Friends of the Rail Forum

'Third class' rail travel could return for first time since 1950s, unions claim

A third class of rail travel could be introduced, the Department for Transport has said, triggering claims from critics that the Government was seeking to turn the clock back to the 1950s...

Will the railways bring back third-class carriages?

There has been outrage at the idea of a cattle-class carriage, but is this really what the Department of Transport has in mind?...

But one thing hasn't changed... "Most people have always travelled third class."

Incidently, where did second class go to? Did it ever exist in the UK? I must assume so because without it there would never have been a third class. Is the current "standard" class what remains of the original second class?

Second class on UK railways died out around 1908, leaving only first and third for several decades until 3rd was redesignated 2nd, eventually becoming standard class in recent more marketing-conscious days.

Martin Coombs