Should trains have full/partial leather seats?

[Bletchleyite]

This is why Moquette design and practicality is important, as several operators who switched over to Flat Cloth has somewhat found to their cost over the years. And I still despise the current trend of having leather headrests as the ones on SWR (and the former GWR HSTs) often are filthy and noticeable about some of the previous users hygiene levels.

I'd say the opposite - it takes a quick wipe with a cloth to clean off the day's muck ready for the next day. If TOCs aren't even doing that then they're at fault there. The muck is still there if it's moquette, it's just ground in.

Ryanair go for full leather because it's easy, quick and therefore cheap to clean. Not sure I'd go full leather, though, as I find it gets sticky when warm.

 

[yorksrob]

No no no.

I can't be doing with sliding around on leather seats.

Trains should be a dignified and tasteful way to travel. Leave the leatherette to the boy racers.

 

[Bletchleyite]

My personal take is that the main seat should be moquette but the headrest should be leather or fake leather in a dark colour, ideally dark grey. This means hair grease can be easily cleaned off daily. If any TOC (or bus company) doesn't have wiping surfaces people touch with a damp cloth with antibacterial detergent on it as part of daily cleaning, they should have!

 

[Falcon1200]

Absolutely not! Leather sets are horrible and more suited to fetishists than train passengers.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I found the leather seats in first class on GWR's HST fleet extremely uncomfortable - and similar discomfort on a British Airways A319 formerly in the British Midland fleet, so no - I would 100% NOT want leather seats unless they were of a type similar to the now extinct SNCF stainless steel EMU fleet and the matching push pull trailer sets. Despite their spartan appearance, they were actually quite comfortable.

Moquette is the way to go, really.

Flat cloth is definitely not resilient enough to be up to the job.

 

[StoneRoad]

No, not full leather seats, definitely not.
not even reconstituted / faux leather ...
although the faux leather can be extremely hard wearing & colourful, I don't think it is suitable for trimming carriages these days.

Please - real moquette & proper padding all the way. Modern materials can be properly fire-proofed {intrinsically, as well} and be wear / cut resistant.
I would accept leather panels on head rests, as it must be more easily cleaned.

[Speaking from the viewpoint on having worked for a firm of award-winning interior designers in the past and currently being involved with "heritage" carriage restoration]

 

[JohnRegular]

I don't personally like leather seats in general - cold in the winter and sticky in the summer.

There is also a sizable minority who might prefer not to have to use leather seats for ethical or religious reasons.
Feel free to debate whether or not that's a reasonable standpoint elsewhere, but this is public transport we're talking about so I think it should be as inclusive as reasonably possible.

 

[yorksrob]

My personal take is that the main seat should be moquette but the headrest should be leather or fake leather in a dark colour, ideally dark grey. This means hair grease can be easily cleaned off daily. If any TOC (or bus company) doesn't have wiping surfaces people touch with a damp cloth with antibacterial detergent on it as part of daily cleaning, they should have!

I don't mind the head rest being leather (or faux leather preferably). Or howabout an antimacassar ?

 

[Yorkshire09876]

I don't like full leather seats, but it makes sense with the headrest as if it's make of leather or fake-leather it can be cleaned much more effectively than a fabric headrest can.

 

[signed]

Faux-leather has the consequence of being quite slippery. I find very unconfortable with my back slipping on Velaros (Both S105 and ICE3)

 

[gordonthemoron]

The leather seats in DB ICEs are great

 

[Harpo]

I found the leather seats in first class on GWR's HST fleet extremely uncomfortable

Agreed. Not remotely luxurious. To me they felt bulky and inflexible, and seemed to be too high off the floor.

My meagre understanding of the material is that leather has to be of very high grade to feel warm to the touch without feeling cold in cooler weather and sweaty/clammy in warmer temperatures.

Don't need bits of dead cattle to sit on. Just a comfortable seat will do.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Leather? How gaudy and ostentatious...

I want to see an operator go for suede!

 

[JD2168]

Moquette for me for the seats, I find it more comfortable. You can have leather for the headrests.

One problem with leather seats on public transport is seen when used on buses when it rips it look very tatty & people slide around when it becomes more shiny.

 

[Russel]

On LU stock, if the moquette can't be kept clean, I'd rather they went with hard plastic.

Dirty moquette is disgusting.

 

[yorksrob]

I've never seen moquette on the tube trains looking particularly dirty. A lot of it seems to be very worn now and in need of a re-trim.

 

[Russel]

I've never seen moquette on the tube trains looking particularly dirty. A lot of it seems to be very worn now and in need of a re-trim.

