HOW BAD ARE THEY? Crosscounty trains 1st class review Aberdeen to Edinburgh. 1ST CLASS COMPARISON

[@robinjones6999]

Charging a pound extra for ticket collection is obscene

[@DanFMDatabases]

that's why they want everyone to pick mobile/etickets which are free, so paper tickets go obsolete and they can close Ticket Offices

[@robinjones6999]

@@DanFMDatabases I take your point Dan but these tickets are not from a ticket office but an Un manned machine -

[@DanFMDatabases]

@@robinjones6999 that's what I'm saying, they are pushing you to use the free mobile tickets option when ordering online rather than collecting from the station (from the Ticket Machine or Ticket Office)

[@annabelholland]

You may wish to try EMR or GA (Greater Anglia), which uses the same UI as XC and Trainline (are they all related in some way?). They don't charge a booking fee and a ticket collection fee. Alternatively, just turn up at the machine or office. It feels odd booking thru EMR/GA for XC or another TOC, but remember that you can use one TOC for any UK train (except Eurostar).

[@Clivestravelandtrains]

@@DanFMDatabases Mobile tickets are not free to the passenger, we have to constatntly buy electricity to operate our phones. Well, those of us still mug enough to charge our phones at home!

[@yyyfffff33333]

Scott is becoming the Geoff Marshall of Scottish railways . Nice listening to someone you can trust !

[@Clivestravelandtrains]

Very good Scott. On XC 1st Class I once made the mistake of asking for the scone and clotted cream, only to discover that the cream must have been clotting for half of my lifetime! I also used the lounge at Edinburgh Waverley - I was using an all-line Rover so was able to board any train I wished, and I said I hadn't decided yet. They let me in.

[@lynnb_and_ky_springer_spaniel]

An interesting video Scott. I’m not sure I would have given them such a high score, the toilet looked awful 😩 I thought your score was very generous. Thanks for sharing this. Always enjoy your videos by the way

[@DrDSCT]

Great content as always Scott and a very interesting mini series. I have used Cross Country to travel between Exeter and Aberdeen and it was horrendous - could not recommend that to anyone. So it is very interesting to see the difference first class makes and if it is worth the extra. Looking forward to seeing the other first class offerings. Cheers.

[@Eurobazz]

Thanks Scott for the prolonged shot of the disgusting toilet bowl just as I was eating dinner.

[@awild10]

I remember when the Voyagers first came in under Virgin Cross Country and they were actually a massive improvement on the HST sets which had become rather tired. That infotainment system used to work too!

[@telmas7183]

I thought they were a backward step on the HST's. Give me a mark 3 coach any day with comfortable seats and no engine noise with its accompanying vibration and those high density airline style seating of the Voyagers! All this favoured the operator - not the passengers!

[@awild10]

@@telmas7183 maybe it was because I was only 16 and didn't need such comfy seats. Or maybe it was just because they were shiny and new!

[@telmas7183]

I suppose it's down to whatever 'floats ya boat' 😄@@awild10

[@ianjames9166]

Great video, Scott, and I like the idea of comparing the various companies. I have a love/hate relationship with CrossCountry, mainly because on the routes I travel regularly, they are the only choice. Actually make that a hate/hate relationship, they are terrible and haven't improved their pathetic offering in at least 15 years. You have highlighted many of their failings. 👍

[@markhoman-pg6vt]

I found bit basic in first class if I rember straight from Plymouth to Manchester all they offered was tea and coffee Avanti do more when they bother to surve you that is

[@ChrisH-1952]

I travelled from Glasgow to Bristol on CC 1st Class on a very warm Saturday and the trolley was only present for one pass through my unit (it was a 4+5 combination) between Edinburgh and Newcastle. Staff were great but my praise ends there. I think this is a great series. Thanks

[@Listenerandlearner870]

Voyagers are far more comfortable than Azumas but are often too short.

[@shanehall98]

The train seemed ok the voyagers are like the Poundland version of the Pendolino. TripAdvisor is full of Poundland travel “experts” aswell lol.

[@grapesodatravels]

Loving the little under-the-table can can dance! Why are train loos always so grim....?

