OVERCROWDING, DIRTY, DELAYED?! Are the XC Voyagers THAT BAD?

OVERCROWDING, DIRTY, DELAYED?! Are the XC Voyagers THAT BAD? | Vanmanyo Reviews: XC class 220/221

Рет қаралды 1,501

6 ай бұрын

Hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year! Thanks for the year - it's been a successful one; here's to another good year in 2024!
Hello! Today I continue my new series - Vanmanyo Reviews - where I review train journeys I take, ranking them on several factors and calculating a total score at the end of the video for that journey (as a percentage). Today was the turn of the XC voyager class between SOT - WOL ; so how good are these infamous intercity DMUs?
WATCH THE OTHER REVIEWS HERE: • Vanmanyo Reviews...
You can view the spreadheet which I am reviewing the journeys on here (NOTE: Does inlcude spoilers for upcoming videos): docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
*1 - Free seats is measured by how many free seats were available on that particular journey which may vary with date and stock used.
*2 - Catering may be different to what is normally available but is measured on what catering facilities were available when I went on that journey.
*3 - Cost is measured by price per minute of travel.
*4 - Toilet rating is measured by the cleaniless and functionality of the specific toilet looked at (not filmed in today's case).
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Пікірлер: 34

@sabersz 5 ай бұрын

I've always travelled on these since I was a kid. It's only recently due to my job that travelling on them up to places like Birmingham and Manchester has become much more regular. It didn't dawn how horrible they were until I was stuck on a rush hour service from Manchester to Bournemouth with absolutely zero to eat and drink. For SIX HOURS!!! Other than that I honestly don't mind them. The luggage space is fantastic for my big ass suitcase, the seats are pretty comfy, and I personally love the exterior livery.

@Vanmanyo 5 ай бұрын

I agree with you here! Sometimes I have the worst journey possible on them (Standing from Manchester all the way to Leamington for example), but other times I can have quite a pleasant journey with them! Hope you enjoyed :D

@andrewbowen4544 2 ай бұрын

I went on one of these Voyagers from Birmingham New Street to Sheffield and like you Van I found them pleasant. I did see some old Virgin adverts in the vestibles's on the sides. Coming back on a Sunday it was quite full on a Sunday of all days

@Vanmanyo 2 ай бұрын

Yeah I agree here when XC is quiet they are cool trains! Plus they are getting refurbishments soon!

@bongman123 Ай бұрын

I have been on a XC Voyager. The first time was really busy between BTM - TAU so i was stuck in the vestibule. I then got another chance to ride one between RDG - BOU. From RDG to the next stop i remember it being very busy and i was again stuck in the vestibule, but at the next stop a lot of passengers got off and i managed to grab a seat. The seat was quite pleasant, i must say. Ive always read online that the Voyagers smell but i honestly couldnt smell anything, it smells like any other train for me. Its a shame about the seats thiugh as according to the refresh on some rail magazine i read they will be using seats similar to that of an IET, but with a bit more padding IIRC. It is what it is.

@Vanmanyo Ай бұрын

Well you may have come from my most recent post but if not do check out my video on cross country this weekend 👀👀

@ChangesOneTim 5 ай бұрын

Ride quality, acceleration and braking are very good, but everything else about the Vomiters is a disgrace to InterCity travel. Engine roar, vibration rattles and squeaks, cramped seats, toilet tank stench whenever outdoor temperature exceeds about 10C and XCT's next-to-nothing on-board service all make for a miserable journey experience. The AWC Vomiters are a bit more bearable only because someone bothered to invest in some refurbs.

@ejc7129 6 ай бұрын

Good video and fair marks awarded for the journey. It was not very overcrowded as you had 2 Voyagers coupled together on that service 🤔 I’ve travelled on an afternoon XC service from Edinburgh as far as Bristol on a 4 coach 220 working down to Plymouth. With just 192 standard class seats, it was full and standing beyond York, practically all the way to Bristol 🫣 These trains are not fit for purpose on the XC routes due to woeful lack of capacity, especially at peak times on the core part of the XC network. The HST’s were a better fit on these long distance XC routes, but the DFT saw fit to make XC and GWR withdraw them so they could ship them off to Mexico and Africa, after XC and GWR had spent good money re-engining the power cars and bringing the MKIII coaches up to 2020 compliance standards….they may have been “old” but they worked well and provided much needed capacity. XC really need new 7 car bi-mode or even tri-mode units to meet current & future demand, with more 1st class accommodation (26 seats on a Voyager is poor 1st Class capacity for the distance operated) and a buffet bar serving drinks and snacks, a much needed amenity on a long distance trip from Scotland to Devon & Cornwall 🙂👍🏽

@Vanmanyo 6 ай бұрын

Yes I got very lucky! I had to stand all the way from Manchester to Banbury once, not the best.of journeys that's for sure. I don't think the voyagers are bad trains on the routes, just they need far more of them! I think they could do with bi-mode units (not IETs though!). Apparently they're being refurbished in the near future which would be nice

