Review: CrossCountry Train Birmingham International to Reading
This review covers my CrossCountry train trip from Birmingham International to Reading and shows what to expect on board.
From Birmingham Airport to London
After a highly comfortable flight on the Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 in business class, I had finally arrived in England.
As I already explained in the trip report introduction, I was originally booked on British Airways to London Heathrow, but as that flight got cancelled at the very last minute, I had to look for an alternative way to get me to England in time, so I ended up on a Turkish Airlines flight to Birmingham instead.
Birmingham Airport to Birmingham International station
Birmingham Airport has its own railway station called Birmingham International, although its not directly connected to the terminal.
From the arrivals area, head up one floor and make your way to the Air-Rail Link, an automated people mover that will take you to Birmingham International train station free of charge.
Birmingham International station
At Birmingham International, you can catch trains not just to Birmingham, but also to other cities in the West Midlands.
There are even direct trains from Birmingham International to places as far apart as London, Southampton, and Manchester.
I had originally planned to take an Avanti West Coast service directly to London Euston, but when I arrived at the railway station, I discovered that my train had been cancelled.
Even the Avanti First Class Lounge at Birmingham International, which I would have been able to use with my first-class Interrail pass, had its doors firmly shut and was “temporarily closed” according to an announcement posted on the door.
A CrossCountry detour
If you purchase a train ticket with a British train company and discover that your train has been cancelled, you can typically only travel on the next departure operated by the same company.
Only in case the train operator gives permission to travel with another railway company, or if your ticket already allows travel via any permitted route or operator, can you take a train operated by a different company.
This is where having an Interrail or Eurail pass to travel across the UK by train pays off, as you are not bound to any of the restrictions associated with purchasing affordable but non-flexible advance fares.
I knew I could simply look up the first available connection to London and take that train.
As it turned out, it would be much quicker to catch the CrossCountry train to Reading which was about to depart, and change there to a GWR train bound for London Paddington, rather than waiting for the next Avanti West Coast train to London Euston.
I therefore headed down to the platform of Birmingham International, where my CrossCountry train (a British Rail Class 221 Super Voyager) arrived just seconds later.
For those who might not be familiar with CrossCountry: This railway company, owned by Arriva, operates intercity routes across Great Britain, but notably does not serve London.
Most of CrossCountry’s services are long-distance routes across Great Britain that pass through Birmingham, its main hub.
That was also the case with my CrossCountry train, which happened to be a service from Manchester Piccadilly to Bournemouth, making stops en-route at Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street, Birmingham International, Coventry, Oxford, Reading, Winchester, and Southampton, among others.
Birmingham International to Reading by CrossCountry train
Departure: 10.14am – Arrival: 11.39am
Duration: 1h25m – Distance: 145 kilometres
Seats and seat reservations
Upon boarding the train I was happy to find an almost deserted first class carriage.
First class on CrossCountry trains features seats arranged in a 1+2 configuration, while second class offers seating with two seats on each side of the aisle.
Seat reservations are optional and not compulsory on British trains, which includes CrossCountry.
With CrossCountry, you can reserve a seat free of charge when booking your ticket online, or add a seat reservation later through the ‘My Account’ section of their website or app.
If you’re traveling with an Interrail or Eurail pass, or if you already have a valid ticket, you can also make a seat reservation free of charge using this method.
Alternatively, you can make free seat reservations for any British rail company, including CrossCountry, using the website of Great Western Railway.
As I obviously hadn’t reserved a seat in advance since I didn’t plan to travel with CrossCountry, I simply took one of the unreserved first-class solo seats.
You can see on the reservation display above each seat whether it has been reserved or is available.
Service on board CrossCountry trains
While more personal space and a typically quieter environment are the biggest selling points of first class, there is also a difference in service between both travel classes on CrossCountry trains.
If you travel in first class on a CrossCountry train, you receive complimentary drinks (excluding alcohol) and snacks during your journey.
Shortly after departing from Birmingham International, a cheerful train attendant came by asking if I would like to have something to drink or eat.
As I wasn’t hungry, I just asked for a cup of tea only, which she promptly served.
In addition to hot drinks like tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, you can also order water, juice, and soft drinks free of charge.
When it comes to food on board, CrossCountry only serves snacks such as croissants, sandwiches, sausage rolls, cookies, and crisps, so don’t expect anything substantial.
When travelling in second class on CrossCountry trains, you can buy drinks (including alcoholic beverages) or snacks from the trolley service.
Of course, you are free to bring along and consume your own drinks or food on board the train.