The Northern and Central are in an awful state.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I'd say the opposite - it takes a quick wipe with a cloth to clean off the day's muck ready for the next day. If TOCs aren't even doing that then they're at fault there. The muck is still there if it's moquette, it's just ground in.

Ryanair go for full leather because it's easy, quick and therefore cheap to clean. Not sure I'd go full leather, though, as I find it gets sticky when warm.

Ryanair don't have leather, they have pleather.
But I also rather like leather seats, as long as the coverings aren't so thick that they make the seat feel smaller. I love those on the IC225s, but on the former Avanti Voyagers, I feel that adding them made the seat feel tighter and less roomy. And you can tell it's not real leather on those, so they appear plasticky and cheap.

No no no.

I can't be doing with sliding around on leather seats.

Trains should be a dignified and tasteful way to travel. Leave the leatherette to the boy racers.

You don't slide around on them, and if done correctly and using decent leather they are tasteful. Take British Airways for example. Their Pinnacle seats look very smart, I think, far more so than their long haul stuff in moquette. And I think the ECML leather first class looked (and still does) far more tasteful than the Azuma moquette seats. Same goes for GWR HST (and current ScotRail) first class.

However, cheap jobs like SWR First Class and Ryanair pleather DO look cheap and tacky.

I found the leather seats in first class on GWR's HST fleet extremely uncomfortable

That's more to do with the padding beneath the thin layer of leather, I think. As I also found them hard, but not the VTEC ones.

 

[Russel]

You don't slide around on them

Glad you've said that, I've also never found it to be an issue either.

 

[stuu]

You don't slide around on them, and if done correctly and using decent leather they are tasteful. Take British Airways for example. Their Pinnacle seats look very smart, I think, far more so than their long haul stuff in moquette. And I think the ECML leather first class looked (and still does) far more tasteful than the Azuma moquette seats. Same goes for GWR HST (and current ScotRail) first class.

The GWR first class (and ScotRail now) looks amazing, but I always found it extremely uncomfortable because you do slide around.YMMV obviously

The refurbished 450s on SWR look really good with decent moquette and leather(ish) headrests. That's the way to go IMHO

 

[yorksrob]

The Northern and Central are in an awful state.

I'm mainly Victoria and Bakerloo tbf, so they might be different.

You don't slide around on them, and if done correctly and using decent leather they are tasteful. Take British Airways for example. Their Pinnacle seats look very smart, I think, far more so than their long haul stuff in moquette. And I think the ECML leather first class looked (and still does) far more tasteful than the Azuma moquette seats. Same goes for GWR HST (and current ScotRail) first class.

However, cheap jobs like SWR First Class and Ryanair pleather DO look cheap and tacky.

I preferred the look of the blue and gold seating in ECML first class, prior to Virgin taking over.

Either way much as I enjoy train travel, it doesn't seem worth sacrificing several cows for.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Either way much as I enjoy train travel, it doesn't seem worth sacrificing several cows for.

Stop, this has got to be tongue in cheek surely

 

[yorksrob]

Stop, this has got to be tongue in cheek surely

Certainly not - especially when you can shave a few sheep instead.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Either way much as I enjoy train travel, it doesn't seem worth sacrificing several cows for.

And how many hides are simply a by-product of beef production? I doubt there's any sacrificing going on.

 

[signed]

Either way much as I enjoy train travel, it doesn't seem worth sacrificing several cows for.

I doubt real leather is part of most train interiors.

The only example I have in mind is the Italian Business and Executive (on both Italo and Trenitalia)

 

[yorksrob]

And how many hides are simply a by-product of beef production? I doubt there's any sacrificing going on.

I doubt real leather is part of most train interiors.

The only example I have in mind is the Italian Business and Executive (on both Italo and Trenitalia)

Either way, I still prefer moquette.

It has a warm, comforting "railway" feel (and is suitably hard wearing).

I don't think the railway should be aping airline seating coverings, any more than it should be copying deeply unsuitable airline fares conventions.

 

[NCT]

Moquette over slippery leather any day.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I doubt real leather is part of most train interiors.

The only example I have in mind is the Italian Business and Executive (on both Italo and Trenitalia)

I believe the MK4 seat coverings are real leather. When they were new under VTEC the whole first class carriage used to smell like leather anyway.

 

[jupiter]

Smoke and mirrors. In the early days of cars, leather was seen as the durable but uncomfortable option for the driver/chauffeur and fabric the plush, expensive option for the landed ladies and gents in the rear.

Always seemed a bit odd that that has switched around. Cost grounds presumably.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The (I think fake) Leather on the Guided Buses in Manchester used to get really hot to sit on when it was warm out. Presumably this is still the case, but I don't use the busway basically ever anymore.