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Caledonian sleeper enquiry

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AlexB

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Just a quick one. Am I right in saying that daytime tickets (e.g. an Anytime Day Return) can be used on the Caledonian sleeper on the West Highland Line? It seems to imply this on the Sleeper website, but was wondering as I am holidaying in Tyndrum next week and was wanting to travel northwards in the mornings to Rannoch, Corrour and maybe Fort William (and possibly aslo return in the evening)? If so, I presume these tickets can be bought on the train, as there is no ticketing facility at Tyndrum Upper?

Thanks
 
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Agent_c

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Just a quick one. Am I right in saying that daytime tickets (e.g. an Anytime Day Return) can be used on the Caledonian sleeper on the West Highland Line? It seems to imply this on the Sleeper website, but was wondering as I am holidaying in Tyndrum next week and was wanting to travel northwards in the mornings to Rannoch, Corrour and maybe Fort William (and possibly aslo return in the evening)? If so, I presume these tickets can be bought on the train, as there is no ticketing facility at Tyndrum Upper?

Thanks

North of Edinburgh, its a "day train", so yes.
 

yorkie

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Just a quick one. Am I right in saying that daytime tickets (e.g. an Anytime Day Return) can be used on the Caledonian sleeper on the West Highland Line? It seems to imply this on the Sleeper website, but was wondering as I am holidaying in Tyndrum next week and was wanting to travel northwards in the mornings to Rannoch, Corrour and maybe Fort William (and possibly aslo return in the evening)? If so, I presume these tickets can be bought on the train, as there is no ticketing facility at Tyndrum Upper?

Thanks
An Anytime Day return from Upper Tyndrum to Rannoch is £13.50, Corrour is £17.50 and Fort WIlliam is £23.50, any of these can be purchased on board the train. You may have to stand, as there are not a lot of seats, but for travel "next week" you should be fine, I'd have thought.
 

Hadders

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I travelled on the seated portion of the sleeper between Fort William and Glasgow Queen Street last week.

I was the only person in the carriage!!!

I am having a battle with the useless Serco Caledonian Sleeper over seat reservations for the 'day service'. They say it is not possible to issue them. I will report back when I get a full response.
 

Flying Snail

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I travelled on the seated portion of the sleeper between Fort William and Glasgow Queen Street last week.

I was the only person in the carriage!!!

I am having a battle with the useless Serco Caledonian Sleeper over seat reservations for the 'day service'. They say it is not possible to issue them. I will report back when I get a full response.

Just get your local station to do the seat reservation, it's in the system just like any other reservable train.

TBH it is not really necessary if you are boarding at FW or Glasgow, I have never seen it close to full at either end, only fills up during the busier summer months with tourists between the popular hiking areas in the Highlands.
 

Hadders

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Just get your local station to do the seat reservation, it's in the system just like any other reservable train.

TBH it is not really necessary if you are boarding at FW or Glasgow, I have never seen it close to full at either end, only fills up during the busier summer months with tourists between the popular hiking areas in the Highlands.

That's exactly what I tried to do but the service shows up as 'full', even though when I actually travelled I was the only person in the carriage. Tried at 3 different stations, all with competent clerks.

I contacted Serco about it who told me that seat reservations are not possible for journeys between FTW and EDB/GLQ because they have to give priority to passengers travelling through to Euston.

How this actually sits with Table 226 of the GBTT saying that reservations are compulsory on this service I don't know. Not unreasonable to expect a reservation on a 4+hour journey either.

It seems to me that Serco really aren't interested in the 'daytime service' and are attempting to kill it off by making in hard to book tickets and reservations so no-one uses it and they can then ditch it.
 

AlexB

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Thank you all for your helpful advice, and confirming what I thought was the case. What is weird is that it doesn't show as a Day Train in, e.g. the National Rail planning tool, but if you search on Serco's website (www.sleeper.scot) it is there (under the National Rail tab). If they are trying to kill this service, this is regrettable, as it makes up 1 of only 4 trains a day in the winter.

And very much looking forward to the trip - should be a great way of tackling some of the more remote munros near Rannoch and Corrour.
 
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Paul Kelly

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I contacted Serco about it who told me that seat reservations are not possible for journeys between FTW and EDB/GLQ because they have to give priority to passengers travelling through to Euston.
I wonder if there could be an ORCATS revenue allocation issue there - are they taking a share of revenue of tickets from, say Fort William to Glasgow, but reserving the entire seated coach for passengers travelling on to London?
 

Hadders

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I wonder if there could be an ORCATS revenue allocation issue there - are they taking a share of revenue of tickets from, say Fort William to Glasgow, but reserving the entire seated coach for passengers travelling on to London?

That's interesting! I've had to point out to them that as Fort William seated passengers have to change carriages at Edinburgh and join the Aberdeen portion (because only 2 seated carriages run through to Euston) that they cannot completely reserve the Fort William portion for Euston passengers or there would be no seat for them south of Edinburgh.
 
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