Reservations

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

Indeed - many readers of this forum will be aware that an unoccupied seat marked "reserved from Par to Totnes" is available for them from Exeter to Reading, but the geographic knowledge needed is likely beyond people taking a touring holiday in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).     And is a seat "reserved from Chippenham to London Paddington" available for a passenger from Newton Abbott to Bristol Temple Meads?

If it's one ofd the few trains routed that way, yes.

Electronic / updating systems can clarify some of the concerns by removing expired reservations

But ios of zero help to those travelling beyond the next reservation!

For example, a train might be reserved from Bristol to Chippenham & from Swindon to LOndon. On a paper reservation ticket, both reservations can be easily seen so someone boarding at Bath for London & finding no seats available will know that the seat they are looking at is reserved again from Swindon & it's really worth taking it at Chippenham.

On an electronic reservation, it only gives you the current reservation, so if it were empty at Bath you'd be thinking that the passenger hadn't turned up & it was free. It wouldn't be until Chippenham that the next reservation would show as reserved from Swindon & you could easily get thrown out for the last hour of your journey. Paper reservations are better on long journeys were one seat might be reserved multiple times!

[IndustryInsider]

If reserved for part of the journey, the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) system lists the current (or available until ‘x’) and next reservations alongside the three colour status.

[ChrisB]

And if there are three (or more? perfectly possible on a PNZ-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) journey)....

[eXPassenger]

Since the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) shows the current and next reservation you would see (in your example) that the next reservation was from Swindon and find a different seat.

[plymothian]

I wonder when someone will have a lightbulb moment that the railway is giving away money.

- You ticket allows travel between A and B (standing or seated)
- You can book a free seat from A - B so giving the railway £0 extra a seat
- Your free reservation is not honoured therefore you can claim compensation on something that cost you nothing

So overall, a net loss to the railway.

[REVUpminster]

An update from me. Yesterday, Wednesday, I was able to reserve a seat on the Saturday 18.03 Paddington but not yet the 08.30 Newton Abbot Paddington. I'll try again tomorrow that one.

I wonder if it is because they don't know if I is a 9 car 802, two 5 car 802's or just one 5 car 802

[bobm]

I know several train managers who work West of England services who cannot wait for the demise of the HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)).  Day after day they work HST services where the reservations have been sold based on an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) running on the day. 

“I’ll miss the trains but not the hassle” as one told me. 

[Oxonhutch]

Had a hassle today with this and ended up being touted as the bad guy. I have broad shoulders but refuse to be the focus of blame just because I am the first real person in a chain of dissapointment caused by the failure - yet again - of an IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project. This will offer more capacity on routes, save money, give a consistent and safe service and meet customer requirements. Intended to replace HSTs.) reservation system.

1630 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-TAU^» (Taunton - next trains) a busy service and no reservations illuminated or cards emplaced. Sat myself down. Inevitable, 5 minutes later "this is may reserved seat" - me "sorry, all seat reservations on this service are cancelled, please find anywhere to sit". 2 minute late my displaced passenger is told "sorry this is my reserved seat", he told by displaced "sorry, he's sitting in my reserved seat but the system it is all broken", then third person comes [you've guessed] to second deplacee "sorry this is my reserved seat!".

"it's all that guy's fault!", declares fourth man from across the corridor pointing at me for not moving (he also had a reservation). Hang on, I didn't break the reservation system - I have a ticket - and I have no way of knowing what seat might not be reserved until... - I have no seat!

No one was a disabled person, absolutely requiring a seat; everyone got a seat - just not the ones they wanted/expected.

Did I feel awkward? Yes. But I wasn't at fault, and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s constant reservations failures shouldn't negatively affect me either - after all, I have a contract with them too.

A most unpleasant journey - one of many, 5 days a week, 40 weeks of the year.

[charles_uk]

I believe GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) gives some kind of compensation beyond NRCOT^▸ (National Rail Conditions of Travel) to people with reservations who don't get any seat but do travel; never happened to me so I don't know what it is but it is referred to frequently by the twitter crew.

They certainly do and it was very easy to claim without having to go through the hassle of getting a ticket endorsed or other hurdles.

Last year I put in a couple of long-term reservations on services where they were available even though the stock had been downgraded to Turbo operation. I sent an email claiming compensation and got a very generous cheque in return without any quibble!