)
Cost of Ticket: £82.65 ($110.65, €96.45; including railcard discount of ⅓)
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[@michaelscott7166]

CrossCountry's fares are absolutely scandelous. It was quite a bit cheaper for me to travel from Keighley to Penzance going via London and then on the Night Riviera sleeper than it was to come back on XC using split tickets with a very short detour to Newport.

[@chbmckie]

CrossCountry are generally useless at fair pricing. On another note, being in Keighley, what do you think of the KWVR? I’m from Ilkley and it is easily one of my favourite heritage lines in the country.

[@michaelscott7166]

@@chbmckie I love it. I work close to Oakworth Station so I get to see the trains go past outside the window. Have you ever been to their beer festival? It's incredible.

[@ChrisPinCornwall]

Agreed. I live in Cornwall and there is a direct train to Alnmouth, where I have friends. I always go via London as it's so much cheaper - and quicker! Such a shame.

[@s125ish]

Yes I know , never get a cheap advance ticket. Try living in Southampton with xc only way north . Cheaper to go via London but buy separate tickets

[@watansworld3617]

This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone on KZbin from Keighley

[@samuel_excels]

The covered car park seen from the side entrance of Bristol Temple Meads is the original train shed built by Brunel. The original train shed is also longer than it appears here as half of it is now an exhibition space. There were plans to reuse these platforms with the oncoming electrification but I think those plans have been shelved by the Treasury.

[@oeman7363]

Did Brunel also design Bournemouth Station? The architecture looks very similar

[@DylansTravelReports]

Thanks for the info!

[@samuel_excels]

@@oeman7363 no he didn't, Bournemouth was part of an entirely different railway company (LSWR) that Brunel had no involvement it.

[@stevehendon4076]

The car park is the original London terminus. The plans to reopen have a small problem...the building on the left (0.24) houses the signalling for the Bristol TM area!

[@devon896]

The plan to reopen the original trainshed is in Phase 4 of the electrification programme which also includes electrification of the line from Didcot to Oxford. It's current postponed awaiting confirmation.

[@Burty1976]

Lots of TOC’s seem to have massively scaled back the amount of Advance fares offered. It’s a good way for them to claw back some money without making negative headlines through fare increases… PS Another great video Dylan, getting close to 100k subscribers now!

[@DylansTravelReports]

Thanks!

[@s125ish]

I know hardly any advances now. While advances are great to save money, for day trips I prefer flexible tickets

[@Robslondon]

Only a few minutes in and I’m already loving this video. I lived for a time in Bristol 20 years ago (😬) and this, along with the HSTs, is bringing back many wonderful memories. Thanks so much Dylan; keep up the brilliant work.

[@lukethomas.125]

1:04 That station arch was once the original Bristol Temple Meads station, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the 1840s

[@iankemp1131]

How could you pass Chesterfield and not take a shot of the amazing crooked spire?

[@stevieinselby]

As well as being used as a Park & Ride for the city centre, Bristol Parkway is more useful for people living in the suburbs of north/east Bristol travelling further afield, allowing them to get onto _long-distance_ trains without having to get to Temple Meads. It's also a handy interchange point between XCountry trains from the Midlands and GWR trains from South Wales.

[@iankemp1131]

Also useful for many people for a larger surrounding area because it is near the M4/M5 interchange, so easily accessed.

[@s125ish]

Is the parking expensive if your away for a few days.

[@stevieinselby]

@@s125ish It isn't cheap - over £40 for a week - but that's cheaper than city centre car parks, and may be easier/cheaper to get to by bus, taxi or getting a lift than Temple Meads would be.

[@ChrisH-1952]

Great video, Dylan. Bristol has the only car park designed by IKB and what's more it was erected many years before cars were invented. In the interim, it was used as a terminus for trains arriving from London. I caught a train to Newcastle from that part of the station in 1959 before it was so woefully abandoned as a railway station.

[@DavidWilliams7037A]

I was a fireman at Severn Tunnel Junction in the late 1950's, and I am pretty sure that Midland trains used the old station. Of course there was no Bristol Parkway, and the trains ran to Gloucester Eastgate and then on to the Midlands ( hauled by Black Fives or Jubilees.) Of course the memory could be playing tricks!

