• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

St. Pancras - Gatwick; is first class worth it?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Howardh

Established Member
Joined
17 May 2011
Messages
8,120
Before I book just wondered what you got for the extra few £'s? Presumably just a bigger seat - but wondered if there's any free on-board catering or a first class lounge we can use? Cheers!
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

ChiefPlanner

Established Member
Joined
6 Sep 2011
Messages
7,768
Location
Herts
Before I book just wondered what you got for the extra few £'s? Presumably just a bigger seat - but wondered if there's any free on-board catering or a first class lounge we can use? Cheers!

You can sit in the declassified first class for zero - rear section going south.

I nearly spluttered my tea at the concept of a 1st class lounge or free on board catering on Thameslink. Sorry no - you might find a few discarded beer cans.........
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,259
Before I book just wondered what you got for the extra few £'s? Presumably just a bigger seat - but wondered if there's any free on-board catering or a first class lounge we can use? Cheers!
You get the opportunity to travel in the front of the leading coach. That’s all. You can have exactly the same seats in the back of the last coach.

Asking about catering though, is this serious?
 

Hadders

Veteran Member
Associate Staff
Senior Fares Advisor
Joined
27 Apr 2011
Messages
12,978
Paying for a 1st class ticket on this route is a complete waste of time.
 

Howardh

Established Member
Joined
17 May 2011
Messages
8,120
You get the opportunity to travel in the front of the leading coach. That’s all. You can have exactly the same seats in the back of the last coach.

Asking about catering though, is this serious?
You get a cardboard cup of tea and a biscuit on Transpennine (on a good day....)
 

Howardh

Established Member
Joined
17 May 2011
Messages
8,120
You can sit in the declassified first class for zero - rear section going south.
Ah, didn't know it was declassed! I suppose with contactless you can't determine who has a first-class ticket anyway?
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,259
You get a cardboard cup of tea and a biscuit on Transpennine (on a good day....)
Sounds like it's not worth the bother - but how do they know you haven't traveled 1st if you use contactless (which I understand is an option for this route)?
Paying for first class is just not possible if using Contactless or Oyster PAYG.
 

Deerfold

Veteran Member
Joined
26 Nov 2009
Messages
12,569
Location
Yorkshire
Sounds like it's not worth the bother - but how do they know you haven't traveled 1st if you use contactless (which I understand is an option for this route)?

In the same way as with a cardboard ticket. They only know if there's a check on the train.
 

cactustwirly

Established Member
Joined
10 Apr 2013
Messages
7,447
Location
UK
You get a cardboard cup of tea and a biscuit on Transpennine (on a good day....)

It's not TPE though!
It's a SE commuter train with no catering service, you get a bigger seat, and that's about it!
 

radamfi

Established Member
Joined
29 Oct 2009
Messages
9,267
As with most commuter TOCs, the primary reason to get First Class is so that you are more or less guaranteed of a seat at peak times. You might even get two seats to yourself. In the declassified First at the back, unless you get one of the two single seats, you are bound to be sat next to someone. Also, the rear declassified First is usually full at peak times once it has stopped at busy stations. For example, in the morning peak, Gatwick to St Pancras will have already been filled by commuters from stations further south on trains from Brighton or Littlehampton. In the evening peak, St Pancras to Gatwick should be fairly empty on boarding, but it will be full by Blackfriars.
 

jon0844

Veteran Member
Joined
1 Feb 2009
Messages
28,013
Location
UK
As it will likely be a 12 car 700, and with plenty of people alighting at St Pancras, if the declassified section doesn't have room there will be plenty of room elsewhere on the train, and you can expect more people to get off between St Pancras and London Bridge, whereby you could move into 'first class'.
 

Haywain

Veteran Member
Joined
3 Feb 2013
Messages
14,867
In the declassified First at the back, unless you get one of the two single seats, you are bound to be sat next to someone.
Not always the case by any stretch. Only at peak times is this a near certainty. At other times there a fair chance you will have two seats.
 

717001

Member
Joined
4 Aug 2018
Messages
221
There are also 3 pin charging points, which aren't available elsewhere, but again you can use them free in the rear carriage.
 

tsr

Established Member
Joined
15 Nov 2011
Messages
7,400
Location
Between the parallel lines
Not always the case by any stretch. Only at peak times is this a near certainty. At other times there a fair chance you will have two seats.

On the Peterborough-Horsham services, you can often have the rearmost First Class section almost to yourself if you board southbound at St Pancras - at almost any time of day. The Bedford-Gatwick Airport / Three Bridges / Brighton services and the odd Cambridge service tend to be busier.
 

gazthomas

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2011
Messages
3,039
Location
St. Albans
Before I book just wondered what you got for the extra few £'s? Presumably just a bigger seat - but wondered if there's any free on-board catering or a first class lounge we can use? Cheers!
I thought it was April Fools Day for a moment :rolleyes:
 

radamfi

Established Member
Joined
29 Oct 2009
Messages
9,267
Not always the case by any stretch. Only at peak times is this a near certainty. At other times there a fair chance you will have two seats.

