The trolley service tickled me too... Just didn't seem appropriate on a commuter style train
It's called TransPennine
EXPRESS, so the trolley service seems appropriate. It is the commuter-style outer-suburban rolling stock which is out of place.
But not commuter in their journey length. Newcastle to Manchester two and three quarter hours or Manchester to Edinburgh three hours and twenty minutes.
Exactly, it is a regional express franchise. Therefore it should have regional-express-style stock (158, 175 etc.), we just don't have nearly enough regional express stock in this country (Wales and Great Western are both in need of more 158s, and I'd guess other TOCs probably are too). Why did somebody have to order 170s (outer-suburban trains with sluggish express-train acceleration) for regional express work rather than doing the job properly and ordering something like 175s with 158-style end gangways or building LM-style 172s to replace Pacers and 150/1s?
when TPE gets wired they really need replacing with a series of 344s-like the 444s down south, but with Pantographs.
Agreed, that's what they should have ordered already for the Manchester-Scotland services (rather than 350s, that or order more Pendos and give Manchester-Scotland to ICWC). An OHLE-powered train inspired by the 5-WES (Wessex Electric) or class 444 units, would probably also be useful on other routes.
3 standard trailers with extra luggage space, a standard buffet and a first class coach, with the potential for dual-working and 10 coach trains.
How much is first class used on TPE now? If not much then I'd suggest putting the buffet in the first class coach (with the buffet counter at the end nearest the standard class coaches, so standard class passengers don't need to walk through first class to reach it).
In my experience they are packed from Leeds to Dewsbury; full + standing to Huddersfield; empty seats to Manchester.
3-car 185s were quite busy, including at the Manchester end, when I did a return to York to see the Skyfall IC225.