Sleeper trains: Individual sleeping pods or sharing a cabin with a stranger. Which is more preferable?

[Techniquest]

Something something "police advice" was what CS said when I asked them a while ago. However my guess is they fill the trains up anyway so there's no incentive to allow sharing. Perhaps also some solo travelers who would have otherwise shared opt for single rooms.

mods note - split from this thread

I wouldn't want to share with someone, and I suspect a lot of people are the same. It may well be much more expensive these days to use the sleeper, but the end of bargain berths is one thing I'm glad has happened. Sharing with a stranger, no thank you, ugh what a horrible and ancient idea!

I still haven't got my trip to the Highlands booked yet, still very much on the cards but waiting for the boss to not be busy so I can get time off work booked!

 

[lachlan]

I wouldn't want to share with someone, and I suspect a lot of people are the same. It may well be much more expensive these days to use the sleeper, but the end of bargain berths is one thing I'm glad has happened. Sharing with a stranger, no thank you, ugh what a horrible and ancient idea!

I still haven't got my trip to the Highlands booked yet, still very much on the cards but waiting for the boss to not be busy so I can get time off work booked!

Have you never stayed in a hostel? I do often when travelling and never had any issues barring the occasional noisy people.

My inclination is that the Aberdeen portion should be dropped entirely and the Highlander be two half-trains, one to FW and one to Inverness (maybe even considering a FW-Oban split at Crianlarich, though a connection to Oban may be easier). This is a curious reversal of fortunes from years ago, but I guess the oil workers will prefer low cost airlines. However I'd agree it's a bit political and awkward.

Aberdeen is a much shorter journey from Edinburgh than the others, and so a planned express connection could be offered from the Lowlander at Edinburgh and still arrive by around 0900-1000.

I'd probably stop using the sleeper in that case. I'm already travelling from Bristol to London to catch it and having a connection at the other end, even if included in the ticket cost which I very much doubt it would be, would make it too faffy. I could perhaps get on board with cancelling the sleeper if we made daytime trains a lot faster. HS2 will make it a bit quicker but it's still going to be a long journey.

Last time I made the journey I saw quite a few folks getting off at Aberdeen and on the way back the seated coach was fairly full even with the Aberdeen-Dundee leg running by bus.

 

[Techniquest]

I have done too many hostels to remember, back when I didn't care too much. Thankfully that's now way back in the past, my last hostel being in Budapest (and it was a fairly nice one at that) in September 2019. I had more grotty ones in Sydney in March 2019, and my world travels since then have also put a stop to Airbnb stays. My minimum standard is now Premier Inn, anything less than that except in a dire emergency is not acceptable!

 

[BRX]

I wouldn't want to share with someone, and I suspect a lot of people are the same. It may well be much more expensive these days to use the sleeper, but the end of bargain berths is one thing I'm glad has happened. Sharing with a stranger, no thank you, ugh what a horrible and ancient idea!

No-one was ever forced to share with a stranger. You always had a perfectly free choice: share with a stranger and pay less, or have your own cabin and pay more. What's changed is that the former option has been taken away.

 

[bleeder4]

I wouldn't want to share with someone, and I suspect a lot of people are the same. It may well be much more expensive these days to use the sleeper, but the end of bargain berths is one thing I'm glad has happened. Sharing with a stranger, no thank you, ugh what a horrible and ancient idea!

I still haven't got my trip to the Highlands booked yet, still very much on the cards but waiting for the boss to not be busy so I can get time off work booked!

This phobia of sharing is a British cultural thing. Get a sleeper train on the continent and you'll find that strangers sharing cabins is quite common.

 

[Bletchleyite]

This phobia of sharing is a British cultural thing. Get a sleeper train on the continent and you'll find that strangers sharing cabins is quite common.

To be fair, the UK cabins are VERY intimate. Sharing is more tolerable in a large Continental style 6-er couchette which is more like a youth hostel. Indeed, the norm is you don't undress.

I doubt many people are willing to share a T3 (which is more like a UK cabin albeit higher). I wouldn't.

The real shame is that the pods failed, these were intended for this market.

 

[trebor79]

To be fair, the UK cabins are VERY intimate. Sharing is more tolerable in a large Continental style 6-er couchette which is more like a youth hostel. Indeed, the norm is you don't undress.

I doubt many people are willing to share a T3 (which is more like a UK cabin albeit higher). I wouldn't.

The real shame is that the pods failed, these were intended for this market.

I never minded sharing. The only time I've felt uncomfortable sharing a sleeper cabin was in Morocco when there was just me and a newly married couple (it was their wedding day and they were off on their honeymoon) in a couchette...

 

[Trainbike46]

To be fair, the UK cabins are VERY intimate. Sharing is more tolerable in a large Continental style 6-er couchette which is more like a youth hostel. Indeed, the norm is you don't undress.

I doubt many people are willing to share a T3 (which is more like a UK cabin albeit higher). I wouldn't.

The real shame is that the pods failed, these were intended for this market.

What do you mean with the pods failed?

are you referring to the single berth couchette pods that OEBB nighjet has in their new rolling stock?

or was there a UK trial of couchette pods as well? if so, why did it fail?

 

[Bletchleyite]

What do you mean with the pods failed?

are you referring to the single berth couchette pods that OEBB nighjet has in their new rolling stock?

or was there a UK trial of couchette pods as well? if so, why did it fail?

Caledonian Sleeper were going to have "pod flatbeds" on the Mk5s but had to abandon them due to safety reasons, I believe it was because of the risks posed by travelling head first lying flat in a collision. They were never built.

