Great Western Coffee Shop

....to sit at a 4 seater on a train when travelling alone or as a pair.


Reason I ask, this evening a couple were sat on the aisle seats with baggage on the window seats of a 4 seat space on a DMU (no table).
Plenty of 2 seat together spaces.
A family of 1 adult, 3 children (age7-10 roughly) boarded and were separated and unable to sit all together and were separated by 4-5 rows of seats.

I would without question of given up being sat alone or as a couple to allow the family to sit together, but is it bad etiquette not to do so? I could understand if it was a HST and table being used but not a 4 set on a DMU with just space between. If not bad etiquette I'd definitely say inconsiderate.

......possibly but I've seen a great worse.....did they ask them to move so that they could sit together?

I suspect the answer is no. For a reason I don't fully understand, people here are very reticent in asking fellow passengers anything - whether they might be able to sit together, to be quiet(er) in a quiet zone, etc etc.

If I were asked, it would depend how full the train was - I select my seat to suit the needs of my long legs.....and if there weren't any other suitable seats (I simply just can't get into many of the bus type seating - the leg room is insufficient), I doubt I'd move. But being asked would simply elucidate a polite explanation

And before anyone comments - in my days as a child, children were expected to stand to allow adults to sit when there were insufficient seats - my how the world has changed.

As a parent (with kids ages 7 and 9), I partly agree with you, but it does depend on the distance travelled etc.  On a bus or tube train or short crowded commuter train, I would expect my kids to stand (or sit on my knee).  But on an HST "Intercity" Journey of 3 hours, I would want us all sat around a table and would make seat reservations to ensure this. 

Probably not available in this case?

I am not someone who suffers from claustrophobia - except in seats with a seat back in from of me. Doesn't matter if it is a plane, or train (bus seats tend to have lower backs and give better all round visibility. Car seats sometimes do, sometimes don't- but the claustrophobia does kick in usually in the back seat of a car).

Extra legroom is nice (I'm just over 6ft), but lack of it does not worry me unduly, but lack of the ability to move and stretch the legs does cause cramp. So, although I would always give up a seat for a family of four with small children, I am reluctant otherwise.

I think we have all missed a key point in the OP.  Bags on seats bad etiquette

Not much help to a family of 4 though even if they were removed - I think that's why we ignored them.