@ejc7129 6 ай бұрын

@@Vanmanyo spot on…The XC answer is probably not the Hitachi AT300 - I 100% agree with that statement. Living and travelling on the GWR region for over 50 years, I can safely say the IET is a dreadful substitution for the HST when it comes to the passenger offering, with frequent overcrowding when 5 car units operate busy services vice the availability of a 9 car or two 5 car IETs, rock hard seats, no buffet and a very poor 1st Class offering. The “ever generous” DFT have agreed to give XC 7 extra class 221 units sometime this year. These will be redundant Avanti units when the Hitachi 805/807 units come into full operation. Basically the DFT are replacing like for like…5 operational XC HST sets withdrawn is 35 coaches- 7 class 221 Voyagers will be just that…35 coaches. Im glad XC are refurbishing the 220’s and 221’s as it is long overdue (as you rightly pointed out in this great video). XC also plans to introduce a direct service between Cardiff and Edinburgh this year, so thats at least 2 of those “extra” Voyagers accounted for, should the new service be both ways? Despite a refurbishment and 7 extra units, I still think XC will have its overcrowding issues on some of its services. It makes no sense (as you rightly pointed out) to run a diesel train under the wires between Coventry and Manchester and between Wakefield/Doncaster up to Edinburgh and across to Glasgow 🫣 As it looks like Arriva will be keeping the Voyagers for some time, perhaps its time to look at project Thor again? Project Thor consisted of an extra new Voyager passenger carrying vehicle to be added, supporting the necessary transformer and pantograph equipment, making the units bi-mode and adding more capacity to each unit. A sensible idea, so the DFT will probably not adopt it 🫣🤡

@Vanmanyo 6 ай бұрын

@@ejc7129 it all stems from the DfT underfunding. Every TOC has to find cuts, XC removed the HSTs despite desperately needing them. It seems for the next few years we'll just have to cope with overcrowding, and just book a seat before travelling or something. Still stupid though! Thanks for your comments and watching the video 😆

@ChangesOneTim 5 ай бұрын

@@ejc7129 Quite right that the "seven extra units" transferring to XCT merely replaces the enforced loss of HSTs. In these stricken times, I reckon that the promised fleet "refurbishment" will stop at new carpets, seat coverings, various plastic and lighting panels, plus updated info displays and some new USB sockets. If only the production of 'green H2' at large-scale was already proven, there might be a case for re-engining with much more refined hydrogen-burning equivalent ICEs.... Project Thor was a brilliant idea but (sadly) I reckon is unlikely to happen. The diesel-electric powerpack in each coach is self-contained, so adding a pantograph/transformer/rectifier coach for AC overhead mode would mean circuitry mods to each coach costing around £500k, on top of the (£3-4m?) to build each new coach.

@timlewis1165 5 ай бұрын

I'm sure that x-country must have some blog radar which alerts them to run an 8/9 carriage service. I always get the 4 carriage service at peak time, after the chemical khazi seems to have been blocked

@Vanmanyo 5 ай бұрын

You can check on Realtime Trains!

@sabersz 5 ай бұрын

Even if they did, they'd run a 4 carriage service anyway to spite people.

@KennySC 6 ай бұрын

The voyagers really need to be upgraded to EDMUs. Avanti is getting round to it but it seems that XC will be keeping theirs a bit longer.

@Vanmanyo 6 ай бұрын

Yeah, XC have a plan of refurbishing the voyagers which I don't think I mentioned in the video

@mrvwbug4423 6 ай бұрын

The dual mode IETs would be good for XC's operating model, though I think they'd lose some line speed without tilting/TASS, but the IETs accelerate a lot faster

@KennySC 6 ай бұрын

@@mrvwbug4423 It would be good if they were able to develop a tilting IETs.

@noahbowie5985 6 ай бұрын

There's still some life left in the Voyagers. But they are in dire need of a full refurbishment like the Avanti Class 390s are receiving.

@ChangesOneTim 5 ай бұрын

@@mrvwbug4423 In diesel mode the IETs don't, especially over the heavily-graded sections in the west country. Even on relatively flat sections like Birmingham-Derby, IETs would take far longer to attain 125mph. All XCT's Vomiters have tilt permanently disabled so cannot use enhanced speeds on TASS-fitted routes anyway, and I doubt that XCT will get the extra funds to maintain tilt on the few AWC 221s that are due to transfer to them. That said, if XCT were to obtain some IETs, on electrified lines their acceleration is indeed superior to Pendos so that probably will cancel out time loss on Birmingham-Stoke-Manchester runs.

@jamesheath4845 5 ай бұрын

cramped seating, the smell of fumes and toilets, the inexplicable heat in the vestibules, XC's insistence on running 4 and 5 coaches where 9 and 10 would better suit the capacity, at half the frequency the route requires, the lack of luggage and bike storage, the lack of disabled and pushchair spaces, the lack of headroom in the vestibules... all combine to make these a pretty grim experience most of the time. I'm sure with better maintenance, maybe even a re-fit, and enough capacity for the passenger numbers, they would make for a pleasant journey - the ride is smooth and they seem reliable. loving the channel so far by the way

@Vanmanyo 5 ай бұрын

Hopefully this potential refurbishment the vouyagers are getting can solve some of those issues. Thank you by the way!

@jamesheath4845 5 ай бұрын

@@Vanmanyo do you know any more about that? Would be great to see them refurbished

@Vanmanyo 5 ай бұрын

@@jamesheath4845 Sadly no!

@somenorthlondoner 6 ай бұрын

W video

@iamtherailwayexplorer 5 ай бұрын

Only real problem I have with the Voyagers is that there always seems to be an unpleasant smell to them 😅 every carriage smells like sewage to me for some reason, don’t know if anyone else has caught that, think a refurbishment would really help these units out a lot

@Vanmanyo 5 ай бұрын

Yeah the voyagers have had an issue with smell from the toilet. Avanti fixed this by installing air freshener systems but XC didn't as it was more expensive...

@Deepleswanseavalleybusspotter 5 ай бұрын

Cross country is delayed simply cause the operator is by arriva

@Vanmanyo 5 ай бұрын

tbf XC delays are rarely due to the company. remember they run all over the country on super long journeys so are bound to be hit with disruption! the overcrowding can be blamed on arriva though