Train users rear up against ‘seats will soften’ line

TRAIN seats with so little padding they have been branded “ironing boards” will get more comfortable the more they are used, a minister has claimed.

Jo Johnson, the transport minister, made the claim in the Commons, after Iain Stewart, a fellow Conservative MP, asked about the seats, which have markedly less padding than those on older trains. They have been introduced on Govia Thameslink Class 700 trains.

Mr Stewart said: “Many passengers are complaining that some of them have cramped and uncomfortable seats. We do not want to have Ryanair on the tracks.”

Mr Johnson responded: “My honourable friend will take comfort in the fact that seats normally become more comfortable over time through use.”

But Andrew Stott, the secretary of the Sevenoaks Rail Transport Association (SRTA), told The Daily Telegraph: “We don’t think it’s the case. We think as they’re more used, the padding gets compressed so they get harder.

“We don’t know what the scientific basis is for his comments. It would be great if he could point to the evidence to back that up.”

Tony Clayton, the SRTA chairman, told The Telegraph: “If you get confirmation that Jo Johnson thinks upholstery becomes more comfortable with years of use, could you please ask him if he would like to buy my 10-year-old sofa. If he thinks it has got better with a decade of people sitting on it, would he give me what I paid for it?

“The answer to this question may tell us whether he is willing to put his money where his mouth is.”

Thameslink, which has had thousands of complaints about the seats, previously told The Telegraph that the lack of padding is down to fire safety and anti-vandalism guidelines.