More than 60,000 seats on Thameslink trains, long mocked by passengers as "ironing boards", are to be replaced with more comfortable alternatives from next year. The refurbishment covers standard and first-class seating across the operator's fleet and comes as part of a wider push to improve conditions on one of Britain's busiest commuter networks, following Thameslink's move into public ownership under Great Thameslink Railway (GTR) at the end of May.

Under the plans, base cushions and backrests will be replaced on thousands of standard class seats across 115 trains, while first-class seats retain their existing backrests but get upgraded cushions over the next two years. Seat-back tables will also be fitted to 70 trains that currently lack them. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the move, announced less than 100 days after public control began, reflects benefits of public ownership, alongside a rail fare freeze and 76,000 extra seats added network-wide; GTR chief executive John Whitehurst said the changes follow customer research into cushion comfort on the operator's high-capacity services.