CrossCountry Trains Reviews 

Me and my partner have to be at the airport and our train had 2 transfers we got on our first train and it was delayed by 3 minutes and the time we got off to transfer the other train already left and it’s midnight with no other trains until 5, so I’ve had to pay £120 for an uber so we don’t miss our flights, the uks trains are expensive, dirty and extremely unreliable, I’d rather pay 10x in future than use these trains again, what a sorry excuse of a company also no refunds

Two journeys, identical miserable experiences.
​I traveled on the 09:33 from Stockport to Brockenhurst on 07/09/26 and returned on the 09:33 from Winchester to Stockport on 11/09/26. Both services were unbelievably poor.
​On both trips, the trains were dangerously overcrowded due to an insufficient number of carriages. To make matters worse, all coaches were suffocatingly hot because the air conditioning was out of service on both occasions. Experiencing faulty AC and severe overcrowding on two separate days isn't an unlucky coincidence—it’s a clear symptom of a broken, mismanaged rail service. Public ownership can't come soon enough.

On journey from Edinburgh to Penzance, all passengers chucked off train at Birmingham. Left to our own devices, staff actively hiding from the passengers, no managers available to give advice. When tracked down they gave conflicting information. Eventually got onto a massively overcrowded train to Plymouth, seat reservations, of course, no longer valid. Inadequate seating, Inadequate luggage space.At Plymouth had to disembark as train only going that far. Eventually arrived at destination 2.5 hours late. Our return journey a week later was even worse as our train cancelled minutes before it was due to leave. Again people from three trains crammed onto one, again seat reservations no longer valid. Crammed in like sardines, people standing in aisles & on joints between carriages. Totally unsafe, not enough carriages. The overall worst train experiences in over sixty years of travel.

If there was any way of avoiding travelling with CrossCountry I'd do it. Sadly there isn't and they seem to know this and hence do not care.

I booked a return ticket via their website only to find the day I needed to travel home they had cancelled all trains. There was no rail replacement offered and national express etc were all full.My only option, as I needed to get home to my 3 year old, was to pay for a long distance taxi at my own considerable expense.

Since then I have tried multiple times via their website and their customer service phone line to request a refund. The website form does not work, or is unmonitored, I'm not sure, but I've had no acknowledgement of my request nearly 3 weeks on. The phoneline keeps me on hold then just cuts off after several rounds of hold music. I have no idea what to do next or where to go to escalate this, but I'd really like my refund of the ticket if nothing else as the train never ran.

I run a business myself and can't imagine treating customers this way. It's appalling.

I regularly travel from Plymouth to Gloucestershire and as the Cross Country service starts there, I can usually get a seat easily. The problem is that they don't seem to use enough carriages - 5 seems to be the norm - and by the time the train gets to Exeter it is rammed, with many people standing. It is difficult to get on/off and get to the toilet once the train is too full and the refreshment trolley can't move up and down the train. On the return leg, it is always a scrum to get on the train and to claim a seat if you've booked one, and it's always over subscribed. It is never a pleasure traveling under these conditions. It is also very difficult to register to use the delay-repay service to get a refund if it's delayed.

Utter Rubbish, caught the train from Peterborough to Melton Mowbray, filthy, seats and carpets all heavily soiled, damaged arm rests, toilets locked, absolutely not worth a penny of the ticket price.

On my trip from Bristol to Newcastle, which should have been 5 hours, it took nearly 6 hours because of multiple issues along the way.

The WiFi was completely unusable throughout the entire 6-hour delayed journey. There is no excuse for this when services like Starlink exist at such a relatively low cost for businesses.

There was not enough luggage space for suitcases and I had to stand in the corridor for the early part of the journey along with a few other people in the same situation.

The whole experience with Cross Country was awful. They can only get away with this terrible service because there is no alternative.

I travel on Cross country trains fairly frequently. Very rarely does the journey run smoothly. Trains are either cancelled, delayed and rarely run on time. Staff shortages and staff sickness always seem to be announced over the tanoy. Carriages are often dirty and services busy. On a recent journey from Taunton to Bristol Parkway, the train was overcrowded and I was crammed in the corridor with several others outside the toilet. It was horrible. Train fares are expensive, service pretty poor.

Just travelled from Crewe to Southampton Cross Country really needs to sort there seating plan out. We had to change carriage from Stoke then travel backwards for the rest of the journey. From Stafford it's like let the musical chairs begin. People who had caught the train before us was moved a couple of time before getting the seat they had took cause they were moved. Total joke. Driver and staff was very friendly table and seats were clean. And train was on time. Travelling on this service be prepared to here That's my seat mate can you move. Overhaul is definitely needed on there seat allocations.

