Loading & ticketing. Suppress travel by making it *** to book with confidence

[whole diary]

[rogerw]

In response to grahame points….

2. Indeed, if that were allowed, the first seriously overcrowded train would feature heavily in the media & likely put off more leisure travellers than a few ‘fully-booked’ trains would, IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion). Difficult to solve. People will return to trains I reckon quite quickly. Numbers are already on the rise.

I travelled on a seriously overcrowded train on my north east ramblings - full and standing, The media seems to have missed it

[grahame]

Let's move on - anyone fancy a day out in Neath

Might be a pint in it if anyone is venturing over here.

Indeed. Though be careful what you suggest in jest.  I HAVE spent time in Neath ...

[Sixty3Closure]

A marketing email telling me...

"Save up to 50%* when you book up to 24 weeks before you travel for weekday journeys and 12 weeks for weekends with Advance fares at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).com."

Not sure if I've just been lucky but my normally my expectation of getting an advance fare is 3-4 weeks. Hopefully this does the mean the return of more sensible ticket prices although I'm travelling by car again this month as my regular journey is still £154 probably with just me on the train for the last hour of the journey.

[TonyN]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and the other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company)▸ are required not to oversell places on their trains at present; what (two years ago) a very uncomfortable journey if you had to squeeze your way on has become a potential spreader of a very serious virus.  At the same time, trains are there for key journeys and really need to be available for flexible, daily, last minute planned (unplanned in advance) travel.

It would appear that the restriction on internet and phone app sales has been removed this week. I have checked several times at times when I would of expected a shortage of the allocated seats and found tickets available.

[grahame]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and the other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company)▸ are required not to oversell places on their trains at present; what (two years ago) a very uncomfortable journey if you had to squeeze your way on has become a potential spreader of a very serious virus.  At the same time, trains are there for key journeys and really need to be available for flexible, daily, last minute planned (unplanned in advance) travel.

It would appear that the restriction on internet and phone app sales has been removed this week. I have checked several times at times when I would of expected a shortage of the allocated seats and found tickets available.

Thanks for that update ... not sure when during the week it was done?   I had issues early in the week (Tuesday?) when booking my trip to Evesham.  All the way through to the reservation page and I expressed a preference for where to sit - and it then came back telling me no seats available and suggested I try another train.  This on my selection of an ADVANCE fare too, which is train specific and a very odd thing to offer if there are no seats to be booked ...

[Sixty3Closure]

Having just travelled back from Carmarthen to Twyford the reservation warnings still seem to be in place although prices were much more sensible. Having said that though the train was packed and the coach I was in had nearly every single seat reserved so may not be covid related. It looked similar on the coaches either side. This was a 9 coach IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train). Not sure what happened to social distancing as it was impossible with every seat reserved. Seems to be where we are now - all the official rules gone or going but organisations still asking for face coverings, hand washing and to respect people's space.

It left me not entirely comfortable with my plan of going back the other way next week. Partly covid but also if the trains are going to be this packed easier to drive (or rather get driven as still not quite got around to learning....)