We passengers would very much like longer trains to improve comfort and (eventually) productivity.
A good first attempt would be to start forming more 3 carriage units out of 153's and cascaded 150's, however there's no confirmation that this will happen.
The overall industry framework needs to do more to incentivise longer trains.
Losing Pacers will remove the most economical units on the railway so costs will go up substantially, as they will again when longer trains run.
However overcrowded trains deter more passengers. This is particularly the case when using non-reservable seats, which includes most with season tickets.
We see families and groups of friends walking up and down carriages trying to get seated together and failing that near to each other. It happens so often regular users take it for granted.
You get a reserved seat and find yourself next to a fellow passenger selected at random. You don't have a reserved seat and may find the free seat at starting station A becomes booked from station B and you have to move. And that game of musical chairs can happen several times on a Crosscountry service.
Most of us, given the opportunity, prefer to sit by ourselves, or chose who we sit next to.
My car is air-conditioned to the temperature I prefer. It seats 4, has no timetable except the one I set. It goes door to almost door and is available 24/7. I can listen to my choice of music, cricket or the news without disturbing anyone or earphones. The costs are virtually the same if I travel alone, or as 2, 3, or 4 of us.
I understand why so many avoid trains, especially when they don't turn up on the most busy days of the week, as no Northern stopping services did until lunchtime on Sunday on the Hope Valley line into the Peak District.
Losing one train is bad enough but when Arriva Northern took over much was made of more Sunday services. Timetables may show that's been achieved. The performance suggests it wasn't thought through and it can't even deliver what previously operated. It seems to have got worse since ASLEF members turned down a harmonisation deal.
If public transport is to compete with cars it has to be reliable, every train, every day, every week, every month. Too often it's not.
Most of us quickly revert to cars as soon as a train trip goes wrong. That will be eating into Northern's bottom line and passenger growth.
There is massive potential demand for more spacious carriages that turn up on time and are priced accordingly.
PS I travelled to Leeds yesterday. Trains were crowded and a 153 tagged on would have made it more relaxed - but would any potential extra revenue have covered the extra costs (ignoring compliance issues)?