[@DylansTravelReports]

Thanks for the info 😁

[@RAFchurchlawford4469]

Note to Fact Checkers: It's called dry wit 👀

[@darrylrichardson7940]

@@RAFchurchlawford4469 Because fact checkers are usually half wits

[@stevecooksley]

So CrossCountry have solved the overcrowding problem on their trains by pricing everyone off of them. Genius.

[@DylansTravelReports]

Basically 😅

[@johnnyboy3949]

0:59 that is the old original Brunel station! Amazing history in that car park area!!!

[@bigbee2910]

that's one hell of a life getting all these experiences at your age

[@andrewpreston4127]

I travelled Cross Country on one of these several years ago from Temple Meads to Birmingham. It was ram packed, felt like being packed in like cattle. The sooner these rail companies ditch the airline seats, invest in more rolling stock.., then maybe, just maybe, this passenger might feel like a valued customer, rather than a punter.

[@andyc.6184]

Rolling stock is decided by the DfT, not individual operators. CrossCountry have been crying out for new/additional stock for several years now, but seems to be at the back of the queue! Who knows, maybe they'll take on Avanti's Voyagers in the future.

[@John_Fugazzi]

Nice, if pricey trip. It seems to be worth it only if you're taking a round trip as the add-on fare you quoted was quite low. For me the highlight was the stunning Neo-Gothic Bristol Temple Meads Station. That clock tower is truly exceptional. Glad to hear that Birmingham plans to reopen their 1838 Curzon St. Station. I hope you go there when they do.

[@dazzlingdaz187]

Agree about the price. A few months ago I went from Taunton to Newcastle and it was cheaper to go via London on GWR and LNER than use Cross-country. Incidentally I've just done a search for the cheapest price for a random day next week. The cheapest XC ticket for Bristol to Leeds is £94.45, you can get a coach (either National Express or Megabus) for less than £20. OK, it takes a couple of hours longer but surely that is a much more attractive option (for anyone wanting to make a similar journey)

[@DJenerate]

Definitely, I never use the train for long distance trips myself because of the cost. The only trip I'll usually do by train is if I'm visiting London from the West Midlands for a day, as it's about £36 for a 'super off peak' travelcard ticket on Chiltern, which is valid all day on weekends and covers travel around London too. Granted, I work for one of the coach companies now, so I'm even more inclined to travel by coach when it doesn't cost me anything! I visited Bath over the weekend, and it cost me a grand total of £0 for the return trip, including the local bus from Bristol to Bath and back. You can't beat that for value!

[@SirKenchalot]

By 2026, HS2 will probs be cut back to Old Oak Common.

[@itsjohndell]

The narrated Videos are so much better. I would suggest a (safe ) face on intro and outro, gives another level of humanity. Further, perhaps some in the city footage, perhaps food? You are always going to and from!

[@DylansTravelReports]

Thanks! I'm begining to do an intro and outro to camera when filming new videos!

[@richardwills-woodward5340]

Before limiters in 1992, these trains would see not irregular speeds of 135mph and put to 140mph on rarer occasions in the '140mph club' of drivers that saw Great Western drivers use the 'billiard table' as it was called due to the level profile of track between Reading and Bristol Parkway. So too the ECML on 'the racetrack' between York and Darlington. My best timing was 1hr 39 minutes between London King's cross and York in 1990. Once limiters came in, the fun was over and trains never went that fast again. Further, timetables got clogged up and became slower too. An official timetable regularly saw London - York timings at 1hr 45 minutes. Newcastle 2hrs 39. First class meant first class unlike today's shambolic cheap, plastic looking interiors in the 800's that have no first class despite saying they do. Nothing first class there. Also the lighting in the older trains was warmer and environment plush. Finally, the staff had proper uniforms and Pullman first class staff in the morning and evening services wore proper attire and were like airline hostesses and the gentleman in suits and well spoken. Totally different world. What a different just 25 years or so makes. All down hill.

