Seat Reservations

[whole diary]

[argg]

Is there a maximum number of seat reservations that are applied to a particular train or carriage?

I ask because of the experience last Friday evening on the 18.47 service from Paddington to Cheltenham Spa.  This train appeared to have all but a handful of seats (less than 10?) with seat reservation markers.

I didn't notice the position in carriage D backwards as I normally aim for carriage B (closest to the exit at Twyford etc.) and by that time the rest of the train would have been full so there seemed little point going back to look so settled on vestibule standing with a large number of others (including a Brompton owner who, in using it as a seat took up effectively two spaces for standing).

Is the policy to start allocating seat reservation from the front and work backwards or is there a policy to leave a certain number of seats free.  Is it possible that a combination of events could be such that all seats on a service would be reserved?

I use the service quite regularly and whilst there is always a fair number I have never seen such an abundance of reservations - was there a particular event on?

Am I right in assuming as a season ticket holder, I am not in a position to make a seat reservation as a matter of course?



 

[SDS]

You think that service was busy?
I have put labels on every Standard seat for the 1903 FO from PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) once before and as it was short formed even coach E was fully reserved.

As far as im aware, every seat with some minor exceptions* is available to be reserved.

As regards you being a season ticket holder, I belive that if you give your local booking office a list of what you want to be reserved on (such as the 09:xx from A to B and the 18:xx from B to A and what dates) they can process them for you in between customers and have them ready for you to pick up at a later time. I know of several customers that do this with local smallish stations.
Dont even bother asking PAD. Far too busy constantly.

Now the official version as per FRPP is as follows:

Seat Reservations ^ First Great Western

Trains on which accommodation can be reserved are shown in the National Rail Timetable.

The seat reservation charge is ^5, except in the following circumstances where reservation is free of charge:

one reservation if reserved at the time of purchasing the ticket;
wheelchair spaces, assisted passengers and their companions;
holders of Rail Rovers.
Reservations are only available to passengers buying or presenting a valid travel ticket. Only one seat reservation per passenger (plus connecting reservation where appropriate) can be made for each journey.

A seat cannot be reserved if no passenger is to occupy it, even if an extra ticket is purchased.

Child Reservations

Where separate accommodation is required for a child under 5, a child rate or flat fare ticket must be held for the journey.

I dont know where anyone gets charged a fiver these days.


*Coach E is normally non reservable, however this coach is used when another coach is missing. Hence the common Reservations for Coach B can be found in Coach E. Also some disabled seats are non reservable.

[ChrisB]

As regards you being a season ticket holder, I belive that if you give your local booking office a list of what you want to be reserved on (such as the 09:xx from A to B and the 18:xx from B to A and what dates) they can process them for you in between customers and have them ready for you to pick up at a later time. I know of several customers that do this with local smallish stations.

I dont know where anyone gets charged a fiver these days.

I believe this is correct, and if you reserve more than one train per inward / outward trip (if you're not sure which train you might travel on, for instance), you'll get charged that ^5 mentioned....

[argg]

Thanks for the information

Generally prepared to stand on the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) as my journey time is just over 20 mins - so long as it's possible to squeeze on

Interestingly why do some insist on working their way up the train (and back again in some instances) when it is clear all seats must be taken and all vestibules full but with a look on their face which is saying "these people must be wrong, I'm sure there is a seat up ahead" perhaps they're new to the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) experience!



 

[Chris from Nailsea]

On the other hand, I've been standing in the middle of an apparently crammed HST^▸ (High Speed Train) when the train manager has announced that 'There are seats available towards the front of the train / in coaches A and B', for example.

[Tim]

On the other hand, I've been standing in the middle of an apparently crammed HST^▸ (High Speed Train) when the train manager has announced that 'There are seats available towards the front of the train / in coaches A and B', for example.

me too, part of the problem seems to be when they keep the platform at Paddington secret until the last minute.  Everyone piles onto the first coach and only bothers to walk a couple of coaches up the train so the front two coaches are almost empty.

[ChrisB]

Not in my experience - most stay close to where they need to be to exit their destination station exit....

[BBM]

Not in my experience - most stay close to where they need to be to exit their destination station exit....

I think that's true of regular travellers who walk up the platform to board in their usual places, but at school holiday times there appears to me to be an increased number of people walking through the train mumbling things like "why is this train so busy?" and "you'd think they put more carriages on if they know it's going to be so crowded..." 

[ChrisB]

Rather than "I knew this train was full of commuters - why didn't I travel earlier / later?"......yes, quite.

[SDS]

"you'd think they put more carriages on if they know it's going to be so crowded..." 

Please do tell me where we can get the extra stock from.. Ah yes lets steal an extra coach from the Cotswolds and make it a 9+2