[@harriscouwenberg139]

First class in the Netherlands never entails snacks, drinks, etc. unless you bring these yourself

[@Clivestravelandtrains]

Many UK train operators - e.g. South Western Railway - also provide no extra service or catering in First Class.

[@andrewtaylor5984]

In the good old days, catering facilities on British Rail were available to all passengers, irrespective of whether they were travelling first or second class. ( I find the term "standard" offensive, and it is meaningless.) The two classes of travel on BR are really "standard" and "bog standard." The rot set in when BR was broken up into sectors. Catering on trains and on stations was run by different bodies. The former was run by a diktat on Paddington Station who decided what would be provided on trains, without passenger consultation, and it was the same menu everywhere. Half the menu was usually unavailable.

[@paulkeay5032]

XC have dramatically cut the number of services - on most routes out of Birmingham they are now hourly to places like Reading and Bristol, where they used to be twice hourly, this means many services are absolutely rammed and standing is normal. Their fares (in England at least) are incredibly expensive. I have to travel a lot to Reading and Bristol for work (so usually starting my journey before 0900) and find it very difficult to buy tickets for much less than £5 quid less than full fare

[@timdiggle5090]

When I had to travel from central Leeds to central Birmingham on business I tried XC (the only realistic option unless going via Manchester at vast expense in cost and time) a couple of times then gave up. Overcrowded, slow, uncomfortable, unpleasant smells, almost always delayed behind slower commuter trains; not a chance of a third attempt - took to driving to Tamworth and getting a local train from there. Once tried it again from Leeds to Edinburgh - not so crowded but as soon as you were north of York you were sharing the ECML with LNER so travelled at 125mph. With small wheels and underfloor engines on each coach it was noisy and the vibration was seriously uncomfortable - back to LNER and change at York (which was actually quicker owing to fewer stops!).

[@andrewjones4006]

Great video. Isn’t it faster by car from Aberdeen to Edinburgh lol.

[@ADAMEDWARDS17]

That other guy who lives in Montrose has of course done the 08:20 all the way to Penzance. How much would that cost 1st class and how much food would you actually get up to 21:30?

[@noahstrainadventures3031]

I’m on first class on a voyager right now

[@gerrymckenna4878]

Another enjoyable video. That toilet was "bogging"..pardon the pun. I hope you had plenty of hand wipes! I remember the halcyon days of East Coast where First Class from Aberdeen to London was a real treat, full cooked breakfast , choice of 2 or 3 hot lunches plus sandwiches in the afternoon!! Now bacon roll or yoghurt! Still better than ScotFail.....sorry Scotrail.

[@Patchow]

You remind me of my grandad. ❤

[@vacancesCombloux2010]

I travel between Vendome and Paris on a monthly ticket for 612 EUR. Although the two places are 180 km apart the buffet car is closed, possible because the journey takes 45 minutes. However I can use the lounge in Paris Montparnasse and there is a waiting room in Vendome which is partially closed as its shared with bats. Do you think Im getting value for money?

[@marklove8464]

Scott. Why are your videos so short?

[@kazzicup]

I hope Scott will bring his wife along on a trip soon. His Ms is a charming lady. The videos can get longer this way.

[@sethleel2754]

I dread to think what standard class is like.

[@jamesgoodman1733]

Frist class is the same has standard class on cross country

[@joannharrington2279]

Looks like they need a new toilet seat in first class. They should use the funds they collect from the machine.

[@davidockley747]

I avoid Cross Country at all costs. They were first introduced by Richard Branson when it was Virgin Cross Country. It was a "job lot" of cheap and nasty rolling stock. I find the toiltes not fit for purpose. Standard class is far too cramped with inadequate luggage provision.. Wherever you are sitting, the engine noise is too loud. If ever I travel to the west country, I find it beneficial to travel via London -- it often works out cheaper too as I find Cross Country fares to be exhorbitant.

[@send2gl]

You didnt comment about the toilet, on video that fidnt look great.