[@thorntonheath1311]

Been on that train I think it was the 15.00 dep from King's Cross Mon-to Fri ' still got the timetable booklet .

[@paulroach2538]

It was the 15.00 King's Cross Edinburgh 'first stop York 'then Newcastle '4hrs 'GNER 'it felt special.

[@greggrimer1428]

I am 53. In the late 1970s I travelled all over the country in these as a child. There used to be a deal that if adults bought a ticket kids could go for 1 pound each return. My parents took 5 of us children to Liverpool, Plymouth, Swansea and a few other places. We used to drop the window that opened in the door at the end of the carriage and stick our hands out at 125mph. Those were the days.

[@clivewatson7877]

Travelling in a coach facing backwards, all the way from Bristol to Leeds is barmy. C.W.

[@karolinaholewinska2472]

Ids say the 43 crosscountrys are better than 221 and 220s trains.theres a bit more legroom and seats a but more comfortable.

[@nickn1991]

3:52 That's way too old-fashioned; Is it new or uncivilized for a passenger to open the door?

[@stevehallam0850]

Definitely a cut above the awful Voyagers. I did a similar journey a couple of years ago and saved nearly half the fare using a split ticketing website.

[@DylansTravelReports]

I think I looked at that but not on this occasion 😭

[@nachiketkejriwal9433]

13 days ago wtf the video was uploaded 58 seconds ago

[@haz2005]

@@nachiketkejriwal9433 patreon

[@RTPeat]

The car park you show at the beginning is the original Brunel terminus station from when the station originally opened. They survived as platforms until the 1960’s, by which time because of the historic importance of the building they were retained as an exhibition space and the car park.

[@hoof2001]

That car park was the original station Dylan

[@DylansTravelReports]

Nice! Cheers for the info.

[@4KExplorer]

Fun fact: Sheffield F.C. don't play in Sheffield anymore, or even Yorkshire for that matter. And yeah CrossCountry's fares can be a bit steep!

[@andre93aus]

My partner dragged me onto a NSW TrainLink XPT service from Sydney to Melbourne once. The locos are derived from the HSTs but better adapted for much drier, dustier conditions. They’re also rated for 125mph but Australian railways are generally limited to only 160km/h because of level crossings. Most of the trip through NSW is pretty slow because the winding alignments haven’t changed since the steam era, but when it gets to the Victorian border and things are flatter and straighter, you can really hear those giant engines purr as it gets to top speed. They’re going to be replaced by a more efficient bimodal multiple unit fleet in 2023 but glad I got at least one trip on them, even if it took 11 hours!

[@alexandresanturian1513]

Greetings from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil! As always, great video, thanks so much for sharing. Rail trips made by Superalbs, Nonstop Eurotrip and Dylan's Travel Reports, in addition to being very well produced and with excellent levels of information, are great sources of inspiration for us, who one day intend to return to Europe after the pandemic - if that happens and if the Europeans accept us (Brazilians) again in their territory, even though we are fully vaccinated (like me, my wife and my daughter). Unfortunately we are living strange times, with so many restrictions. In my opinion, Europe is an excellent source of culture and one of the very few places in the world where I can travel safely by train, getting to know cities and ways of life. As many of you may know, there are no passenger trains in Brazil (except only two long distance routes from the private company Vale, which of course do not have the same standards as European trains and where we cannot even drink and/or take beer on board; and some commuter trains [which I do not recommend] in some cities). So, by now the only way for me to ride by train is to watch these excellent videos. All the best!

[@timbounds7190]

Haven't been on a Cross Country HST for decades! However, they used to pop up surprisingly frequently on the ECML. The ride quality is a bit of a mystery - when they were new HST's were noted for their incredibly smooth ride - at least compared to what had gone before. But this seems to have declined over the last 40 years. The last HSTs on the ECML rode appallingly. When the IC225s with their mk4 carriages came out, their ride was disappointing, compared to the HSTs with mk3s that they were replacing, but by the time both were replaced by Azumas, the situation had reversed. Very odd. You've been abroad too long and become used to reasonably priced train tickets in Europe. In the UK, prices are a bad joke!

