Ironing boards: Thameslink is removing all the old and uncomfortable seats from its trains, to be replaced with more comfortable, better cushioned seats
Transport correspondent JEREMY CLACKSON on the latest improvements announced by the newly publicly-run rail operator
Croydon commuters should get more comfortable journeys on Thameslink trains, as the now publicly owned operator GTR is to strip 60,000 “ironing board” seats from their carriages and replace them with better-cushioned seats.
The upgrade will begin next year and will affect standard class seat cushions across all 115 trains in the Thameslink fleet.
The new seat cushions have been agreed as part of a pre-existing contract between the operator and Siemens Mobility, meaning the upgrades come at no additional cost to taxpayers.
Old and new: commuters at London Bridge got first sight of the replacement seating (far side, alongside the ironing board closer to camera)
The new spring and memory foam cushions will be rolled out from next year alongside improved winged backrests, replacing the stiff and narrow seats – likened to sitting on an ironing board – that have long frustrated commuters on one of Britain’s busiest rail routes.
The investment is one of many passenger improvements GTR is bringing in since the operator transferred into public ownership in May.
More than £3.6million is being invested in the fleet to revamp exteriors, alongside refreshing onboard facilities including toilets, with new wall vinyls installed to deter graffiti and anti-social behaviour.
Since coming into public ownership, GTR has refreshed almost half of exteriors on its full fleet and nearly 300 train toilet interiors.
There are also more services: from December, double the number of Gatwick Express trains will run every hour.
The new seat design, developed following extensive passenger feedback, offers up to 57% more ‘give’ than the current seat cushion, with new “wing” backrests for better shoulder and head support. First class seats get the same improved cushions, and seat-back tables are being added to the 69 trains that lack them.
John Whitehurst, the CEO of GTR, which operates Thameslink, said: “Today is a brilliant milestone for GTR and our customers. Just 100 days since coming into public ownership, we’re showing how listening to passengers can deliver real, practical improvements.
“I’m delighted that passengers have helped us shape this new Thameslink seat cushion and backrest. By testing comfort options with the people who use our trains every day, we’ve chosen a cushion that will make journeys more comfortable across our network.
Easy rider: John Whitehurst, CEO of GTR, tries out the new seating
“I’m really pleased for our customers and look forward to seeing the new seats come on board from 2027.”
Installation of the new cushions and tables begins in 2027 and will be phased over two years to avoid disrupting services, as part of an 11-year fleet overhaul delivered with Siemens.
Heidi Alexander, the Labour government’s transport secretary, said: “Just 100 days since GTR’s services transferred into public control, we’re delivering the improvements commuters have been asking for – this is what public ownership looks like in action.
“From next year, we’ll start getting rid of the dreaded ‘ironing-board’ seats so passengers can enjoy comfier, more pleasant journeys on some of Britain’s busiest commuter routes.
“We know fixing Britain’s railway is more than a refurb job. We’ve frozen fares for the first time in 30 years and publicly owned operators have added 76,000 extra seats onto the network.
“Great British Railways will focus relentlessly on delivering a reliable, modern service that puts a better experience at the heart of everything it does for passengers.”
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The bad seats are totally due to the government ie Department of Transport and nothing to do with the previous company.
DfT were the ones who enforced that these seats had to be used.
Evolution of seat design: Back in the old days of British Rail, seat had quite dep cushions on them, but they were difficult to clean. Now that anti-social behaviour is far more common, the ironing-board seats were probably designed to be harder to sit on, but easier to clean. Now that they going back to more cushioned seats, are they inviting increased work keeping seats clean?
If you sit on a damp seat, you can hopefully get up and move to another seat. If the dampness is caused by water, that will dry out in due course, but if it is caused by a spilled sugary/alcoholic drink, urine, other bodily fluids, passengers may be checking the seats before they risk sitting on them ?!
I will not shed any tears over them: they were quite unsuitable for long journeys, and Peterborough to Horsham, for example, takes almost three hours. The new South West train seats are built on similar frames, but are a bit better covered. I hope the spacing is also improved as the pairs are rather claustrophobic, while often in a bay of four one person seems to take up the whole space.