[@tariklyacoubi8197]

Dosen't look good unless u look out of the window. I wouldnt waste my money on a first class ticket for that. It didnt look very clean also. Lner sounds better

[@Danse_Macabre_125]

Calling it now: it'll be shite

[@christiantheo1]

Possibly the worst and most over crowded trains in uk

[@amcluesent]

What a joke, not having a lounge makes this a non-starter. And they have the nerve to charge £429.00 for one-way Glasgow-Plymouth

[@kevinellis8869]

Think about using an All Line Rover instead, you get the extra days travel

[@user-wm2tw]

$429? Wow. You can fly several times across country with that kind of money. Trains have become very very expensive.

[@steevobarker581]

Four Hundred and Twenty Nine pounds? Kinell... Rip off Britain.

[@gowestyorkshire_4782]

​@@user-wm2twthey've always been expensive

[@gordonchild110]

​@@steevobarker581were you buying shares in the train company at 429 pounds?

[@andrewtaylor5984]

There is nothing good to say about the Class 220 and 221 trains. First, they are far too short. I doubt if any other civilised country runs such short trains over such long distances. On the East Coast Main Line, there were repeated complaints about overcrowding when the HST's were introduced, and rightly so. If you ignore the business trains at peak hours, the normal formation before the HST was eleven coaches with about 450 second class seats, and extras could be added at busy times. The HST had a fixed capacity of 288, and this was reduced further when a guard's compartment was added. In the transition period, loco-hauled trains were shorter as well. Edinburgh gained extra trains, but Newcastle did not. In the end, the HST's had six second class coaches, but not for some years. This shows how incompetent the people who order rolling stock are. Even if you couple two 220 or 221 sets together, you achieve nothing, as there is no connection between the two. The seats and windows are not aligned, and there is no catering except from a trolley, so one has to make do with bog-standard British Rail sandwiches. I bet the inmates of Brixton Prison fare better. Once, when travelling from Euston to Coventry, the train was a five-coach set, and the train was going through to Edinburgh. Most passengers boarding at Rugby had to stand. Next time I waited for the Pendolino, and a nine-coach formation was barely adequate. When the Euston electrification was completed in 1966, the standard formation was eleven or twelve coaches. By the early nineties this had been cut to eight. Deliberate overcrowding again. There are several references to the age of the Voyager sets. I do not think this is necessarily relevant. In the days when I lived in Newcastle, trains to Birmingham and beyond were formed of Mark 1 stock, hauled by a Peak, or an occasional 47. These were far better in all respects, even though they would have taken longer. The Edinburgh to Plymouth train, precursor of the present-day Aberdeen-Penzance, was formed of twelve coaches, including Restaurant Cars, and, in summer, there was a Newcastle to Paignton train leaving about 20 minutes earlier. Almost all the cross-country trains from Newcastle conveyed Restaurant Cars for all ticket holders until the HST era. Indeed, British Rail once publicly announced that the buffet was meant to be adequate for journeys not exceeding two hours. When creating sectors, rather than regions, BR separated catering on stations from catering on trains. The latter were now run by the Inter-City sector, who decided to ban second class ticket holders from Restaurant Cars, and seeing that Inter-City meant trains to and from London only, catering elsewhere was phased out, except for the trolley, which is just not good enough. Inter-City services not serving London were consigned to Regional Railways. 9:18 There is also overcrowding on the St Pancras Line. Again, five-coach trains with one and most of a second for first class ticket holders, and no catering except a trolley. Again, these are shorter than the HST. One final horror story. On one Sunday just before Christmas, I was at King's Cross. A Hull trains unit was in the station, but only a four-car unit instead of a five. As you can guess, there were angry scenes on the platform, and the staff could do nothing. In the good old days, extra coaches would have been found. A number of passengers would have to stand for 200 miles, or wait for the next train, and, of course, there are fewer trains on Sundays.

[@steve-marsh]

A first class video in more ways than one! I like the idea for this mini series. I don't think I'd bother with Crosscountry First at the prices they charge, I think it's better to stick to Standard Class and just get through the journey as quickly as possible to be honest, although that being said, I've used them once on their longest journey and found it not too bad! Great video mate and a fair assessment.

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

I wont ruin the surprise, but of the five companies tested, only two had a decent service.

[@NGAF.]

