Commuter victory as rail firm ditches 'ironing board' seats on new trains

Commuters are enjoying a rare victory after one of the UK’s main rail operators upgraded its seating following complaints about “ironing board” chairs on trains.

LNER, the operator of the East Coast mainline which goes from London to Scotland, has designed ergonomic, padded seats with record leg room.

So-called ironing board seats, which have minimal padding and are therefore hard to sit on, had been introduced by a number of train operators since cushioning was deemed as a potential fire hazard by the Department for Transport.  

However, a backlash ensued, with companies including Greater Anglia, and now LNER is re-designing the interiors of its trains.

The new Hitachi trains are currently being tested and will be on the tracks by February next year.

These class 800 trains, when used on other lines, have come under fire for having uncomfortable seats.

In response, LNER has said its new fleet with have new, “ergonomically-designed” chairs with “7cm of extra legroom”, boasting that passengers will “enjoy the best leg room on the east coast.”

The company said: "All the seats are ergonomic, that means they're really comfortable."

The trains, described as “Japanese bullet-style”, have been adapted for the operator, which is adding a power socket by every seat and electronic seat reservations.

The "ironing board seat" backlash is affecting many rail companies, with Greater Anglia re-designing the interiors of its trains after complaints from customers earlier this year.

The company said at the time: "We’ve heard the feedback from customers, we’ve listened, and we care about them being as comfortable as possible so we’ve selected a seat which is far more comfortable for customers."

Other rail operators including Thameslink have been criticised for implementing “ironing board” seats on their trains.

Thameslink claimed at the time that its much-derided unpadded seats were due to strict Department for Transport health and safety guidelines, but passengers have pointed out that newer trains have seats with cushioning.

The issue has even been raised in parliament, with then-transport minister Jo Johnson promising commuters that the un-cushioned seats would become “more comfortable with use.”