CrossCountry Trains Reviews 

Where is the 0 star option when you need it? Cross Country Trains is a failure of a company that shouldn’t be trusted with so much as a toy train.

I shudder when I think of the deterioration in service since the Virgin Train days and feel desperately sorry for their front line train based staff that have to suffer the effects of a train company that is mismanaged beyond belief.

I dread travelling on Cross Country Trains routes and I’m reminded again today when we’d crammed in like sardines because they couldn’t manage the train carriages and a 10 carriage train has been reduced to 5.

Cross Country Trains should be stripped of all routes as a matter of urgency, it’s a national embarrassment.

The most awful train service in UK. I keep telling myself never to travel with xc ever again, but I have to. Exeter to Dunbar. It is a hellish 8hr journey with people crammed in..no refreshment trolleys as they can't get through. Toilets closed or can't get to because of overcrowding. What happens if there is an emergency ? It is dangerous. Why can't you add 4 more carriages? This journey goes from s west England to Scotland. It is long and many people are elderly and not able to stand for 8hrs. So expensive for hrs of agony. Let's not forget the cancellations..so double the amount of people squeezed in.
I have had to use this route on numerous occasions and it has failed me every time

If I could give 0, I would. This is the worst train service and it really should consider adding more carriages during more busy periods on the long journeys. Because standing for 3 hours with 3 kids who can't sit down and are terrified because adults are crushing them is appalling. Overpriced for a terrible experience.

Don't normally write reviews but had enough of this now 😂 not that they'll ever change considering the amount of bad reviews but constantly late, overheated and overcrowded if they haven't been cancelled.

Trains are outdated, uncomfortable and unclean. The air con stopped working if there even was any to start with and then because all of their other services somehow have stopped running there was so many people on the train we had to stop to tell people to get off.

Staff were apologetic but still after apologising for the heat and overcrowding still have the nerve to advertise that their cold drinks are for sale with catering.

Never been impressed with cross country and don't get how every other service is just so much better.

Just spent 5 hrs on a ridiculously overheated train in a 35 degrees heat wave outside. Overcrowded train and no air . I spent 4 of the hours sweating in my chair with an herendous headache.

Temp 37
No air-conditioning

Just an appalling service. Hit and miss whether the train will turn up. Carriages old and broken. Not enough room for passengers to sit. No drinks service on long trips. Just appalling

Never in my life have I thought I'd be writing a review on a train, but here I am.

The seats are disgusting. Majority of them looked stained and looked as though they have never been washed. How could you make people reserve seats when you won't even wash them?

Finally, and most importantly, the lack of air conditioning.
We are going through temperatures as high of 40 degrees. The trains are cramped, so that alongside the heatwave and lack of air conditioning raises the temperature by a million.

That is unprofessional. As a train company, you should've done the bare minimum by installing air cons as I felt as though I was going to pass out due to this extreme heat. If you couldn't afford air conditioning then I would suggest you temporarily shut down your trains.

And maybe whilst temporarily shutting down, maybe reflect on why you have 1.4 stars.

Seats double booked. Train broke down and had to wait for a later service. Cramped, dirty, tired trains long past their sell by date. I expect nothing more from Cross Country, terrible service

3 days after being named the UKs worst rail service, Cross Country didn't let me board my train even though I had seat reservation, as it was overcrowded. No apology. When I asked what to do if I missed my connection I was told by the person in a Cross Country uniform to just get rhe next train....didn't even ask where I was going let alone offer any help with planning a different Clearly their customer pledges are purely performative. ( See their website page customer-information-pledges)
Cross Country thinks passengers are a nuisance and treats them as such.

Just got on a 4.5 hour journey between Totnes and Manchester to be told there’s no refreshments as the person is off sick and nobody else to cover.

Not sure why I’m wasting my time writing this review because with a score on here of 1.4, they clearly do not give a sh*t.

