Economy Class & Beyond

Lufthansa expands AirRail links

by

Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn are  to expand their  joint train-to-flight services, with plans to add another give cities   The routes will be starting in December and will be called "Sprinter" routes (see a footnote later). DB defines their version of the Sprinter to be "extra-fast high-speed trains", will also travel to Frankfurt Airport for the first … [Read more...]

Avanti West Coast launches its new Smartcard scheme

by

Avanti West Coast (the operator of long-distance trains out of London Euston) is launching a new smartcard scheme for its services. The idea with the smartcard is that you will be able to store tickets securely on one card, preventing issues around paper tickets being mixed up or damaged. It works simply by customers purchasing a ticket online and then loading it on … [Read more...]

East Midlands Railway reveals the seats for their new trains

by

Let's turn to trains and East Midlands Railway, who are in the awaiting their new fleet of bi-mode trains. The Class 810 "Aurora" will feature new seating on its new units. East Midlands Railway Class 810 "Aurora" - Image, East Midlands Railway East Midlands Railway will install a variant of the FISA Lean seat. The company claims it has refined it to offer enhanced … [Read more...]

Grand Central Railway and Hull Trains suspend services again

by

With the National lockdown in effect in England, the open-access rail operators are again shutting down their services. Both Grand Central Railway and Hull Trains have suspended their services. Grand Central operates services from London Kings Cross to Sunderland and Bradford Interchange, whilst Hull Trains operates services from London Kings Cross to Hull … [Read more...]

Heathrow Express bids farewell to the Class 332, Hello Class 387

by

Heathrow Express has stood down its stalwart Class 332 trains that it uses to connect London Paddington to the Heathrow Terminals. Farewell, old expensive friend. The trains were introduced in 1997, built by Siemens and CAF, initially operating "Heathrow FastTrain" to Heathrow Junction in January 1998 and then operating the full "Heathrow Express" service later in June … [Read more...]

Grand Central and Hull Trains pause operations

by

With the incoming England Lockdown, Open-Access operators Grand Central and Hull Trains are to pause their operations. Grand Central Class 180 - Image, Grand Central. Grand Central operates services from London Kings Cross to Sunderland and Bradford Interchange, whilst Hull Trains operates services from London Kings Cross to Hull Paragon and Beverly.   The move by … [Read more...]

Southern and Gatwick Express trains to get updates

by

If you live in the area operated by Southern, Gatwick Express or Great Northern trains, there may be some good news ahead as the Govia Thameslink Railway is planning to update its fleet of trains. Southern Class 377 at Clapham Junction - Image, Economy Class and Beyond The upgrade will be completed on two classes of trains: Class 377 trains, which are used by … [Read more...]

Eurostar to skip calling at stations in Kent

by

It seems the fall in demand in travel has forced Eurostar's hand, with the UK - Europe train operator suspending stopping services in Kent. Eurostar Trains at St Pancras International - Image, Economy Class and Beyond. Both Ebbsfleet International (serving North Kent, Essex and the M25 area) and Ashford International (serving South Kent) will not be served by Eurostar … [Read more...]