Reserved Seat Question

[beeza1]

Someone boards a train with a seat reservation, and for whatever reason they don't like the one on the reservation, they then go and occupy another seat, a couple of hours into the journey this seat now becomes "reserved", (I'm talking XC here), does the pax have a right to "reclaim" the reserved seat they vacated a couple of hours earlier?
I actually saw this scenario last weekend, but didn't see the outcome as I had left the train before the "new" pax boarded.

 

[sheff1]

Views differ.

My view is that if someone has reserved a seat from, say, Derby to Edinburgh then they are entitled to use of that seat for the whole time the train is travelling between Derby and Edinburgh. If I boarded at Sheffield and sat in such a seat, because it was apparently unoccupied, I would move if the reservation holder appeared somewhere further north.

Back when restaurant cars were the norm on InterCity trains, it was common for people to vacant a reserved seat for some time whilst they had a meal and return when finished. I have done this often.

 

[Bletchleyite]

This could do with a rule on it really. DB's rule is that there's a time limit after which it becomes available. Like with most things about reservations (like whether they apply when unmarked) there needs to be a clear, single, national, well-publicised and displayed rule on what happens - it barely matters what the rule is, it just matters that everyone sings from the same hymn sheet.

FWIW, I'd say *morally* in this instance no. If I sat somewhere else I would not attempt to reclaim a reservation.

OTOH if in summer I went to the buffet car I would ask someone to move sitting in my reserved seat. In winter I put my coat on it.

 

[sheff1]

This could do with a rule on it really. DB's rule is that there's a time limit after which it becomes available.

I have seen mention of this DB rule before but on DB, where there still are restaurant (bistro) cars on many services, I have on a number of occasions gone down for a beer and cooked meal on a long journey and then returned to reclaim my reserved seat and no-one has ever quoted this rule as a basis for disallowing the reclaim.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I have seen mention of this DB rule before but on DB, where there still are restaurant (bistro) cars on many services, I have on a number of occasions gone down for a beer and cooked meal on a long journey and then returned to reclaim my reserved seat and no-one has ever quoted this rule as a basis for disallowing the reclaim.

Possibly just because people are reasonable. I think you're meant to leave an item of clothing or similar on it.

 

[Spartacus]

I believe the rule is that if you've not claimed your reserved seat within a reasonable time it then becomes free. I guess 'reasonable' has to be used because you might have to board on part of a train that isn't platformed then have to walk through what may be a very congested train, which might take quite a while with luggage. In general though I think a the rule of thumb is to have it by the next station on express services. If you chose to abandon your reserved seat (rather than leave it to visit the buffet or loo), it's just that, abandoned, you can't sit in one place but expect to have your reservation 'just in case', turfing someone out who would reasonably expect it to be free.

 

[IanD]

I believe the rule is that if you've not claimed your reserved seat within a reasonable time it then becomes free. I guess 'reasonable' has to be used because you might have to board on part of a train that isn't platformed then have to walk through what may be a very congested train, which might take quite a while with luggage. In general though I think a the rule of thumb is to have it by the next station on express services. If you chose to abandon your reserved seat (rather than leave it to visit the buffet or loo), it's just that, abandoned, you can't sit in one place but expect to have your reservation 'just in case', turfing someone out who would reasonably expect it to be free.

As has been stated many times on this forum, no such rule applies.

If you can point us to some sort official source for your rule, please do as it would stop a lot of arguments on this subject.

 

[Joe Paxton]

...
FWIW, I'd say *morally* in this instance no. If I sat somewhere else I would not attempt to reclaim a reservation.
...

I agree.

 

[Spartacus]

Sorry for not reading every thread.....

 

[IanD]

Sorry for not reading every thread.....

Sorry you feel it's okay to make rules up.

 

[PeterC]

As has been stated many times on this forum, no such rule applies.

If you can point us to some sort official source for your rule, please do as it would stop a lot of arguments on this subject.

Following which post is responding to which are we talking about NR or DB at this point?

 

[IanD]

Following which post is responding to which are we talking about NR or DB at this point?

The post I quoted in my response.

 

[Spartacus]

Sorry you feel it's okay to make rules up.

Not making up, saying what I've been told previously be a member of train crew, who must be committing the most grievous offence with his colleagues by removing 'expired' reservations which haven't been taken up before their trains have left their penultimate station. Lynch me if you want for that. God, you'd have thought saying "I believe" might say something. If I was making it up I'd say the guard was entitled to shoot anyone sat in the wrong seat! Fair enough?