WATCH: First of 70 refurbished Voyager trains unveiled by Britain's worst-rated operator CrossCountry
Overhauled fleet features more legroom, new seats and lighting
The first of a fleet of trains which have clocked up millions of miles over a network between Aberdeen and Plymouth has been unveiled by operator CrossCountry.
The £75 million overhaul includes new seats, more legroom and chargers for passengers’ mobile devices on the 70 Voyager trains.
They have been running for 25 years, and until last May operated Britain’s longest longest rail journey, of 775 miles between the Granite City and Penzance.
CrossCountry said the new-look trains would enter service at the end of the month.
They won’t come soon enough for some passengers, who rated them Britain’s worst in the latest survey by official watchdog Transport Focus which was published last week.
One industry source told The Scotsman: “This is welcome but long overdue, as the trains have had no refurbishment since [previous operator] Arriva won the franchise in 2007.”
CrossCountry said the revamp would bring a “significantly improved passenger experience” to the diesel trains, which were introduced by Virgin in the early 2000s.
The fleet were given the lowest satisfaction score - 77 per cent - in Transport Focus’ rail customer experience survey, compared to 90 per cent for ScotRail.
CrossCountry was equal worst for crowding with Grand Central in the poll at 65 per cent satisfaction.
Overall satisfaction with CrossCountry was also bottom of the table at 78 per cent.
That compared to fellow long-distance operators LNER with 93 per cent, Lumo with 87 per cent, Avanti West Coast with 85 per cent and TransPennine Express with 84 per cent. ScotRail scored 90 per cent.
Avanti West Coast, which inherited the rest of Virgin’s Voyager fleet, replaced them with brand new Evero trains two years ago.
Edward Rose posted on X: “It's not so much the state of the trains - yes the Voyagers are not good trains - it's the fact that they regularly and consistently for many years now fail to provide sufficient seats.
“Some sections of their routes, which are often long, suffer overcrowding.”
CrossCountry also serves Edinburgh, running on the east coast main line then branching off to cities such as Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, Bristol and Exeter.
The renovation project by Alstom in Derby is due to be completed in two years and also includes upgraded tables, new carpets and LED lighting, refurbished toilets and upgraded CCTV.
CrossCountry managing director Shiona Rolfe said: “This train marks an important step in our commitment to improving the experience for everyone who travels with us.
“The Voyager fleet has served passengers well for more than two decades and these upgrades will ensure it continues to meet modern expectations for comfort, sustainability and security.”
Alstom services director UK and Ireland Steve Harvey said: “Upgrading a fleet as intensively used as the Voyagers demands precision, innovation and deep technical knowledge – and our people have delivered exactly that.”
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