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More than a decade after the government invested £1.6 billion in creating a new fleet of commuter trains, improvements are finally planned to address passenger discomfort caused by slim seats commonly dubbed “ironing board” seating. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has confirmed that over 60,000 seats across all 115 Thameslink trains will be fitted with enhanced cushions and better backrests. This refurbishment is scheduled to commence in 2027 and is expected to take two years to complete.
Alexander described the initiative as a clear example of “public ownership of our railways in action,” as it forms part of the broader Great British Railways programme set to transform rail services in England. This move follows the transition of Greater Thameslink Railway to public ownership in May 2026 and is within a context of wider network improvements. Additional upgrades include an increase in Gatwick Express services starting in December, as well as a refurbishment campaign targeting train toilets and efforts to eliminate graffiti throughout the fleet.
The original class-700 Thameslink trains, manufactured by Siemens between 2016 and 2019, were once hailed as “state-of-the-art” and described by the Department for Transport (DfT) as “a fantastic deal” for taxpayers. However, the thin and hard seats have long drawn criticism. Despite warnings before production that the seating would be uncomfortable, the contract proceeded without redesign. The DfT’s procurement specifications prioritized high capacity and reduced weight, with a “2+2 seat layout” designed to facilitate passenger flow and standing space, aiming to accommodate about 1,000 people boarding or alighting simultaneously.
Prior to the fleet’s rollout, a Railfuture panel, composed of volunteer experts, expressed concerns after examining a prototype in 2014. Their report concluded that the seats were “very hard” and warned of upcoming passenger complaints, especially given some journeys can last over two hours, such as trips from Peterborough, Cambridge, or Bedford to Gatwick or Brighton. They strongly urged the DfT to reconsider the seat design before full production. However, production continued unaltered. The DfT maintains that renegotiating the seating contract was not feasible until public ownership took effect earlier this year. John Whitehurst, chief executive of GTR, emphasized that passenger feedback was crucial in shaping the new plans, stating, “Our customers told us that comfort matters, which was why we’d been working on plans to improve seating on Thameslink services.
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