​@@PlanesTrainsEverythingI think you just did...😊

[@NGAF.]

When is your next video Steve....tomorrow.?

[@andrewwilson6240]

I think that one of XCs biggest failures is acute / dangerous overcrowding. This shows up particularly in the Yorkshire sections and the Midlands. Imagine being in a sardine crush in the corridor by the very smelly toilet not knowing whether you can actually get through the crowds to alight. This is the reality for someone who commuted from New Street to Derby / Nottingham

[@Listenerandlearner870]

That's just what I found. When I go up north I avoid them.

[@wimcolet]

🤪 you so true. THis hell lol never pay more for 1 class. by cc and the food and drinking pffff... lol

[@buckstane]

I agree. I travelled from Taunton to Edinburgh on a Sunday 1st class - for most of the journey the overcrowding overspill extended into the 1st class carriage, making my journey most unpleasant. Even going to the toilet required you to step over bodies and push their luggage aside to allow entry to the toilet. Why the attendants did not eject the intruders is beyond me - that is surely a failure to provide a first class experience. I will never travel X-Country again. I subsequently found that travelling that same journey 1st class was £70 cheaper via London using GWR and LNER, and, 10 minutes quicker.

[@HSTHoward]

Even better now since they binned their 7 car HST fleet!

[@robertlanglands9161]

I agree with that overcrowding is an issue, the trains are too short. The two end units are marked A and F so there should be four carriages in between not the two or three they use. EMT can run proper six carriage trains so why not XC.

[@stephenmordey6371]

I recently travelled Cross Country first class from Newcastle to Birmingham. During the three hour journey over lunch time, nothing more substantial than crisps or biscuits was available to eat. Having got a cheap upgrade through Seat Frog I was left disappointed. Considering some of these First class seats are priced at hundreds of pounds, surely better catering should be provided.

[@andrewtaylor5984]

Once upon a time, most long- distance trains conveyed a Restaurant Car, available to ALL passengers, no matter what type of ticket they held. I would like to know whether starving passengers is a breach of the passengers' charter. Exceeding the seating capacity certainly is; it is also a breach of Health and Safety legislation.

[@TomCro73]

​@@andrewtaylor5984Not exactly - every train type is tested and certified to an additional standee capacity when fully seated. If you've evidence of regulations being breached, you should probably take it up with the H&S authorities. And if passengers choose to starve themselves, I hope there's no "charter" that compromises their right to do this! Even in the days of restaurant cars, supplies could run out or equipment fail. Personally, I board any train with enough provisions to last me the journey time and then some. Planning and self sufficiency are skillsets that serve me well.

[@andrewtaylor5984]

I am a retired Health and Safety officer, though not on the railways. Basically, an employer has to provide a safe working environment for everyone, including trespassers. Entry to stations can be restricted by the British Transport Police, or possibly station managers as well, to avoid overcrowding. Exceeding the seating capacity in cars, coaches, and aeroplanes is considered a danger to safety, so why should the railways be any different? I would say that exceeding the seating capacity breaches Health and Safety legislation. Something else needs to be considered. If you have a first-class ticket on a train scheduled to have first-class accommodation, and there is none, the difference between the two fares is refunded on the train. I have witnessed this. Standing passengers should get a full refund. As regards catering, bringing your own food is not a realistic solution. You are still restricted to cold snacks and finger food. You cannot carry knives in public, so that rules out a decent meal. I also find it offensive to be sitting next to people eating certain types of food. Stations are no better, with just a few exceptions. Who remembers the ghastly food hall at Euston? By contrast, you can get a decent meal at the Gare du Nord. Eating on the train is a good way of passing the time. Having to eat before or after the trip means extended journey times, or departure and arrival times may not coincide with normal meal hours. Buffet cars only serve cold snacks, and do not provide cutlery and crockery. There are times when prison inmates probably do better. We repeatedly read that train catering makes a loss. This must be because the product is wrong, the price is wrong, or both. With first-class ticket holders now getting free meals, receipts can only be going down. This can only make things worse for the majority. Weekend catering is drastically reduced; we all have to eat, no matter what day of the week it is. As you must be aware, the railways are in competition with road transport. Motorway service areas have a contractual obligation to provide a service every day of the year, including Christmas Day, although I will concede that facilities may be reduced then. And you can use all the facilities, irrespective of whether you arrive by car, bus, lorry, motorcycle, etc. The advantage of train travel is that you should be able to eat on the move. I think that the biggest mistake the railways made was to have catering on trains and on stations run by different bodies. The original set-up was eight levels of catering, three of which banned second-class ticket holders from the Restaurant Car, one other was almost non-existent, and the bottom level was the trolley.