[@iankemp1131]

European tickets aren't always that cheap. I went from London to Turin by Eurostar and TGV but on arriving in Paris found the route was blocked by a landslide. French "co-operation" was limited to a refund for the lost section and a new ticket via Basle for 280 euros! To add insult to injury there was a 5 minute connection at Basle which wasn't cross-platform, and the TGV was 3 minutes late in. Had I not sprinted over the stairs with 2 heavy cases and hopped into the nearest door I would have missed the connection and been stranded. Prices tend to be distance related so the long hauls in both UK and Europe look expensive unless discounted. We have the low cost airlines to thank for forcing some of these prices down over the last 20 years.

[@weifengjiang7579]

Europeans pay taxes. We vote Tory.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

The smooth ride, when HSTs were first introduced, was due in part to the introduction of significantly higher track standards on the Western Region main lines that HSTs were to travel over, deeper ballast more frequent tamping (compared to previous) and significant line sections relayed - Swindon to Parkway was closed for 6 months and completely relayed from the soggy clay upwards!

[@timbounds7190]

@@barrieshepherd7694 Makes sense - I first noted the smooth ride of HSTs on the GWR lines. However, they did ride more than adequately on the ECML for many years, and were superior to the mk4 carriages when the CL91 sets came out. It only seems that in their final years their ride quality (on the ECML) declined. Maybe that had a track quality component as well?

[@barrieshepherd7694]

@@timbounds7190 I rode the HST's extensively on the WR during their introduction and also on the ECML when they got over there. The WR was always smoother than the ECML which I put down to level track, smoother curves (Brunel knew his stuff!) and probably the ECML Civil Engineers learning from the probable 'over engineering' of the WR - who in their defence were 'trail blazing' with 125 MPH operations. The C91/ Mk4 introduction was less than gentle. It took some time for the MK4 suspension to get tuned - and involved adding extra dampers if I remember correctly. Once the MK4 had settled they were as good as the HSTs IMHO. I travelled on the WR just before Christmas and noted that ride quality was much the same as on the ride down the ECML so I guess the Hitachi sets don't care whose metals they are on LOL.

[@BibtheBoulder]

Being withdrawn after this Sunday (28/11/21) so I understand...

[@pixelpin]

I am travelling Crosscountry tomorrow (sunday) from Leeds to Alnmouth so I hope on a 125 if it is my last chance. Will they be scrapped or passed to another operator?

[@PabloBD]

Beautiful station!! Brunel knew his railway stuff

[@sylviaelse5086]

I remember the problem in reverse, well sort of. I think it was at Slough in the early 1980s, when an HST I'd just got off was departing, and one of the station staff realise that one of the doors wasn't properly shut. A well aimed kick solved the problem. As an aside, I notice the name of the Station at 12:42 is Tamworth. Sheesh - didn't the people in Australia invent ANY new names?

[@christopherfox735]

Just came back yesterday from Huddersfield via Leeds to Birmingham on a HST. I much prefer them to the Voyagers. The interiors are so much better. I didn’t see the onboard catering until after Derby. I know due to covid catering has been cancelled but if I had paid First Class fair and only got coffee and a flapjack k would want a refund. My Off Peak Return from Birmingham to Huddersfield via Leeds was £49.15 with my railcard. I’ve always thought travelling to and from Bristol that CrossCountry just thinks of a price and doubles it? I used split ticketing in the past to keep the costs down, Birmingham to Cheltenham & Cheltenham to Bristol Parkway, doing so saved me £40 on a return with railcard. Great video as usual!

[@robertp.wainman4094]

More comfortable ride too!

[@shankewang5802]

CAPTIONS PLEASE!

[@jgodfrey546]

Well done! I use the same side entrance @ BTM...handy when staying at the Ibis across the canal...

[@opagodaswirling9383]

Another enjoyable and thought-provoking video, Dylan . I solidly endorse your disapproval of prices charged - a fact underlined by your wonderful trips around Europe .Scandalous !! No doubt Megabus will be laughing their heads off .

