TPE seat reservation displays

[trainophile]

I boarded a Glasgow to Liverpool TPE today at Lancaster, and was looking for an unreserved seat (or preferably a pair, as nobody likes sitting next to strangers these days!). I know coach D is unreserved but as I'd boarded in C, it being the nearest door to where I was waiting on the platform, I started making my way through. Came upon an empty pair, nice window alignment, forward facing, but the display for both seats said Reserved from Glasgow Central to Liverpool Lime Street. I sat there, thinking that presumably the original reservers had found somewhere they preferred, maybe a table instead of airline or something, so I'd be safe enough. I had only booked the ticket half an hour before departure so wasn't given a seat reservation myself.

However it occurred to me that this didn't necessarily mean that one person/couple had reserved the seat all the way from GLC to LIV, so was there a possibility of someone boarding at say Preston, where the previous reservers were getting off, and claiming their seat/s? I therefore moved to the unreserved coach D and found plenty of room so all was well.

My question is, if a display says a seat is reserved for the entire length of the journey, might this mean that several different occupants have booked it for different stages? I know on Avanti it refreshes between reservations, (although that too is not very clear), but how to TPE do it?

 

[yorkie]

My understanding is that you are asking if a display that says "Reserved from Glasgow Central to Liverpool Lime Street" means the seat could be reserved for a journey from Glasgow to an intermediate stop, and from there to Liverpool?

Unless these types of trains are different to any other I've experienced, then the answer is no: the journey stated is what the seat is reserved for.

 

[alistairlees]

However it occurred to me that this didn't necessarily mean that one person/couple had reserved the seat all the way from GLC to LIV, so was there a possibility of someone boarding at say Preston, where the previous reservers were getting off, and claiming their seat/s?

No. The text on the reservation display matches the text on the ticket. Customers would get confused otherwise.

 

[trainophile]

Thanks both. So I could have remained in it without fear of being turfed out. I'll know for next time.

 

[CheshireCrusty]

I agree the display will show the origin and destination shown on the ticket.

Where there are multiple journeys booked on the same seat (say in your example Glasgow to Carlisle and then Penrith to Liverpool) on the old paper reservation system they used to list them both on the seat reserved ticket. I am not entirely sure but I think in that situation TPE would show the Glasgow to Carlisle reservation up to Carlisle and then switch to seat reserved from Penrith to Liverpool at Carlisle.