Introduction

Today I’m on my way from Manchester Airport to Lancaster for a visit to my old university. I exit the Radisson Blu at 06h45 and make a right turn in the direction of the railway station.

Privatization of the railways in the United Kingdom has meant that there are several companies operating on the British Rail network. Local trains at Manchester Airport are operated by Northern Lines, whereas long distance services are provided by Avanti West Coast and Transpennine Express.

The Train

The Transpennine Express to Lancaster runs all the way from Manchester Airport up to Glasgow. The composition has five cars, of which car E at the fromt of the train is the single First Class car. I have no idea who the manufacturer of this train is, but it kind of looks Japanese.

The Cabin & Seat

Seating is in a 1 + 2 configuration, with forward and rear facing seats. At the time of booking you can’t select a specific seat from a map. However, you can select your preferences for the type of seat you want. The cabin looks fresh and bright. Available seats are marked by a small green light.

The Service

At every seat there is a bottle of still water and a placemat. There’s also a menu with complimentary breakfast dishes for passengers to choose from. However, the service is very slow. The trip to Lancaster is only 75 minutes, so chances are you will alight before the service reaches the First Class coach.

The trip to Lancaster is pleasant and passes through a lush green countryside with rolling hills stretching out on either side of the train.

Arrival

We arrive at Lancaster right on time, which, frankly, I hadn’t expected. As a result, I’m still way too early. But better like this than the other way around. I exit the station through the main entrance. A bus line 4 that will take me straight to the university has just pulled up on the opposite side of the road. It’s good to be back!

Conclusion

This was just a short trip from Manchester Airport to Lancaster. The train was comfortable and offered a lot of personal space. Two things could do with a bit of improvement. First, trying to book the ticket on the Transpennine website proved impossible. However, you can work around that by booking on trains.com. The second is the service sequence. If a passenger has paid for a First Class ticket that includes complimentary food and drink, it would make more sense to start the service in First Class and then do the rest of the train – not the other way around.