Rail bosses halve number of first-class compartments to make more room for standard class

The change has been introduced by First Capital Connect (FCC) by halving the number of first class compartments on its new class 377 trains.

Keith Jipps, FCC’s customer service director, said: “The initial reaction from passengers holding standard class tickets has been very positive.

“They asked for more standard class seats on our new trains, we listened and now the work to provide an extra 20 standard class seats on each eight-carriage train is almost finished.

“Research shows we still have enough seats for customers with first class tickets and we’re also going to make it easier for first class ticket holders to locate the correct part of the train by improving what’s displayed on our platform information screens.”

From December 12, First Capital Connect is also adding almost 2,000 further seats to its peak hour services by lengthening eight services every day to 12 carriages.