[@dfbiker]

I’ve traveled on these trains many many times. If your cross country train has audio 3.5mm jacks in the middle of the seat, then I believe these are extra Virgin carriages. I love the squeak and noise of the HST. Wifi is normally poor to mediocre.

[@SansXut]

A route i suggest you do is a scotrail Glasgow to Ayr one, it goes right along the western scottish coast on a Class 380 which is quite unique. Its also worth noting it passes two lochs on the way there

[@ironmantrains]

You can't mention Derby without talking about the Railway Technical Centre there. It's where the APT was born and the yaw dampers that all high speed trains (including HSTs) use came from the RTC. The HST was kinda born there because of the long timescale of the APT project.

[@aodhantravels123]

This is a great trip report, I’m looking forward to my first class trip on this in just under two weeks time. I got an Advance First Class Single for £13.90 from York to Newcastle on this exact service which I think is a proper bargain

[@fidgetspinner343]

It certainly is, CrossCountry fares from Leeds to anywhere are always a total ripoff and way above any in same route.

[@DylansTravelReports]

By CrossCountry's standards, that's pratically a steal!

[@BensPlanesTrainsProductions]

There were still issues with the Slam Doors not locking properly either. we were waiting at Reading for 20 minutes before proceeding to Paddington.

[@lambertwalks5929]

Another outstanding video 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@NeilBaileyF1]

Great video! I traveled the Leeds-Bristol TM route all the time for a year pre-COVID. It was always an adventure as you never knew what might happen. From the on-board seat reservation system not working every third journey, to hydraulic issues requiring a change of trains, no train crews, electrical issues, toilets being out of order, expensive fares and no legroom, Cross Country are possibly the worst operator in England.

[@jasonmoors1191]

Apparently,the fare charged for your route doesn't seem to deter patronage,I guess CrossCountry can charge what they want,complaints be damned! Your carriage tour ended with you turning around at the quiet zone,why? Was aware of your explanation as to no view of first class while at Bristol but no view of it while in motion. Wondering why HST's seemingly never have had all seats facing direction of travel--does riding 'backwards' bother you? Derby--how to pronounce it? I'm hearing it here said as 'Darby', So you get to Leeds around 6pm. What do you do--dinner,a hotel ? Noticed two middle tracks at Bristol,are there run-through schedules or are they for freight runs?

[@martin-hall-northern-soul]

Bet our Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish neighbours love the fact Birmingham was described as the UK's second city rather than England's. Brave move, ha!

[@transportenthusiast11]

Strange how both CrossCountry and Grand Central are owned by Arriva, but one has crazily high fares and the other has crazily low fares.

[@michaelformaini7053]

Yikes! Your bank account must be really sad after that! Hopefully you haven't had to resort to begging on the street for food,etc. Thank goodness for Britrail Passes for us colonial convict descendants from downunder, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to afford visiting your country back in 2018. Aside from all that, Cross Country have done a good job with the interior refurbishment, despite the close spacing of seats in standard class. Given that this was done in 2008, these carriages seem to have remained quite smart in presentation. Cheers from Michael.

[@katashworth41]

I’m 5’3 1/2 and struggle with Cross Country leg room, my partner is 6’2 and the last time we made a long distance trip on their service (it’s generally Bhm International to New St) it was packed to the gills. Not fun, especially as we were coming back from a funeral. We now try and go by other routes.

[@JKVisFX]

A fare half that price would be reasonable, imho. About that leg space; there is no way I could fit in that seat. I am 6'4" (6"4'), the majority of that in my legs. My knees would be pressed hard into the back of those hard, plastic seats. I'd have no choice but to cough up the extra cash for 1st. class. Yeesh!

