Pacer trains: 'They're so awful I learned to drive'

Pacer trains are used in various parts of England and Wales

Political leaders in the north of England have called for rail fares to be reduced to reflect the poor state of the 1980s-built Pacer trains still being used across the region. The BBC asked readers for their experiences of the services.

Bouncy suspension, noisy engines, too warm or too cold, strong smells and diesel fumes, the list of complaints people have about Pacer trains is long.

The thought of getting the Pacer train to work fills Andy Barratt, in particular, with dread.

She says the smell and fumes of the diesel engine trigger her asthma, the cramped seats hurt her back and incessant noise as it rattles and bounces along the track drills into her head.

For the past two years she has been commuting from her home in the Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire, to her job in Sheffield city centre on Pacer trains run by Northern.

She claims the 25-minute journey has affected her asthma and anxiety so much that she has had to go part-time in her work at the University of Sheffield and has learned to drive just so she doesn't have to catch the train.

"It's awful," she says, "I just cannot face getting the train."

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Ms Barratt says her asthma was exacerbated by diesel fumes and and her "vigorous" coughing led her to being hospitalised.

She says her anxiety has also been made intolerable by the trains, which she claims normally consists of two carriages during the busiest hours.

"Just thinking about it raises my anxiety so badly," she says.

"There are so many people and it is getting worse because they are building lots of new estates near the stations and people are being sold this life where they can commute on the train, but the train is not expanded to cope."

Often she is "pushed and shoved" in a jostling crowd of people, some of whom get quite angry, she says.

If she does get a seat it is "claustrophobic" with not enough leg room and the "seats too close together".

"You cannot win," she says. "I just cannot carry on with the trains, my heart just races.

"I have got noise cancelling headphones but I can still hear the engines, it's like having a drill at the side of your head."

Andy Barratt says the thought of getting a Pacer train fills her with dread

Her season pass costs about £88 a month but, she says, "no amount I pay is improving the system."

"I do not want to drive into work, I want to get the train but it needs to be so much better," she says.

"Public transport gives people hope, link to education, jobs and opportunities.

"I see young people having this opportunities taken away because of the poor public transport."

Northern is replacing its rolling stock but said delays in construction of the new trains by CAF means a "small number" of Pacer trains will still need to be used into 2020.

Managing Director David Brown agreed the trains needed replacing, saying: "Nobody in Northern wants to retain the Pacers but it's something we've been forced into doing because our new trains, which are fantastic, are arriving slightly slower than we'd expect."

The BBC asked people for their experiences of the Pacer trains, and the vast majority said they were not fit for purpose.

"My experience of Pacer trains has always been thank God I only had to suffer a short journey," said Michael Ashworth, adding: "They rode so bad at speed you had to hang on."

Each Pacer is essentially a Leyland Motors bus mounted on train wheels

Jack Lyon used Pacer trains, which he called the "clickety-clack express", for three years to get from Liverpool to Salford for university.

He said: "Pacers are always cramped, damp and too cold or hot and bouncy at speed."

Daniel Miller said he found it impossible to listen to music through his earphones as "they don't go loud enough to block out the noise from the engine".

Gary Goodenough said the Pacers, or "nodding donkeys" as he calls them, are "very bumpy" and "not good for people with back conditions or neck issues".

Barry Miller said they were "noisy and "smelly" with diesel fumes, while another commenter said the noise was "unbearable" and "exhaust fumes" were "often intaking into the carriage".

Some were "nostalgic" about the trains while others called them "outdated".

Northern said manufacturing delays had resulted in fewer new carriages being introduced than planned

Not all are opposed to the Pacers, though.

Robert Hodgson said they were "good" because "you can open the windows for ventilation" which is "especially useful in summer or when the train is delayed".

"Good for viewing the scenery," he added.

"Love them," said Hugh Macknight from Newcastle, adding: "Communal, cheap, straightforward, comfortable."