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Thameslink trains to get new cushions and backrests after public takeover
More than 60,000 seats across the network are being upgraded, with seat-back tables added on 70 trains that currently lack them.
BBC Business reports that Govia Thameslink Railway plans to upgrade more than 60,000 Thameslink train seats less than 100 days after the operator came under public ownership in May 2026.
According to the outlet, all 115 Thameslink trains will receive new seat cushions and backrests to replace the seats passengers have criticized as being like “ironing boards.”
The upgrades also include improvements for first-class seating, plus seat-back tables to be installed on the 70 trains that do not currently have them.
BBC Business adds that the seating work is part of broader network improvements under the rail reforms expected to continue through the planned Great British Railways organization, alongside plans to increase Gatwick Express services from December and refurbish train toilets while removing graffiti.