[@harrygg8457]

Catering is subject to availability so you should be more grateful you received anything.

[@andrewtaylor5984]

@@harrygg8457 It used not to be like that. You could once get a decent meal on a long-distance train. The railways keep promising this, that, and the other, and never provide. Cold snacks off a trolley are not going to encourage people onto the railways.

[@harrierjames7727]

I have queried XC about the £1 ticket collection charge with them on Twitter. The response i got was it's because they don't manage any stations. Other TOCs that manage stations have a reciprocal agreement that customers can use whichever company's machine gratis. XC don't... Complete and utter privatised tosh.

[@SouthPaw1805]

More accurately, CrossCountry have to pay other train companies for ticket collection, but don't get any payments from other operators due to their lack of stations. They'd prefer you to use an e-ticket, which they offer free of charge because the cost is minimal.

[@trevoringram4520]

What was that brown stuff on the toilet rim? I do not want to know Purley rhetorical

[@annabelholland]

Cross Country (XC) Trains are not the best TOC. They are often overcrowded (more people than seats) due to short train lengths (3 cars) and can be the case during off peak times. This is the case between Cambridge and Ely or Peterborough. EMR also experiences this. Taking Great Northern/Thameslink (part if GTR) or Greater Anglia may be a better option although GA trains are also short (3-4 cars) but also more modern. I may still enjoy standing if its a short ride (

[@zzhughesd]

XC. Never mind them. Feels cheaper older rolling stock…. But. Who cares. Well. I do like Hitachi LNER trains.

[@craigsimpson6156]

Don't get Crosscountry at all. They are one of the most expensive operators (trip from Derby to Birmingham is at least £22 return), overcrowded with people standing frequently, trains are ageing and still have the Virgin Trains interior in most of the voyagers and seats too. I don't know why people aren't avoiding using them?

[@colin.d]

That was a relatively easy route, but wait until the train gets south of Newcastle it will likely be rammed. XC Voyagers inadequate capacity for demand.

[@gazuk2000]

I suffer from anxiety and depression and find your videos easy and relaxing to watch. You speck nice and softly and extremely understanding how you describe the service you resive. I enjoy mostly train videos as they are a massive passion of main. Thanks so much for making these videos. I'm looking forward to new videos, and I won't comment on all videos but will tick like button out of respect. But please rest assured your brilliant 👏 👍

[@keepgoing1973]

57/60??? What about the toilet covered in shit?

[@MrGreatplum]

It looks like “enamel” or whatever the toilet is coated in has peeled off

[@kazzicup]

@@MrGreatplum We don't know for sure. Scott is in a position to tell us what that brown stuff was.

[@GodAtum]

you're very very lucky. i don't this this is a fair review of crosscountry. normally you cant even get on these trains let alone get a seat!

[@bregawn]

They call the included food and drink 'complimentary' so there's no obligation on them if they can't provide this for any reason

[@watsonrail]

Easily pleased! As someone who regularly travels long distance in the UK by train Cross Country is one to be avoided wherever possible. The noise and vibration from the under floor power unit, the all pervading stench of urine and hot hydraulic oil, the uncomfortable seating and, in first class, the excuse for on train catering all conspire to make avoiding Cross Country where possible. As for the fares, more expensive than the competitors! Was once offered the "left over breakfast muffin" or a pack of crisps as the first class catering offering one evening from Derby to Waverley! When it comes to on train catering LNER come out on top (despite ever reducing standards from the days of GNER).

[@edf6607]

However bad it undoubtedly is, XC Voyager 1st class is better than Standard class....

