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Advance tickets and compulsory reservations

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jj1314

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Hi all.

I often travel between LEI and STP and, now I'm a student again, enjoy the bargain 'Advance' fares when I can. As we all know, each ticket is valid only on specific services (or in this instance, a particular train) and when booking, a reservation is issued.

Is it the case that I MUST sit in this reserved seat?

I'm fairly sure it was the case until fairly recently but not sure if it still is.

Please advise!
 
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bb21

bb21

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Yes, it is, but very rarely enforced as long as you are on the correct train.
 
Llanigraham

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I had a reserved seat on a train last Thursday, seat 21, coach F.
Trouble was there were only 4 coaches, and 6 is VERY rare!!
 
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Wild Swan

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cool110 said:
Officially yes, but the rule is almost never enforced
Click to expand...

Can someone point to where this is laid down, please? My understanding is that Advance ticket holders must travel on the designated train, but are not compelled to use their reserved seat. When travelling on East Coast with an Advance ticket, I very rarely travel in my reserved seat and have never ever been challenged. Any unclaimed reserved seat is, of course, up for grabs by other passengers.
 
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swt_passenger

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Wild Swan said:
Can someone point to where this is laid down, please?
Click to expand...

The 'Advance fare' T&C on the National Rail website requires you to use the reserved seat:

When and where the ticket can be used
Tickets are valid ONLY on the date and train service(s) shown on the ticket(s).
Where applicable, you must travel in the Class and reserved seat(s) shown on the ticket(s).
Tickets may only be used on the services of the Train Company (or geographic route where applicable) shown next to ‘Route’ on the ticket.
etc etc...

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46546.aspx
Click to expand...

I can make no comment on who does or doesn't enforce it, but it's there in fairly plain language.
 
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F

First class

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Llanigraham said:
I had a reserved seat on a train last Thursday, seat 21, coach F.
Trouble was there were only 4 coaches, and 6 is VERY rare!!
Click to expand...

If it's an ATW service, which I imagine it was, that would be correct.

ATW 4 car services have coaches labelled A-C-D-F, 6 car services are officially A-C-D-F-G-J
 
Llanigraham

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collector said:
If it's an ATW service, which I imagine it was, that would be correct.

ATW 4 car services have coaches labelled A-C-D-F, 6 car services are officially A-C-D-F-G-J
Click to expand...

Well I never!!
How silly!!
A bobby learns something new about trains.
 
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hairyhandedfool

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TPE do similar with their 170s, Crosscountry the same with their 170s and Voyagers, and lets not forget that some Pendolinos have a coach U (between F and G), but only 11 coaches (nine coach Pendolinos don't have coach F either).
 
CaptainHaddock

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There's also the question of etiquette and common sense, where it might turn out the seat you've reserved isn't suitable for you.

You might find yourself next to a family with screaming kids or a gang of drunken football supporters, or you might just prefer a different seat.

As an example I was on a packed East Coast train on sunday evening and just settling into my reserved seat when the person who'd reserved the seat next to me asked if I minded swapping seats with his travelling companion so that they could sit together (she also had a reserved seat but it was some distance away). I was happy to do that but I did wonder if some jobsworth train manager might insist we all sat in our reserved seats!
 
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ASharpe

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On the 1952 Kings Cross to Bradford Interchange on a Friday evening the guard will usually make a couple of announcements asking people to sit in their reserved seats.

It usually only has a handful of unreserved seats so it makes it much easier for passengers without reservations to get one.
 
DaveNewcastle

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I thought for a moment that you'd bumped into me:
CaptainHaddock said:
. . . I was on a packed East Coast train on sunday evening and just settling into my reserved seat when the person who'd reserved the seat next to me asked if I minded swapping seats with his travelling companion so that they could sit together (she also had a reserved seat but it was some distance away). I was happy to do that but I did wonder if some jobsworth train manager might insist we all sat in our reserved seats!
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I did exactly this a few days ago, and the 'other passenger' was happy to swap (but then I realised that you'd said Sunday).

But as for a 'jobsworth train manager', the guard and one of the catering crew both came and sat down for a good long chat with us, having lost their break on a quick turnaround at Kings Cross.
 
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yorksrob

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asharpe said:
On the 1952 Kings Cross to Bradford Interchange on a Friday evening the guard will usually make a couple of announcements asking people to sit in their reserved seats.

It usually only has a handful of unreserved seats so it makes it much easier for passengers without reservations to get one.
Click to expand...

Yes, I can see that.

It's more when all the reservations are crammed into one carriage, and there's an empty one next door that I tend to spread out.
 
Kite159

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Stompehh said:
Because the station marked on the seat back ticket (or electronic display) has been passed and no one is sitting there...
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Unless you are on a 390 where it just says "reserved" (or "available until X"). Paper reservations and electronic displays on XCs are better in that aspect as it tells you when it is reserved from (and to) to allow a better guess.

Agreed with reservations being pushed into one carriage, I did the Chieftain back in May, Coach C & D were rather busy, walking back to find Coach E pretty much empty.
 
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It can sometimes be helpful on busier trains to remove the label from your reserved seat to make it clear that it's available; but this isn't an option on the majority of trains between Leicester and London as they usually have electronic reservation displays.
 
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Merseysider

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ollieb said:
I am aware thankyou. However this thread isn't about other ticket types.
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Okay, how about the advance holder hasn't even got on the train at all? ;)

There's loads of reasons why seats can appear reserved when there's nobody actually using them, and unless the guard goes through after each station removing reservations where nobody's in the seat, you'll still have the problem of people not wanting to sit in them in case they just get turfed out again.
 
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