Economy Class & Beyond

Avanti West Coast to introduce Water Refill Points aboard trains

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We've all been there - the dreaded empty water bottle, and the hunt to fill it it up. And it's a lot harder on a train, where you might have to buy from a trolley, the onboard shop or at a destination. Avanti West Coast is trying something very new for trains - the installation of water refill points on its trains. It marks a first in the United Kingdom and a first in … [Read more...]

Avanti West Coast roll out their Class 807 on the London-Liverpool Route

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Avanti West Coast - the train operator which operates on the West Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom has launched its newest train between Liverpool and London  - with the Class 807 Evero making its debut on the route. Avanti West Coast Evero Class 807 train at Liverpool Lime Street  - Image, Avanti. The Class 807 trains are based on the Hitachi Intercity Express … [Read more...]

CrossCountry Trains to add a direct Cardiff to Edinburgh Service

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With the upcoming timetable change, CrossCountry Trains will launch a new service, connecting the Welsh Capital of Cardiff to the Scottish Capital of Edinburgh via Birmingham. CrossCountry Voyager at Manchester Piccadilly Train Station - Image, Economy Class and Beyond The new weekday service will link Wales, England and Scotland by one train for the first time. The … [Read more...]

Rushing for a train in Birmingham? Make sure you’re there at least 40 seconds before departure

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We've all done it, looking up at a platform board and realising a train is about to depart within a couple of minutes.  At Birmingham New Street (one of the busier train stations outside of London), you're going to need a little more time to get to the train before departure. Looking down to Birmingham New Street Station from Grand Central  Network Rail has announced … [Read more...]

The end of the Euston Rush….? Nah.

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For those of you who have had... the misfortune of going through London Euston Station - you'll fully know of "The Euston Rush". Euston Station Exterior - Image, Network Rail  Those who have not experienced it - in simple terms - Euston station has an extremely bad habit of leaving the announcement of which platform any train is going to depart from until 10 to 15 … [Read more...]

Trenitalia to join SkyTeam

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It seems that SkyTeam is building further Air-Rail links in Europe, with the airline adding Trenitalia as part of the network Both SkyTeam and Trenitalia, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to offer customers a wider choice of destinations across Italy. The partnership will enable passengers to explore Italy using high-speed Frecciarossa train services - … [Read more...]

SWISS expands AirRail partnership with SBB

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SWISS and SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) have agreed to extend their AirRail offering, with new destinations and a partnership extension. Trains and Planes - SWISS and SBB - Image, SWISS.  When established in 2019, the programme was initially scheduled to run for up to five years. This has now been extended by the two companies indefinitely. The partnership has … [Read more...]

West Midlands Trains proposes it serves Manchester in its latest plans

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It seems that West Midlands Trains (the franchised incumbent on the West Coast Main Line, operating commuter services out of London Euston), wants a stab at running its trains much further than they've been before - to Manchester.   West Midlands Trains Class 730 (In West Midlands Railways colours)  - Image, West Midlands Trains According to West Midlands Trains, the plans … [Read more...]

Alstom secures an order for further Class 345 trains.

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Last week, Alstom signed a contract with the UK Department for Transport and Transport for London for a further 10 nine-car Aventra trains. These trains will be a continuation of the Class 345 trainsets that are used on the Elizabeth Line. The contract worth is around €430 (£370) million, along with associated maintenance until 2046. According to Alstom,  the Elizabeth line … [Read more...]