[@richardwills-woodward5340]

Further comment, why on Earth are these drivers driving under speed at 117mph and only topping 120mph?! It is a race to the bottom. Before the nonsense about crew changes every 5 minutes and culture shift, 125mph [meant 125mph]. This section is passed for 125mph, and especially being late, there is no excuse fro cruising below speed. Further still, Cross Country's timetables are totally unacceptable. Slow doesn't even start to cover it. This is why people like me fly for the most part. The culture in the rail industry is broken. There is no engineering brilliance and desire to make timings come down as in the past with engineering prowess. The culture is run by executives not engineers. The delays and way of managing the railway, and the lack of slack in the system is all due to this way of managing. They know nothing about railways and yet run them. But then again, the same is true of police, health, government, teaching and so on. More interested in position and virtue signalling than actually doing the job they're paid to do and looking to the past to guide the future.

[@edf6607]

Good report Dylan and a nice appreciation of Temple Meads too. Leeds is a bit more functional in the train shed but there is quite a smart original hall area that has been smartened up a bit I often travel from Derby to the northeast and always wait til later in the day and get one of the 2? remaining HST services, much better for a 4 hour journey than the voyagers.

[@DylansTravelReports]

Yes, I believe they're down to just 2 now.

[@davidwilliams8405]

Very green, when was this trip made? I would imagine that coffee or anything else purchased on a train would be far more expensive, just like it is to buy food at any airport terminal in the U.S. Inquiry: are all the train lines in the U.K. privately owned, or subsidized by the government? Just wondering, because from what I could observe from watching your videos most of these trains are nearly empty.

[@applejuice5272]

6:07 Class 60! The only diesel locomotive on the UK network with a straight-8 diesel! WOOP!

[@joehuttich]

I live in Aberdeen, and would like to get the Direct cross country train to Cornwall, but whenever I look there the only advance tickets involve at least 2 changes, LNER etc. A direct single seems to be around £200 which is alot!

[@peterfeltham5612]

I have used this station since the 50s,it used to be a beautiful Victorian/Edwardian building that is now a shadow of it's former self.The interior of the ticket hall is now full of inappropriate cluter, this unsympathetic approach is now to be expected I suppose.

[@nuzty10LP]

I remember been on a CrossCounty HST actually on the ECML just to short hop over to Newcastle from Durham, however it was in a sad state as one of the radiator grills was actually at a position that it wasn't even screwed in correct, plus it didn't seem to be clean at all, the floor looked scruffy and whatnot, it was hoenstly a sad grace for the HST but honestly i'm gonna give it an one off as likely it had been on a long run and haven't been back to the TMD or something

[@iankemp1131]

Great to see the car park being used as an entrance. It is Brunel's original Bristol Temple Meads station of the 1830s which predates all the current station. At that stage it was a terminus but when the line was extended westwards the new station had to be added to one side on a sharp curve. The old part was forgotten and neglected for many years but was mercifully saved. It used to be overlooked unless you knew about it and made a special detour (or used the car park) so it's good that it seems to be more prominent now.

[@Malcm59]

Hate Cross Country with a passion... As you said almost all long distance journeys can be done far cheaper and often first class if you shop around. Coupled with the normal fare of the dreadful overcrowded unfit for purpose Voyagers and woeful timekeeping they are to be avoided if at all possible IMO !

[@NeilJames1982]

Its not a true 125 experience unless you have to pull down the window and open the door from inside the vestibule.

[@nathanjp96]

Love the video- really informative- what speed recording app are you using out of interest too please? 👍

[@ashleyjiscool]

The old canopy was the original Gwr station before the current station opened

[@JISJ1964]

Dylan, as you talk about Sheffield and football, I might have the answer to why they never get high up in the system, in Shefield football is on the wrong day of the week, on Wednesday...

[@partyentertains4092]

Train almost empty. Did you travel between Friday and Sunday? Reason I asked was because i've heard a rumour some of these sets are being stood down. 🤔

[@bowlerstuff9589]

Sadly,the Cross Country HSTs temporarily due to costs..

[@johnorchin8567]

I agree with you the legroom is inadequate in most seats. The are a few seats where it’s possible to stretch out a bit, without sitting sideways. I would travel through London if it’s cheaper, it would also break up the journey.

[@billyshearer117]

Cross Country Trains are just so expensive, especially when you don’t qualify for a railcard.