[@suchcone]

So glad it's not just me that notices the noise and vibration. Sometimes I feel like I'm being overly picky not wanting to be carbonated on my journey. Awful trains - the 180 has the same engine and yet it glides (when it runs at all)

[@Glenn1967ful]

Had to use them once from York to Leeds, it was enough. Train was overcrowded, dirty and worn out. Actually the Northern Supersprinter from Leeds to Carlisle was better as it only had a few pasengers and had no pretentions like Cross Country and their glorified DMUs.

[@andrewtaylor5984]

The ECML catering went downhill after GNER lost the contract. The successors soon withdrew lunch from Restaurant Cars, because they said "nobody has lunch these days." Then we get the obnoxious situation which.gives first-class passengers a free meal, whilst second-class gets nothing but a buffet with a limited rage of grotty sandwiches, cakes, and biscuits. The Azumas have even less.

[@Martycycleman]

Cheers Scott, but where was "what could possibly go wrong"😮

[@Gary85Paul]

I used to take Cross Country from Reading to Birmingham and Coventry pretty regularly for work. The route was always packed and I ended up using my own money to get out of the cramped standard class (where you'd often have to stand) and into first class. But even first class always felt unnecessarily cramped. I tried to get the airline style seats for a semblance of privacy and legroom. It was also always busy and the catering hit and miss. Sometimes you'd get a bacon roll, and sometimes they wouldn't even give you a smile - let alone any drinks or food.

[@Gary85Paul]

@@derektaylor2941 I must say that the Voyager and Pendolino seating is supremely uncomfortable. Narrow, no legroom, minimal padding.

[@Gary85Paul]

@@derektaylor2941 best seats I came across were in the 90s when we used to sneak into the separate first class cabins on old slam door trains! 😂 6 seats in their own little space.

[@thomas-o8d3o]

scrapping better trains with the hst ,horrible things first class and standard class most expensive fares in the world

[@DSTWizz]

"All the comforts of home" says the on-board sign; that'll be except for the carpets and the toilet pans, I suppose. Ah well. Thanks for taking us along, Scott. The views out were great!

[@walterfillingham]

If I travel say from Inverness to Edinburgh for the day, I always travel LNER First Class, it’s really good value when you consider you get a freshly cooked breakfast on the way down and hot meal coming back up along with loads of cold and hot drinks and snacks served throughout the journey. I would only ever travel LNER if going First Class, ScotRail and Crosscountry have a lot to learn from LNER. Having hot meals going down and back up gives me more time to enjoy exploring Edinburgh. the former entertainment system between the seats is from when these trains started life as Virgin Crosscountry, before mobile phones do everything they do now

[@craigallan452]

57/60 is not 57%??????

[@shirleythurston4213]

The state of the washroom was so disgusting I would never travel with XC !! For First Class that is unacceptable to me, but Scott as always I love everything you do and I appreciate all your time and effort you put in to entertain us 😊

[@grangetowncardiff6935]

Its called a toilet.

[@shirleythurston4213]

Really?? How smart you are !!

[@grangetowncardiff6935]

Correct.@@shirleythurston4213

[@terrykemp8131]

When travelling first class with GWR, from Exeter to London . They only serve cold snacks (crackers and biscuits(with no hot food or sandwiches. Looks like you have done much better with Cross Country. That toilet looked terrible.

[@LiftFan]

Yeah, the GWR catering offering is abysmal compared to every single long distance operator out there! Only Grand Central and South Western Railway do worse with their catering (or lack thereof), and at least both have much more comfortable seats for the journeys.

[@kiwitrains]

Travelled with XC first class several times when in the UK and found them very good never found overcrowding in first class. 👍🇦🇺🇬🇧

[@anderson357]

I avoid xc

[@JohnMitch]

South East Asia has a much better train service then any UK train service which is just marginally better then Indian railways

[@hazels27]

Amazed at the score 57/60. What about that disgusting toilet! Apart from that enjoyed the journey. Thanks for travelling.

[@johnmacdonald8040]

Don't quite get your maths. 10 points off for no lounges at Aberdeen or Edinburgh means 20 deducted. Yet you scored them ultimately out of 60 not 80. Why?

