Related Content
Travel On Train Southern Railway Electrostar (UK)
First Class is always located at either end of the train

Southern Railway Electrostar (UK)

Share

At a Glance

Travel Pass Supplement

Rail Pass Reservation Fees
Reservations

Not Available
Time of Day

Day
Accessibility

Accessing the train

Wheelchair Spaces
Bikes Allowed
Country

Which country these trains operate in.

Great Britain
Travel Passes
Eurail
Other

On Board

First

Perks
WiFi

A complimentary WiFi portal is available throughout this train.

The First Class seating is arranged 2 + 1 for extra comfort.

Some of the seats have tables, but whether these seats will be available when you board is a matter of chance.

Standard

Perks
WiFi

A complimentary WiFi portal is available throughout this train.

An example of the Standard Class seats arranged 2 + 2 across the aisle An example of the Standard Class seats arranged 2 + 2 across the aisle
...but other seats in Standard Class are arranged 2 + 3 ...but other seats in Standard Class are arranged 2 + 3

What won't be particularly obvious prior to boarding is that some of the Standard Class seating on these trains is arranged 2 + 2 on either side of the aisle, but other Standard Class seats on the train are arranged 2 +3.

The 2+2 seating is more spacious and comfortable, so if you will be boarding these trains at a station in which they commence a journey, such as Brighton or London Victoria, it can be worth seeking out the 2 + 2 seating.

Some of the seats have tables, but whether these seats will be available when you board is a matter of chance.

Up to 3 x four coach trains can be joined together, so First Class can also be available in the middle Up to 3 x four coach trains can be joined together, so First Class can also be available in the middle
There are luggage racks available by some of the doors There are luggage racks available by some of the doors
The signs indicating which doors are by the bike and wheelchair spaces The signs indicating which doors are by the bike and wheelchair spaces

Travel summary:

These are relatively modern and smart trains, but their primary function is to transport commuters to and from London, so they don't have the same ambience and range of facilities of long-distance express trains.

Each Electrostar train has four coaches, but two trains are joined together on most departures to and from London and at the busiest times three trains can be joined together.

Each four coach train has two First Class seating areas, a wheelchair area and a space for bikes, so on most departures this provision will be at least doubled.

In common with other new British trains Wi-Fi is available and wheelchair friendly spaces and accessible toilets have also been provided for.
If you require Assisted Travel the information is available here.

Reservations:

Seat reservations aren't available on these trains, so seats aren't guaranteed, particularly when trains get closer to London between 08:00 and 10:00 and when leaving London between 16:00 and 19:00.
Trains heading to and from the coast on summer Saturdays and Sundays can be busy too.

So if you will be boarding at Victoria look up the departure time and aim to be ready to board, ticket in hand, around 10-15 mins before the train will be leaving.

Bicycles:

These trains do have dedicated bike spaces, which accommodate two standard non-folding bicycles, but multiple trains are often joined together, so each departure normally has space for up to six bikes.
These bike spaces cannot be reserved prior to boarding.

Non-folding bikes can be taken on board most departures, but you cannot take bikes on trains which are scheduled to arrive in London between 07:00 and 10:00 and that depart from London between 16:00 and 19:00 - more information is available here.

hand-money

Please support ShowMeTheJourney

Help keep us advertising and paywall free!

Donate

This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.

We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.

Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.

So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.

ShowMeTheJourney

This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.