Thameslink to Upgrade 60,000 Train Seats for Comfort

Over 60,000 Thameslink train seats will be upgraded with extra cushioning, improving comfort for commuters across the network by 2027.

The British government’s commitment to improving commuter comfort is set to take a significant step as more than 60,000 ‘ironing board’ seats on Thameslink trains are scheduled for upgrades. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced that the enhancements, which will include extra cushioning and backrests, aim to address long-standing concerns about passenger discomfort.

The refurbishment of seats on all 115 Thameslink trains is part of a broader initiative under the newly established Great British Railways programme, which aims to reintegrate rail service management under public ownership following the renationalisation of Greater Thameslink Railway in May 2026. Work on the seat upgrades is set to commence in 2027 and is expected to take about two years to complete.

Critics have pointed out that the Department for Transport (DfT) had previously invested £1.6 billion in these trains, despite warnings being raised about their uncomfortable seating design, which has been described as inadequate for long journeys that can exceed two hours.

Alexander described the upcoming changes as evidence of public ownership effectively addressing prior private sector shortcomings. “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,” she remarked during the announcement.

In addition to seating improvements, plans for the Thameslink network include increasing Gatwick Express services from December and refurbishing train toilets while also addressing issues like graffiti. These measures reflect a broader strategy to enhance the quality of rail transport across the South East, which includes regions like Sussex, Surrey, and parts of Kent.

The class-700 Thameslink trains were initially promoted by the DfT as a breakthrough in rail transport, introduced between 2016 and 2019 with high hopes for their performance and capacity. However, feedback has shown that the focus on capacity maximization may have compromised passenger comfort significantly.

Industry observers have also critiqued the DfT’s oversight in selecting the design for the trains, with concerns being raised long before they were rolled out. A report from a panel of rail experts in 2014 voiced strong objections regarding seat comfort, suggesting a redesign should be urgently considered before production continued.

Despite these reservations, production proceeded without changes, with the DfT maintaining that it could not adjust a private sector contract until public ownership was established. Moving forward, negotiations regarding the contracts for installing new cushions are expected to be outlined in more detail later this autumn.

John Whitehurst, the chief executive of Govia Thameslink Railway, emphasized that customer feedback played an essential role in formulating these plans. “Our customers told us that comfort matters, which was why we’d been working on plans to improve seating on Thameslink services,” he noted.