I had an awful journey with Cross-country train in which one train was completely cancelled and then the next train was so delayed that I missed two connections . The following train was so unbearably hot with no aircon, I was worried people would become seriously ill. I was nearly 2 hours late and nearly missed a funeral. I thought well at least I'll get delay replay, but every aspect of their claim process is designed for you not to submit a claim, including not accepting their own booking numbers and then requesting additional information that takes so long to complete that it repeatedly logs you out and wipes everything you've spent ages uploading. Then they reject the claim and tell you that the train was delayed for a third of the time that it was actually delayed. And then when you need to appeal you have about three lines where you can write what actually happened, which conveniently means you can't provide proper details! I've literally spent hours trying to complete what should be a straightforward process, to no avail.

A few days later and what I thought was a bad review gets worse. This time the train was 24 minutes late. Which means I miss my connection and eventually my appointment.
And yet again standing only. Even after booking a seat.. reservation system not working. Again!!
Please someone explain why these trains between two big cities Birmingham and Bournemouth only have four carriages??
A train from Coventry to Leamington Spa had eight!!
You really are the worst train operator I have ever been unfortunate enough to have to use
Next time I'm getting a taxi to Oxford from Birmingham
Edit. Sorry there isn't four carriages there are only three as one is First class. Which is even more stupid.

Just dreadful. Far and away the worst train company in the UK. Chronic overcrowding (why don't they just buy more carriages?), frequent cancellations and monumental delays.

Far too few carriages were provided on the route from Birmingham International to Banbury (final destination was Southamption. When the train arrived it was full with many standing passengers. As usual for a mid afternoon train leaving the NEC there was a large number of passengers waiting to board the train. About half of the passengers managed to get on it. My wife and I were the last two at the door we chose to use. We couldnt move from the door because it was to crowded and we shared the door entry area with 10 or more people. It was impossible to get to the seat we had reserved and paid for. We had to stand the whole way. We are both in our 70s and don't expect to be treated like this. I feel the situation was in fact dangerous and there should be a limit on how many people can stand on thos type of train.

Genuinely would like to know how this operator is allowed to keep operating.

Two journeys today between Manchester and Birmingham. Who decided 4 carriages would be enough for a route that actually terminates and originates at Southampton?

Never known over crowding like it. Old, small and over crowded trains.

I will take the bus, drive or walk next time.

Horrendous experience. Shame they have the monopoly on most of the routes they operate. The service clearly reflects that

Decided to travel by train from Leeds to Bristol and back on Thursday 19th June - what a mistake! The outward journey started with the train being 15 minutes late arriving in Leeds and by the time we arrived in Bristol it was 26 minutes late having stopped at just about every station between the two places and being overly full. The return journey was no better the train once again arriving at Bristol 15 minutes late and on a different platform to the one scheduled. Once again overly full. When I tried to use the delay and reclaim for not journeys my claims were rejected with them using the actual departure times rather than the scheduled departure times to make their calculations. 4 hours each way when I can drive in 3 and a quarter hours in comfort just doesn't compare and is nothing like the brilliant LNER service to London (a similar distance) which takes 2 and a quarter hours and on the rare occasions it is delayed they automatically pay out all ticket holders. Needless to say I will not be using this service again.

I’ll never pay for train from these brainless clowns ever again!!! 4 carriages for a train that goes from Penzance to Edinburgh!!! Safe to say I’ll just walk through the barriers next time!!! Everyone was packed in like sardines!!!

Nice and shiny train interior, but no food/drink in First class on Exeter-Plymouth 20:52.

If I could give a zero I would.

I boarded the train in Doncaster to travel to Birmingham and then onto Southampton. Two different Cross Country trains.

This was a Sunday during the Bank Holiday weekend. My fellow passengers stated the previous train AND the next one had both been cancelled.

The 1st was dangerously overcrowded with at least 26 people (many with luggage) stood in the vestibule and the toilet. This overcrowded was echoed throughout the train. I had to stand (literally shoulder to shoulder and back to back) all the way to Birmingham. People struggling to get off as more struggled to get on.

The 2nd train was also overcrowded but to a much lesser extent. On this train the lower luggage rack was too small for my (admittedly large) suitcase, even if there had been space. Many cases were left unattended in the vestibule area.

I sent a complaint and received a reply 3 weeks later, which apologised for my "discomfort" but blamed "walk ons" (people who buy a ticket on the day), and said if a train is overcrowded passengers should wait for the next train.

They took no responsibility at all, and would only give compensation if I had reserved a seat but couldn't use it!