The whole post was intended to be about peak times but there were two sentences that didn't have the word "peak" in it.
 

Howardh

Established Member
Joined
17 May 2011
Messages
8,120
As it will likely be a 12 car 700, and with plenty of people alighting at St Pancras, if the declassified section doesn't have room there will be plenty of room elsewhere on the train, and you can expect more people to get off between St Pancras and London Bridge, whereby you could move into 'first class'.
Early afternoon, expecting plenty of seats to be available.
 

paddington

Member
Joined
19 Feb 2013
Messages
964
Unless the station building is at one end of the platform, to me first class just means a rather longer walk
 

mmh

Established Member
Joined
13 Aug 2016
Messages
3,744
Ah, didn't know it was declassed! I suppose with contactless you can't determine who has a first-class ticket anyway?

With contactless nobody has a first class ticket. Oyster and contactless bank card can only charge a standard class fare.

Don't bother with paying for first class, wait at the rear of the platform and sit in first if there are seats. You'll be unimpressed though wherever you sit, so it's not worth spending any special effort over. If you pay for first class you'll be annoyed rather than just unimpressed!
 

yorkie

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
6 Jun 2005
Messages
67,429
Location
Yorkshire
Definitely not worth it as others have said.

The PAYG fare is only £8.50 (standard only on PAYG), while a paper single is £9.70 Saturdays/Sundays/Bank Holidays or £12.10 at any time on weekdays.

In contrast, the 1st class fare is £19.40, for exactly the same seating and ambience.

If you pay for first class you'll be annoyed rather than just unimpressed!
Indeed, you would feel utterly ripped off.
 

Skimpot flyer

Established Member
Joined
16 Nov 2012
Messages
1,610
Gatwick Express were not running any trains today, due to engineering works. On past occasions, they have been diverted to run from/to London Bridge, but not today. So you would expect the 4tph Thameslink services from LBG to be much busier than usual... which the one I was on certainly was. However, having walked my way back, through six coaches, I still got a pair of seats to myself in the declassified 1st class section!
Other than commuters and the regulars on here, it does seem that occasional rail travellers don’t know they can sit there, on a Standard ticket
 

Hadders

Veteran Member
Associate Staff
Senior Fares Advisor
Joined
27 Apr 2011
Messages
12,978
On the GN side declassified 1st is full in the peaks - standing room only to/from from Stevenage in the peaks.

Weekday Off Peak, plenty of room.
Weekends filling up fast, although part of me thinks that this is just people sitting there for the hell of it rather than being 'in the know'.
 

Haywain

Veteran Member
Joined
3 Feb 2013
Messages
14,867
On the GN side declassified 1st is full in the peaks - standing room only to/from from Stevenage in the peaks.
On the MML side the declassified area often has more standees in it in the evening peak than the adjacent standard class area, even when there are free standard class seats.
 

JonathanH

Veteran Member
Joined
29 May 2011
Messages
18,530
Other than commuters and the regulars on here, it does seem that occasional rail travellers don’t know they can sit there, on a Standard ticket

It might just be that they aren't bothered. I am aware that the rear compartment on a 700 is declassified. It doesn't mean that I always go and sit in it, even if I expect it to be empty.
 

Surreytraveller

On Moderation
Joined
21 Oct 2009
Messages
2,810
Gatwick Express were not running any trains today, due to engineering works. On past occasions, they have been diverted to run from/to London Bridge, but not today. So you would expect the 4tph Thameslink services from LBG to be much busier than usual... which the one I was on certainly was. However, having walked my way back, through six coaches, I still got a pair of seats to myself in the declassified 1st class section!
Other than commuters and the regulars on here, it does seem that occasional rail travellers don’t know they can sit there, on a Standard ticket
Don't think Gatwick Express has ever been diverted to London Bridge. They have used the Gatwick Express 387s on Southern services which have been diverted to London Bridge, though!
 

Bletchleyite

Veteran Member
Joined
20 Oct 2014
Messages
97,529
Location
"Marston Vale mafia"
It might just be that they aren't bothered. I am aware that the rear compartment on a 700 is declassified. It doesn't mean that I always go and sit in it, even if I expect it to be empty.

I prefer the Standard seats, the First ones are quite oddly contoured and push me against the wall.
 

WesternLancer

Established Member
Joined
12 Apr 2019
Messages
6,996
In fairness there are decent tables for 4 which I have used for having a picnic on way south of london, in the declassified section. Std class on these trains is so poor it makes the mediocre 1st area look good!
 

Hadders

Veteran Member
Associate Staff
Senior Fares Advisor
Joined
27 Apr 2011
Messages
12,978
In fairness there are decent tables for 4 which I have used for having a picnic on way south of london, in the declassified section. Std class on these trains is so poor it makes the mediocre 1st area look good!

1st class isn't declassified on Gatwick Express services. Are you getting confused with the 700s?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top