 

[paul1609]

What do you mean with the pods failed?

are you referring to the single berth couchette pods that OEBB nighjet has in their new rolling stock?

or was there a UK trial of couchette pods as well? if so, why did it fail?

If its the same sort of pods that are used on the Northlink Ferry to Shetland they are awful. I preferred to sleep on a bench seat in the bar!

 

[Bletchleyite]

If its the same sort of pods that are used on the Northlink Ferry to Shetland they are awful. I preferred to sleep on a bench seat in the bar!

I believe they were, yes.

 

[lachlan]

If its the same sort of pods that are used on the Northlink Ferry to Shetland they are awful. I preferred to sleep on a bench seat in the bar!

Do they allow you to lie flat?

 

[paul1609]

Do they allow you to lie flat?

No they only recline to 70 degrees. Avoid like the plague. If you can't get/ afford a cabin, fly!

 

[Techniquest]

This phobia of sharing is a British cultural thing. Get a sleeper train on the continent and you'll find that strangers sharing cabins is quite common.

More reason not to travel on a Euro sleeper then! Yes I can be a bit of a snob I'm afraid!

 

[Bletchleyite]

More reason not to travel on a Euro sleeper then! Yes I can be a bit of a snob I'm afraid!

If you book a T1 you can have it to yourself. (Generally there's one type of sleeping coach, with 3 bunks, but they fold up two for a T1 and one for a T2). It costs more of course.

Couchettes are generally shared, though sometimes you're lucky.

And OeBB are going to do those Japanese like capsule things soonish.

 

[Trainbike46]

More reason not to travel on a Euro sleeper then! Yes I can be a bit of a snob I'm afraid!

If you book a T1 you can have it to yourself. (Generally there's one type of sleeping coach, with 3 bunks, but they fold up two for a T1 and one for a T2). It costs more of course.

Couchettes are generally shared, though sometimes you're lucky.

And OeBB are going to do those Japanese like capsule things soonish.

and alternatively, you have the option of booking a whole couchette for yourself too (though if travelling by yourself a sleeper may be a better option!)

 

[Facing Back]

And OeBB are going to do those Japanese like capsule things soonish.

The capsules will be flat and horizontal I assume?

 

[Trainbike46]

The capsules will be flat and horizontal I assume?

yes

seat61 did a review of them on his twitter I think, but the capsules are fully lay flat, lockable and individual

 

[Facing Back]

yes

seat61 did a review of them on his twitter I think, but the capsules are fully lay flat, lockable and individual

Cheers. I'll have a look at that

 

[Trainbike46]

Turns out it was Youtube!

 

[Facing Back]

Turns out it was Youtube!

Cheers. They look great.

I see they have no problem with having beds lengthways - which I read that we don't allow in the UK? The pods look fine to schlep around for a bit of fun the the compartments with the toilet/shower perfect if you need to go straight to work.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Cheers. They look great.

I see they have no problem with having beds lengthways - which I read that we don't allow in the UK? The pods look fine to schlep around for a bit of fun the the compartments with the toilet/shower perfect if you need to go straight to work.

The issue in the UK was the reversal, though the safety regs are often looser out there. They are fine with feet in the direction of travel.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Queensland Rail have lie flat ‘beds’ on the Spirit of Queensland, and DB used to have longitudinal couchette beds in their Talgo sleepers, which were great

 

[Brubulus]

What about having the pods perpendicular to the direction of travel? Maybe even have them double deck so that they can fit a similar number of people to a regular first class coach .

 

[JohnMcL7]

I only ever travelled on my own on the sleeper and can't imagine sharing with someone as it was such a compact space on the mk3's. I wouldn't mind something like the seated coach but with some way to lie down instead and was hoping there would be something between the seat option and berth option on the mk5's as I didn't get any sleep on the seats and the cabins are far too expensive to justify for what isn't a very comfortable night.

 

[Iskra]

What about having the pods perpendicular to the direction of travel? Maybe even have them double deck so that they can fit a similar number of people to a regular first class coach .

Or pods that spin around to face the direction of travel? But I suppose waking everyone up to do that would be impractical…

 

[Mikey C]

Outside of Europe I've been on several longitudinal sleepers. Off the top of my head, in Canada, India and Malaysia. Indeed the Malaysia/Thailand arrangement makes it good value, as it's an open saloon with bunks on either side of the gangway and a curtain which gives a surprising amount of privacy. Also good for looking out of the window .

Photo from Malaysian Railways KTMB

 

[Speed43125]

The issue in the UK was the reversal, though the safety regs are often looser out there. They are fine with feet in the direction of travel.

So are we! Its head in the direction of travel that's an issue here!

 

[30907]

The issue in the UK was the reversal, though the safety regs are often looser out there. They are fine with feet in the direction of travel.

Was it not that the pods would not have been actual flat beds, but heavily reclined, something like the SNCF Cabine 8?

 

[Brubulus]

Outside of Europe I've been on several longitudinal sleepers. Off the top of my head, in Canada, India and Malaysia. Indeed the Malaysia/Thailand arrangement makes it good value, as it's an open saloon with bunks on either side of the gangway and a curtain which gives a surprising amount of privacy. Also good for looking out of the window .

Photo from Malaysian Railways KTMB

View attachment 127960

You could fit 6 people if done with corridor on single side and perpendicular. Looking out of the window would be harder but definetly denser so more efficent. Longitudinal beds are fine from a safety perspective, just have people sleep feet in direction of travel.