Tuesday 21 October 2008
The research by CrossCountry found that the Birmingham to Bristol train journey was regarded as the most scenic in the country because of its amazing contrasts: taking passengers quickly from the industrial centre of the West Midlands and quickly transforming the view from the window into the stunning Worcestershire countryside and the edge of the Cotswolds, before quickly arriving in the commercial heart of the South West.
Scotland was a very popular choice, with the Edinburgh to Aberdeen journey coming second, with the train journey passing over the much-loved Forth bridge, through the Kingdom of Fife and across the 'silvery Tay' into Dundee and up the scenic east coast of Scotland to the Granite City.
Although tenth on the list, the impressive journey between Leamington Spa and Reading was highly commended for its fine examples of 'classic' English countryside, taking passengers through the counties of Warwickshire and Oxfordshire before following the Thames into Berkshire.
Andy Cooper, Managing Director at CrossCountry said: "It is easy to forget how beautiful the British countryside is when travelling by car, but a train gives you the perfect opportunity to enjoy the views while relaxing in comfort.
"So many of the people we asked cited increasing congestion on Britain's busy motorways and high petrol costs, as the main reasons they had stopped enjoying long car journeys. Travelling by train can be much more pleasant an alternative, and with so many cheap tickets available there's never been a better time to remind yourself of the great scenery you can see from a CrossCountry train window."
Journey through the stunning Worcestershire countryside and by-pass the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire
Leaving Edinburgh and pass over the much-loved Forth Bridge, through the Kingdom of Fife and across the "silvery Tay" into Dundee and up the scenic east coast of Scotland to the Granite City
Amazing views of the romantic Westcountry, crossing Brunel's iconic Royal Albert bridge into Devon and finally passing over the impressive sea wall at Dawlish and on to Exeter
Pass stunning costal scenery on the Scottish borders passing through Berwick-upon-Tweed and then into the historic capital of Scotland
A relatively short journey through picturesque Cambridgeshire where one of the UK's most stunning cities awaits
Leaving Manchester and passing through Staffordshire and Warwickshire towards the Dorset coast
Beginning the journey in the Cotswolds and passing by the popular resort of Weston-Super-Mare en-route to Exeter
Leaving the East Midlands and into Yorkshire on approach to the medieval town of York
Take in the impressive Seven Estuary and luscious Welsh countryside
View classic English countryside and stunning waterways
Please find notes to Editors, CrossCountry facts and figures below.
For more information feel free to contact us on 0121 2006115 or by email to [email protected]
CrossCountry has moved offices. Our new address is CrossCountry Communications Department, 5th Floor, Cannon House, Priory Queensway, Birmingham B4 6BS
CrossCountry started operating on 11 November 2007. The franchise, which is the most extensive in the UK, will run until 31 March 2016. For further information on CrossCountry services and future franchise plans log on to www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk
STATIONS SERVED: 131
ROUTE MILES: 1,654
WEEKDAY SERVICES: 288
PASSENGERS CARRIED: Over 30 million passenger journeys a year anticipated
ANNUAL TRAIN MILEAGE: Approximately 16 million
EMPLOYEES: Approximately 1,800
LONGEST TRAIN SERVICE: Penzance to Dundee (701 miles)
CrossCountry is part of the Arriva group which operates transport services in ten European countries, employs more than 38,000 people and provides more than one billion passenger journeys every year. For more information about the Arriva group visit www.arriva.co.uk
Select this link to view the Press Release PDF
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CrossCountry Press Office: [email protected]
About CrossCountry
CrossCountry is a long-distance passenger train operator, with a network stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff and calling at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of Britain’s 10 largest cities and delivers 240 services every weekday, equating to over 42 million passenger journeys each year.
For further information on CrossCountry services, visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or visit one of our social media platforms via X @crosscountryuk or Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains
Train operator CrossCountry will introduce temporary resource-led reductions to its timetable from Saturday 10 August until Saturday 9 November to address performance and reliability issues that have inconvenienced passengers with on-the-day cancellations.
Read More
Train operator CrossCountry will introduce temporary resource-led reductions to its timetable from Saturday 10 August until Saturday 9 November to address performance and reliability issues that have inconvenienced passengers with on-the-day cancellations.
Read More
Train operator CrossCountry will introduce temporary resource-led reductions to its timetable from Saturday 10 August until Saturday 9 November to address performance and reliability issues that have inconvenienced passengers with on-the-day cancellations. 
Read More