Towards Coventry
After departing from Birmingham International, we headed first towards Coventry, another important industrial city in the West Midlands.
Right after Coventry, we branched off and headed south on the railway line towards Leamington Spa.
Coventry to Leamington Spa
My CrossCountry train trip turned out to be a highly pleasant journey, as I was sitting comfortably in my first class seat while enjoying my cup of tea and the fine views over the English countryside.
Indeed, it was a glorious day to travel across England, as the weather was surprisingly good, with frequent sunny intervals.
After a while we stopped again, this time at the station of Leamington Spa.
This spa town is famous for its fine Regency-era architecture and was recommended to me by quite a few people as a nice place to visit.
Sadly, I had no time on this trip to visit Leamington Spa, so I guess I’ll need to return to England another time to explore it.
Towards Banbury and Oxford
After the stop at Leamington Spa, my CrossCountry train joined the Chiltern Main Line, which along with the West Coast Main Line is one of the primary railway lines between the West Midlands and London.
Oxford to Reading
From Oxford, we continued south towards Didcot, where we joined the Great Western Main Line towards Reading and London.
As the friendly train attendant insisted I should have another drink or snack, I gave in and had a second cup of tea.
At Reading’s modern railway station, it was time for me to disembark the train before it continued on its route to the English south coast.
I enjoyed my trip in CrossCountry, as the seat was fairly comfortable, the carriage quiet, and the service friendly.
Although the first-class service isn’t as exhaustive as on Avanti West Coast or LNER, as I would find out later on my English train travels, it was a perfectly pleasant affair.
Changing trains at Reading
Despite having only seven minutes to connect at Reading from my CrossCountry train to the first train to London Paddington, I easily made the connection.
This service to London was operated by GWR (Great Western Railway) and was basically a fast 23-minute dash down the Great Western Main Line towards London Paddington.
Considering that I would soon be heading from London to Cornwall by train (and back), a journey which would involve quite a lot of travel on different GWR trains, I will do a full review of the trains and service of this railway company in one of the next instalments of this trip report.
Reading to London Paddington by GWR train
Departure: 11.46am – Arrival: 12.09pm
Duration: 0h23m – Distance: 58 kilometres
From Reading to London
As expected from a 23-minute journey, it passed by in the blink of an eye.
From the moment the train passed through Slough, it felt like a continuous ride through the expansive outer boroughs of London.
Also the traffic along the line increased, and we passed numerous commuter trains such as those of Elizabeth Line, on our way to London Paddington.
Something I didn’t expect was the sight of the Trellick Tower on the left-hand side of the train, as this brutalist block of flats looked somewhat out of place and seemed more like something I would have expected to see in my hometown of Bucharest rather than London.
Soon after, my train rolled into the magnificent station of London Paddington, one of the great railway termini in the British capital.
I’d be returning to this railway station to explore every nook and cranny quite soon, but for now, it was time to head out into London!
Conclusion
My train trip from Birmingham International to London turned out to be more adventurous than I anticipated because my direct Avanti West Coast train got cancelled, so I had to take a CrossCountry train to Reading instead and connect there to a London-bound service.
By pure chance, I therefore had the opportunity to review CrossCountry, and I must say, I did enjoy my train trip.
The seat on my CrossCountry train was quite comfortable, and although the service in first class isn’t as extensive as what you’ll find on Avanti West Coast or LNER, it was well-intentioned and delivered with a big smile by a fantastic employee.
CrossCountry is quite an intriguing company with their intercity train services bypassing London, and I wouldn’t mind one day trying out one of their longer routes – perhaps even CrossCountry’s service from Aberdeen to Penzance, the longest direct train service in the UK!
Trip report index
This article is part of the ‘From Cornwall to Yorkshire: Train Travel Through England‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:
1. My British Airways Cancellation and Compensation Saga
2. Review: Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 Business Class Bucharest to Istanbul
3. Review: Turkish Airlines Business Lounge Istanbul Airport
4. Review: Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 Business Class Istanbul to Birmingham
5. Review: CrossCountry Train Birmingham International to Reading (current chapter)
6. Thirsty in Tyburnia: Spending a Sunny Afternoon in London
7. London Paddington and the GWR First Class Lounge
8. Review: GWR Night Riviera Sleeper Train London to Penzance, Cornwall
9. Penzance: A Visit to Cornwall’s Down-to-Earth Seaside Town
10. By Train to St Ives: A Trip on the Branch Line From St Erth
11. St Ives: Cornwall’s Most Picturesque Seaside Town
** rest of the chapters to follow soon **