[@NetworkX90]

It seems pretty ridiculous that you could get a return trip to Paris with Eurostar for cheaper than that price Crosscounty offered.

[@jasoncraze7924]

The cost is a shocker , not offering advance tickets when TOCs want people back on the railway seems a odd move , profiteering as per usual, cheaper fly most of the time .

[@ChoobChoob]

Looking at the menu, the snack prices look cheaper than station concourse WH Smith!

[@top5betterfact477]

They sounded amazing. Great trip report Dylan

[@cqdmgy]

Cross Country trains are awful. They sound and smell like the planet is being screwed one ride at a time. A steam loco would probably be better for the environment and makes even better sounds. The fact that these main lines are not electrified is just baffling.

[@miniroll32]

You should team up with Daniel's train reports :)

[@ageoflove1980]

I'm 6'4" and if I would have payed that much for that seat, I wouldn't have been in the best of moods.

[@SC-hp9cy]

Really enjoying these videos, keep up the great work and content!

[@christopherbentley5216]

The lack of passengers could be to do with the high fares. They probably make more money from the taxpayer.

[@JustProps]

Refurbed mk3 coaches are quiet and reliable having abandoned slam doors.

[@uncleraul9144]

Bandits of the highest order, but on the upside I saw my house on the way into Leeds, Anytime I travel on that line I always use a split ticket site.

[@hayleyb1981]

Theyre also refurbishing the hsts so XC will have them fir longer

[@Synnystershy]

How the Hell did you get a train that didn't pack everyone like sardines?

[@samtrak1204]

The glossy exterior paint scheme is attractive but your second class train fare is too damn high!

[@spark_6710]

So ~ close to 100 K !!! S How so exciting !!! 😃👍👍💜🥁🐉🎤🚅🚈🎶💞

[@l3v1ckUK]

I'd take a 125 over a voyager any day. Voyagers are noisy, and their overhead baggage racks can only take thin bags.

[@ghighlandchieftain4462]

Brilliant video hst are my favourite trains my channel is name after hst

[@hughjones4060]

You missed the ferry landing stage by Temple Meads where you can get a boat down to the harbour

[@johngourliemartin2696]

Trains to and from Scotland are filthy seats are hard and uncomfortable.

[@superyachtchef]

Why am i watching this, i should be fast asleep! Why am l still watching this?

[@downtheshedwithjason]

loved the old slam door 125's, used to take one to school every six weeks

[@shirleynitka5030]

Compared to your other train rides I'd expect to pay half of what you did.

[@lou2737]

12:08 I live somewhat near Tamworth and you are all too positive about that place! 🤣

[@DriverKing]

Nearly at 100,000 subscribers!

[@davidcorbett62]

Judging by the number of empty seats your not the only one who balk at their fares

[@HighSpeedTrain13]

The station is Bristol temple meads - Leeds stranded class

[@djackmanson]

I think you need to fix the audio quality. It sounded like you said the ticket cost £82.65 which must be garbled. Right?

[@DylansTravelReports]

Oh, I wish 😅

[@Delta-pantages]

Good to hear you say 'railway station' and NOT 'train station'!😉

[@janekirby408]

dylan im sorry i do not have a train pic but i love your videos thanks for shering all thes videos

[@golledgestravels326]

£82.65 for a rear facing seat? No thank you

[@stevenmoran4060]

The catering area is more commonly known as a buffet.

[@damokinsella821]

Hi Dylan, did you say on boarding, there is a small catering buffet bar? Or is it just a trolley dolly. I cant help but feel mainline intercity services especially EMT & GWR removing buffets for long distance operations. How can a trolley service offer what a buffet can. LNER had the right idea. I've always found XC very expensive, but what I cannot understand how an advance fare can be more expensive than an off-peak ticket. Surely that defeats the object.

[@damokinsella821]

I mean removing buffets is awful

[@Cen1urion]

weren't they working on Bristol temple meads' roof or smtn?

[@matthewrobson3489]

can you do a trip from leeds to edinburgh if possible?

[@karolinaholewinska2472]

How dare you say legroom is pretty bad on a classic train!!