I tried First Class on Britain’s WORST high-speed train...

I worked for Hitachi (EU) as an interior developer and advised that the seats were of a commuter standard and the lighting was like being at the dentists . Early morning travellers need to catch up on their sleep . A team member also commented on the welding of the lifting points . We were both dismissed after a year with them .

I'm absolutely convinced that whoever designed the seats for these new trains have never travelled by train.

You could electrify the line completely and power the trains, just with the power generated by Brunel spininng in his grave.

So basically, First Class is what Standard Class should be like. Comfort seems to have halved in the modern trains and yet prices seem to be double. You could actually say that about most things though

I know of a couple of drivers that work these trains. When they were being trained on them, some Hitachi techs came over from Japan and they expressed their suprise that the UK were using these on long distance, intercity services! They are a short hop commuter unit and nothing more. So sad when we remember what went before them!

The train itself is very advanced technology. If GWR was to upgrade the seating in both First and standard class and offer proper food on board and make the ride more comfortable. This would be a great service.

A GWR employee told me that the reason why the seats are so hard is because fitting more comfortable ones would have cost an extra £100 per seat. If you have a bad back and sore backside, it's because of money saving.

I’m so glad I saw this. I have written to GWR twice telling them how uncomfortable these trains are, they replied “the rest of our customers like the trains” or something along those lines. I agree with the 3 remarks, seats, lights and refreshments. What the hell are they doing?

Blame the DOT for allowing people who never travel om a train to tell the train companies what trains they are going to get and how they will be equipped , hence the suburban standard seating. Youl'll have to wait for the first refurbs for these faults to start to get fixed. LNER had to fight to get better catering on the east cost route.

A very fair review of a beautiful route with very average trains. The Pullman Dining is a must, although it’s not cheap and I doubt it’s as good on an IET. I can’t agree with your description of the Night Riviera as a luxury sleeper train, it’s pretty much Premier Inn on wheels, but it is at least priced accordingly unlike Caledonian Sleeper.

I am old enough to remember when train seating was of the sprung variety, with plenty of padding on top. Very, very comfortable to sit on for hours on end. Admittedly back then BR did very little to keep them clean - often being full of dust, but I still cannot forget just how comfortable train seating used to be. It would seem that back then the designers really cared about the passengers being comfortable. That these days seem to be a low priority for most railway companies. I used to love travelling by rail, I hate it now, unless it's a special chartered train, or a preserved railway. I remember back in the 70's when the class 43 HST's came into service, the showed how to be modern, but still retain comfort for the passengers. The MK3 coaches were a joy to travel in. Back then I would find an excuse to travel by train, now I find excuses not to.

The speed you go as you travel closer to London shows how well levelling up is going :D

I don’t hate the class 800, I just think they are average. The problem is they’re being used on flagship routes and are starting to absolutely dominate the UK intercity market. After all this time, the Pendolinos on the West Coast Main Line are still the best long distance trains in the UK.

8:50 - I. K. Brunel originally intended to have two tracks crossing the bridge. But the Board of Directors turned it down and persuaded him to only have one. Even today, it's a bottleneck!

I really enjoyed this video. Honest and true. So now I’m gonna back watch everything on the channel you’ve gained a fan today brother!

Great vlog, thanks for taking this journey and posting your thoughts. Everytime I ride on a HST mk3, it blows me away how comfortable, quiet and smooth riding they are. To be replaced by this poundshop IET tat really grinds my gears! As you say, the seats and ride are horrendous. The mk3/BT10 bogie design and build team need medals, every single one of em.

You totally nailed it regarding the bicycle storage, clearly intended to deter cyclists from travelling by train ever again .

Aside from the recline and headrests, these seats appear to be identical to the ones fitted to Siemens Desiro regional trains in Germany. In 2nd class no less. In that role they're perfectly adequate, but I'm not sure who thought that these would work as first class seats on a long distance train. As for the 2nd class seats on the 800s, let's just say I've been on more comfortable city bus seats.

Well done I enjoyed taking the trip with you 😊

Straight to the point and kept my interest - no BS either! Keep 'em coming.