[@theeventhorizon-valebridge9512]

First class? Possibly slightly better than the usual cattle class I suppose..... but only because of the lack of other passengers in that carriage, presumably being scared off by the incredibly obscene ticket price! Yet another failed privatisation.....along with ALL the other privatisation without exception! We've been had!

[@6yjjk]

A very quick look suggests that a Scotrail first class ticket from Aberdeen to Dyce is £3.90. Does that get you into the lounge? If so, bargain.

[@s125ish]

Yes

[@Andrewjg_89]

Perhaps CrossCountry should have kept the Class 43 Mk3 HSTs instead of giving them away and replacing them with existing trains that have less comfortable seats whilst travelling long distances.

[@benmichaelblackwell1880]

Had the misfortune of using X Country. I now avoid them at all costs

[@alasdairmackenzie905]

Hi Steve. Interesting. But I would have thought a BIG mark-down was due for that disgusting toilet. On a general note, we used to travel down fairly regularly when it was Virgin CrossCountry who operated the route but gave up on it when the current franchisee took over and the service deteriorated terribly with overcrowding all too often a major issue

[@andrewpreston4127]

That toilet pan looked flipping disgusting. Surprised they don't have some kind of PAYG for sheets of toilet paper. One of my least enjoyable ever rail journeys was Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham, with Cross Country. Absolutely ram packed, felt like a cattle truck, admittedly minus the cow pats.

[@creationinmotion4124]

I wonder if this old virgin stock because the entertainment module was on there back in the late 90s/ early 2000s. I remember plugging my headset in. Virgin radio, etc

[@Gus0898uk]

I think you'll find you can travel First class from ABD to EDB for less than £47 with LNER.

[@telemachus53]

57%? With a disgusting loo, worn seats and not very appetising "complimentary "items served. You are too generous. I tried CX once first class, from Edinburgh to Bristol. It was smelly, terrible seat allocated (no window, facing backward) and no, or very little food offered. Never again. CX suffers seriously from a lack of competition. Its terrible reputation is well deserved.

[@stuartball4639]

Buy your ticket from the ticket office in advance which is the same price & you won't be charged a £1 plus excellent service from the ticket 🎫 clerk 👍😊 Plus LNER will win as the trains & food is far better 😊

[@colinblick8946]

I wonder how many driver changes between Aberdeen an Penzance…… that’s quite a trip……I don’t mind tea in paper cups, but I wish they were fluted cups(reinforced) I’d feel better about paying 1st class😂

[@suchcone]

I think the drinks are complimentary so thay if they can't be bothered to stock or serve them, you cant claim a refund. I've seatfrogged three times with XC and didn't get so much as a cup of tea out of them. Someone conplained to the host who was sat in the back for the 3h joruney. Arrogant awful train company that should be disbanded and taken over by more competent people.

[@jondavies9347]

Any first world country would have electrified the Cross Country Line (I know about the bridges etc) by now-I don't think it will ever happen.

[@mikemainer3009]

That train toilet is gross and looks like the pub toilet from the film 'Trainspotting'....As such, I wouldn't rate that toilet as even a good third class offering. Also, how in bloody heck did you rate that journey as 57 out of 60? Worn out, functiion-missing seats, no USB chareports, carpets and carriage that have seen better days, nothing special with the catering service and to top it off an unusable, gross, feces-splattered toilet. Look, I appreciate you are a nice guy and a pleasant person to watch, but really, don't try to gloss over problems and bamboozle your viewers in your reviews.

[@terranceparsons5185]

Looks like Cheap Skatetry will be losing a bunch of customers then!

[@sueelphick9060]

First class not worth it as far as im concerned....All carriages are showing their age somevare positively fikthy ....I taje my pwn food and enjoy my packed meals and drinks

[@rajchoudhury5130]

THE BEST TRAINS IN THE UK. Not The state of that toilet, they should be ashamed.

[@lucyanncavanagh8356]

Scott! Hasn’t even improved by one iota within the last 5 years! Used to pre book for XC, that Cludgie is in a really disgusting state! Was like that 5 years ago! Used to jump on various cross country train operators and standard off peak times. No, never was offered coffee or snacks either, scotrail even if you’ve pre booked a seat reservation in advance, you have no chance of that seat! That is extremely bowfing!