Honestly a joke. Trip from Taunton to birmingham. first class. No catering WiFi doesn't work.seats really uncomfortable and covered in crumbs and caked on fiod. Return journey same comment on first class seats, although there was tea and coffee and the steward was pleasant but we were delayed then terminated at Bristol no reason or explaination of what you should do next basically left to fend for yourself. I know a review won't change things but they are a shambles.
I got on a GWR train from Bristol to Taunton. The difference is chalk and cheese!

Just had the misfortune of using Cross Country trains last weekend. It was awful. On the outward journey from York to Oxford passengers were packed in like sardines in only four coaches. We had reserved seats fortunately although it was the most uncomfortable journey, sitting for three hours with your legs jammed up on someone’s suitcase under the seat. We’d hoped it was a one/off but no. On the return journey our original train was cancelled. Then our reselected train was cancelled so we got on the first one we could, Oxford to Birmingham was absolutely hell. Passengers rammed in, limited carriages, the air conditioning (we were told) was broken and many, many people standing. Passengers who had reserved seats had difficulty struggling through the melee. Birmingham to York was no better. The fares on these trains are not cheap and the lack of service and comfort provided is unacceptable. Never again!
Cross Country trains could learn something from LNER, our regular provider.

I booked a train from Birmingham New Street to Leicester for Monday 06:22 07/09/2026, I went to Platform 1 1A, at least 10 minutes early to wait for the train but then at 6:22 am the train simply went straight through without even stopping and letting anyone aboard, leaving me and a lot of passagers missing their train and I was late for work for 1 hours, other passengers also missed their other transportation because of it.

It's unacceptable.

The train I had booked for and had a reserved seat was cancelled the evening before its departure on Sunday 6 th September , forcing me to catch a crowded train with many people standing in the gangway . The train had 4 carriages for a journey from Birmingham to Plymouth . At every station stop there was a game of musical chairs , if you were lucky you got a seat . It was disappointing to see elderly frail people being forced to stand .
Looking at the reviews it is obvious that overcrowding is a frequent occurrence . The rail company which runs this franchise should be ashamed of the “ service “ they provide .

Train stock: every journey I've made from Bristol Parkway to Manchester the seats have been manky, toilets out of service, tables broken, first class caked in food. I’m yet to get the train with a working toilet, so for a 3/4 hour journey it can be excruciating.

Delays: I’m yet to get this service where it runs on time. CrossCountry also don’t follow the standard rule of delay repay for 15mins+ instead it has to be over 30mins+ so difficult to claim.

Staff: Most staff seem happy to help because they realise the customers are getting a rough deal from cross country trains.

Service: Often overbooked and full. If you pay for first class often it will be decommissioned. Often not enough trains or carriages when they know the service will heaving with people.

Consistently unreliable. understaffed, terrible outdated rolling stock. They lucked out by having a monopoly on the Bristol to Birmingham line, but even when train operators are all frequently offering overpriced and lackluster services Cross Country manage to lower the bar.

Terrible, terrible, terrible company. Pathetic service.

The actually staff are usually okay but they're all overworked and doing the best with poor management and resources.

My train from York to Bristol was cancelled the day before travel. I travelled on an earlier train that was still running. At Birmingham they took half of the train out of service to send it back to Newcastle. So a packed train of nine carriages had to squeeze into the remaining five. I didn’t get a seat and had to stand for the remainder of the journey. I’m a pensioner and it was very uncomfortable but I don’t think it was safe either. If there had been an accident no one could have got out safely. The Department of Transport need to get to grips with this consistently failing train operator.

Completely incompetent rail service. Remove all of their mandates and sell to a train provider who doesn't treat customers like caged farm animals or cancel trains to maximise revenue at the expense of customer experience. Trains also all hopelessly small and run down. Worst train service in Europe.

The worst train service I’ve ever been on, not just in the UK but the world. Disgracefully filthy, overcrowded, smelly, everyone standing. Shameful. The CEO should resign with immediate effect.

Worst franchise on the network, fail to deliver the service promised and make it impossible to o claim back the money legally owed back to the consumer.

Overbooked, late, cancelled would be better off riding a push bike.

Used this horrible train to get home after been on a proper clean train with LNER. 22 mins luckily on an absolute dirty jammed as usual cross-country train . Why the hell do these criminals running this get there licence took off them? Not 1 person has anything good to say about this awful company, when is the gov going to act? Strip the owners of assets and jail them .