Seat reservation screens are going to be a bit difficult to see for some. Are these even going to be used on Northern Connect services?
In fairness, that may just be a design feature to "futureproof" the units, i.e. it gives them a potential use on other routes, even if it's not going to be much use in the first five years of use.
I'd rather have trains built with features that aren't necessary in the short term, but will allow them to be cascaded onto other routes in the medium/long term, than what we've done over the past few years when building trains that only really had one use (e.g. the lardy 185s had decent luggage space and were good at climbing hills, which is handy when you want a train capable of getting over the Pennines to Manchester Airport, but limits their use if they are replaced by more modern stock)
Great trip this morning. What an upgrade. They are incomparable to anything Northern has. Very spacious. Wasn't particularly busy but can't see that lasting for long. A few teething problems but to be expected.
Genuine question, but have you been on the "white" 170s yet? (I know that these are generally east of the Pennines though)
My benchmark for the 195s is how they'd compare to a common-or-garden post-privatisation DMU (170/171/172/175/185), but I suspect that the benchmark for a lot of passengers will be against the trains they directly replace in the short term (e.g. 158s). If you're used to narrow doors at the ends of trains for your daily commute then a 195 will be transformational, of course, so they'll probably be popular for the average passenger in the short term.