Long Journeys, Full Trains: Why CrossCountry Faces Constant Operational Pressure

When you think of Britain’s long-distance trains, you might picture services radiating out from London. CrossCountry is different. Its trains deliberately avoid the capital, forming a vast mesh of routes that link northwest to southwest and Scotland to the English midlands. From Aberdeen and Edinburgh to Plymouth and Cardiff, CrossCountry connects major cities without ever going near Greater London. This unusual network shapes almost everything about how it operates and how passengers experience it.

CrossCountry’s origins lie in the reshaped rail franchising of the mid-2000s. In 2007, Arriva won the newly structured CrossCountry franchise, taking over routes formerly operated by Virgin CrossCountry and combining them with inter-regional services from Central Trains. The new network solidified the operator’s identity as a true cross-country service, avoiding London entirely.

Before that, under British Rail and later Virgin, the Cross-Country route was dominated by the High-Speed Train (HST) sets, which had carried passengers across the country since the 1980s. Virgin introduced the Voyager diesel multiple units, Class 220 and 221, in the early 2000s, replacing many of the HSTs. After Arriva took over, some HST sets were brought back to ease crowding before finally being withdrawn from service in 2023.

Today, the backbone of the long-distance network remains the Voyagers, supplemented on inter-regional routes by Class 170 Turbostar units inherited in 2007. CrossCountry has been rolling out a refurbishment programme for these 170s, featuring new seating, tables, enhanced passenger information screens and USB and mains power points, but notably without First Class accommodation to maximise standard-class capacity. These refurbished units operate between cities such as Cardiff and Nottingham and Birmingham and Stansted.

The removal of First Class from the Turbostars reflects a fundamental tension in balancing capacity with service quality. On the long-distance Voyagers, First Class seating remains on offer, with larger seats and at-seat refreshments on many trains. In practice, however, passenger accounts suggest this experience can be inconsistent. Some journeys deliver a noticeable step up, while others fall short of expectations, with sporadic catering and mixed service levels. Many online reviews highlight that the premium fare does not always deliver a premium experience.

Overcrowding is one of the most frequent passenger complaints about CrossCountry. Its long-distance trains routinely operate at or beyond capacity, particularly on core routes such as Birmingham to Edinburgh and Plymouth to Manchester, where demand regularly exceeds available seats. Voyagers are often coupled into double units on busy services, and in some cases only part of the train may be staffed or accessible, which can exacerbate congestion. Even refurbished Class 170s on shorter regional services are limited in capacity and operate without First Class, reflecting ongoing attempts to manage peak demand.

CrossCountry fares are often perceived as high relative to service quality. While UK rail fares in general are expensive compared with European peers, strong demand on CrossCountry routes suggests that many journeys remain essential despite dissatisfaction with pricing and crowding. Some observers suggest that higher fares act as a demand-management tool, helping to regulate capacity on heavily used routes. Passenger satisfaction surveys reflect this mixed perception, placing CrossCountry below many peers for value for money and crowding, even as other satisfaction measures have shown modest improvements.

CrossCountry’s decentralised network has operational advantages but also complicates service management. Disruptions in one region can ripple hundreds of miles across the network. Without a central London hub to absorb or reroute trains, punctuality recovery is harder, and the company must coordinate staffing, rolling stock, and maintenance across multiple infrastructure regions simultaneously.

To address crowding and improve passenger experience, CrossCountry has begun a substantial refurbishment of its Voyager and Super Voyager fleet, focusing on interiors, seating, lighting, passenger information systems, and sustainability upgrades. Surplus Class 221 Super Voyagers from other operators are also being integrated to boost capacity without waiting for new trains. As future franchise or direct-award arrangements develop, balancing operational complexity, passenger satisfaction, and national coverage will remain a core challenge for the company.

CrossCountry’s story is ultimately one of scale versus experience: enabling long, uninterrupted journeys across Britain without touching London, yet grappling with the realities of high demand, infrastructure complexity, and passenger expectations. It provides a revealing glimpse of the challenges inherent in running a national network in a country where rail is heavily used, intensely scrutinised, and rarely simple to operate.