Train operator Cross Country will be able to increase capacity thanks to £2.5 million in additional funding from the Department for Transport (DfT).
This is welcome news for customers.
Over the years a number of readers have complained about the lack of capacity offered by Cross Country.
Its trains are known to operate with an insufficient number of coaches. Many times I have seen long-distance Cross Country services running through Yorkshire comprised of just four carriages, meaning at busy times capacity is lacking.
The first improvements will be seen from May 2020 covering routes between the Midlands and Cardiff.
DfT says an additional 5,000 seats per week will be provided on services linking Birmingham to Nottingham, Leicester and Cardiff.
From December 2020 the plan is to provide more seats on the lucrative, long distance routes to and from Scotland, the North East and Manchester which operate from the South West and the South Coast.
From mid-2021 a further 15,000 seats are planned to be in place and these will include services to and from Cambridge and Stansted Airport.
Cross Country operates the most complex network of any train company covering a mix of secondary and mainlines over medium- and long-distance routes.
No Cross Country services operate at any of the London termini.
Said Cross Country’s MD Tom Joyner, “Many of our trains have become increasingly busy as more and more people choose rail for their journeys.
“This will deliver the biggest increase for our services in more than 13 years.”
Further details of how the extra capacity is being provided will be made available in due course.
Readers please note this information has been provided by DfT and not by Cross Country itself.
