One thing I don't get with modern trains and modern refurbs is why they have to put such bright lighting in. It can't be nice at all for those who want to have a sleep after a long day. Actually, one of my main objections to modern long distance trains is the bright lighting and bright colours, combined with them often being quite cold, loud announcments (particularly when you are on one of those long distance services that still stops at every station) and hard seats make them very unrelaxing environments. Of cource, in some cases it's even worse when you've got a loud engine under you that's revving up and down at regular intervals. It doesn't compare favourably with air travel where especially for long haul flights (and remember, many long distance services have journey times comparable with long haul flights) where an effort is made to make a relaxing environment thorugh subdued lighting and the use of colour, and even the drone of the engines tends to be quite hypnotic (with trains, it's not so much the engines, but the fact that it's full throttle-idle-brake-full throttle-idle-brake over and over again). Wouldn't be so bad, but on a train at night, you can't even see a thing out of the windows due to the bright lights and thick glass making them like mirrors.
Anyway, at least they havn't gone down the FGW route of trying to pack loads more seats in, and have left quite a few tables, and the seats seem better than FGW aswell (I've only done a Mallard in first, and not yet done a FGW refurb.
