I remember when the 700s first started to appear on some of the semi-fast off-peak services I used from Welwyn Garden City to London. People I assume to be occasional travellers boarding at Hatfield and Potters Bar commented favourably on the bright, clean and spacious interiors (and the fact the trains were ‘longer than the old ones’). I wonder how people boarding at Hadley Wood and stations south thereof felt about the new trains? Occasional travellers would, presumably, be happy to have a ‘modern’ train, rather than one that’s over 40 years old?
I must confess, having boarded a WGC-Kings Cross service last Saturday that was formed with a Class 365, that I found the interior felt a little cramped and slightly claustrophobic now, after getting used to the 700s. I imagine the 313s will feel similarly cramped as more and more services become 717 diagrams..