I tried the new trains running in Sussex - are they style over substance?

But while they look impressive, what are they actually like to ride on?

I experienced a short ten minute ride on one of them from Hastings to Bexhill and I have to say it wasn’t a particularly comfortable.

The first thing to mention is that the seats are incredibly hard, with very little padding or give in the backs. It felt a bit like sitting on a board. I only had to endure this for a few minutes but the train was heading to London Victoria, a journey-time of more than two hours. I felt sorry for passengers who were going the entire distance.

By comparison, seats on the South Eastern Hastings to London Charing Cross service (a shorter journey) are way more comfortable.

Plastic tables, with a cheap formica-look appearance, seemed to be slightly bigger than those in other trains, imposing a little on the seating space and making it feel a bit claustrophobic.

In fact it may have been an illusion, but the whole interior of the train felt as if it was less spacious than other trains I have used on the same line.

GBR is the government's new publicly-owned body designed to bring track and train operations together into a single, unified organisation. As part of wider nationalization and railway reform, GBR will eventually manage all track and train infrastructure and take over passenger services.

If you have used the new trains, let us know your experience.

Picture by Brian Bailey.