Govia Thameslink Railway announced that all 115 Thameslink trains will receive new seat cushions and backrests, according to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. The upgrades will address complaints about the existing thin and hard seats, often referred to as 'ironing board' seats. The project is set to begin in 2027 and is expected to take two years to complete.
The decision to upgrade the seats comes more than a decade after the government invested £1.6 billion in building the fleet. Critics have pointed out that the Department for Transport (DfT) was warned about seat discomfort prior to the contract award.
The seat upgrades are part of broader improvements planned for the Thameslink network following its transition to public ownership in May 2026. Other enhancements include an increase in Gatwick Express services and refurbishing train toilets and removing graffiti.
Alexander stated, 'We'll start getting rid of the dreaded 'ironing board seats' so passengers can enjoy comfier, more pleasant journeys on some of Britain's busiest commuter routes.' She emphasized that rail reforms would continue under the Great British Railways organization, which aims to oversee rail services across England.
The class-700 Thameslink trains were introduced between 2016 and 2019 and were promoted by the DfT as 'state-of-the-art.' The procurement guidance for the fleet highlighted the need for high capacity and reduced weight, which some argue contributed to the uncomfortable seating design.
Graeme Pickering, a senior correspondent at Railway Magazine, criticized the framing of the seat upgrades as a fix for a private sector issue, noting that the DfT was responsible for the procurement.
In 2014, a prototype of the Thameslink trains was showcased, and a panel from Railfuture reported concerns about the hard seats, predicting passenger complaints on long journeys. Despite these warnings, production continued without redesigning the seats. The DfT stated that renegotiating the contract was not feasible until public ownership was established.
John Whitehurst, chief executive of GTR, mentioned that passenger feedback was instrumental in shaping the seating improvement plans. Thameslink operates services across the South East, including Sussex, Surrey, and parts of Kent.