[@kr46428]

The bogs were, well, bogs in all meanings of the word I suppose. Definitely felt something shift unpleasantly in my stomach.

[@DaytimeDannyPhairy]

I remember those old entertainment systems working when the Voyagers were with Virgin. I would listen to Dick and Dom on it as a child, ha ha. Crowded, dirty, old and expensive describe my experience with cross country earlier this year.... not great.

[@pryonic]

Ah they look like the old Virgin Cross Country carriages (which makes sense) - about 15 years ago they did used to have audio programmes and live radio you could listen to using those weird buttons between the seats. From memory they had some live BBC radio stations, and some music and comedy programmes from other providers played on a loop. Can't remember when they stopped but it was aaaaaages ago.

[@onlycompetitions5083]

You would wonder how someone managed to get the loo in that condition! Maybe they were taking salts?… ….Somersaults?

[@hcjkruse]

Just seeing your video of the same train that Steve Marsh reviewed for the ful trip 3 weeks ago but 2nd class. Foodwise also for you the same question, why not stock up at the local supermarket the night before?

[@wowpcgamermike]

170 class are bad from Cambridge to Birmingham new st

[@MichaelCampin]

Dont bother coming to Sunderlands newly refurbished station still no buffet facilities at all. The South end of the station is still not open despite it was promised for 31st July 2023.

[@pontecarlo4354]

I don’t think 1st class is worth it. I wonder whose bright idea was to exclude 1st class lounges from the product?

[@Lee_303]

The prices they charge they could easily have got some long distance loco haulage in with some kind of driving luggage thing up front. The units they have are only suitable for linking up to the mainlines, not for Aberdeen to Penzance!

[@Bungle2010]

How are they charging a booking fee? I'm 100% certain that is a franchise infringement.

[@John_259]

Who else was expecting the list of stations to end with.... Tubular Bells!

[@christinehodge3608]

Worn carpets and disgusting toilet, hope you washed your hands😊

[@andyhughes5885]

I`m wondering just how bad the toilets need to be on your train journeys Scott for you to give a realistic point score. I would never have used that toilet even if i was bursting, it looked disgusting. I feel these train companies will do anything to the barest minimum for the maximum profit to just above the point of being sued. Overall, another good video though.

[@FurbleFawks]

Looks like cross-country have done absolutely nothing besides a few logos and vinyl on the outside since taking on the fleet from Virgin Trains, even all these years later... Even the Virgin badge outline is still on the front in your video. They desperately need refurbing.

[@jondavies9347]

Yes,the trains simply aren't long enough,how on earth was their contact extended?

[@benjaminmack7567]

I avoid cross country as much as possible. I often travel long distance with my bicycle and you can't book your bicycle at the same time as buying your tickets infact they don't release bike reservations until about a month before your journey so it just adds an level of stress not knowing if you can actually get a bike reservation!

[@BIGV710]

scot all the voyages class 220/221s was built in brugge belguim

[@johnmacleod4481]

At that price scott i would have thought its not worth it but eqch trqveller and maybe including you will make up their own mind on that one meanwhile your videos cover indepth information analysis and beautiful scenery

[@keithparker1346]

Will there be a summary video comparing all five 1st class services?

[@pipandkitty2004]

We traveled by cross country trains 2 months ago from Derby to Plymouth utter chaos ,standing room only and that was with a reserved seats in which three other people had had reservations all along to Exeter in fact the driver said that was nothing compared with the other week we had to push people on the train like the Japanese do on those type 221/220 trains. On the way back we was thrilled that we got a h s t that has more comfort….sad to say cross country trains have got rid of them now sent them to Mexico and said words to the effect stuff the people here in the uk make do with cattle class

[@valuetraveler2026]

You do some things I would never do - I was on a cc once overcrowded akin to Northern - follow the money who owns them ultimately ?!!

[@BalwinderSingh-w9m]

I like the wet-fart decor on the cludgie. Very thought provoking.