Transport for Wales Seat Reservations

[Deroro]

I have just purchased online two advance tickets for a Transport for Wales train from Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff Central on Friday, 8 November. Despite trying, I was unable to reserve seats and the message was to sit in any free seats. I am a little peeved as I am retired staff and could have saved £9 by buying a priv ticket on the day. But we are an elderly couple and wish to ensure we are sitting together for the over three hour journey.

Will seats become available to be reserved nearer the date of travel or are they non-reservable on this service? I live outside the UK and will fly into Manchester Airport on 7 November. Could the ticket office staff there reserve seats for me? Or will we have to queue at the Piccadilly platform entrance in plenty of time to ensure we are one of the first on the train? At least the train starts at Piccadilly.

Many thanks for your assistance.

 

[yorkie]

You can't get seat reservations on TfW with Advance tickets.

(And the last time I used TfW there were no reservations anyway!)

 

[krus_aragon]

You can't get seat reservations on TfW with Advance tickets.

(And the last time I used TfW there were no reservations anyway!)

Do you mean that TfW don't issue reservations automatically with Advance tickets, or that they will refuse to give you a reservation when you ask for one, if you hold an Advance ticket?

I knew the former, but the latter would be news to me. (Admittedly, it's been yonks since I requested a seat reservation from them, or their predecessor.) I thought it was still possible to get a seat reservation added at a ticket office or via telesales.

In the worst case, there's always this option:

Assisted travel booking service
This service enables older and disabled customers to reserve a seat or wheelchair space on trains, to book assistance, for instance getting on or off trains, in advance and to buy tickets. Please book using the following contact methods:
•Website - We have introduced the option to request your assistance as part of your transaction, via the TfW website saving you from needing to make a separate
telephone call.
•Telephone - Please see our Contact Details page at the end of this document for more information.

The phone number for assisted travel being: 033 300 50 501

 

[Deroro]

Thank you both for your help. I have e-mailed Customer Relations at TFW as it is cheaper than a phone call from overseas. Although as their automated reply states ''We do aim to respond to our customers within 10 working days, though this may extend to 20 working days currently'', I may eventually end up phoning them.

 

[krus_aragon]

Thank you both for your help. I have e-mailed Customer Relations at TFW as it is cheaper than a phone call from overseas. Although as their automated reply states ''We do aim to respond to our customers within 10 working days, though this may extend to 20 working days currently'', I may eventually end up phoning them.

My very recent experience is that I got a response after three weeks. You may wish to reach for the phone.

Alternatively, any staffed ticket office (TfW or otherwise) should be able to issue reservations for you.

 

[yorkie]

I'm unsure of the official policy but I understand someone who has used Hereford station said that the staff there will refuse to issue a reservation to a holder of an Advance ticket.

 

[VT 390]

When I made a journey on an Advanced ticket the other week I managed to get reservations easily by emailing them, they took about a week to respond.

 

[Deroro]

I am just back from my travels and giving a report on what happened. I sent an e-mail to Transport for Wales requesting two seat reservations. I received an automated reply stating they were very busy and it could take up three weeks to respond. When three weeks passed, with no word from TfW, I set up a Twitter account specifically to contact them. Within five minutes of sending a tweet, I received a reply stating it ''would not be long now''. The next day, I received an e-mail with the seat reservations.

When we boarded the train at Manchester Piccadilly, there were no reservation labels affixed to any seats. As this was the originating station, our reserved seats were unoccupied. During the course of the journey, a passenger opposite enquired of the ticket checker why, when he had booked online, he did not automatically get a seat reservation. The ticket checker replied that she did not know. The passenger then asked what would happen if someone boarded the train at a later station with a reservation for the seat in which he was sitting. Would he have to vacate his seat? The ticket checker replied that all seat reservations were cancelled for that journey.

The previous day, Thursday, we had travelled from Manchester Airport to Doncaster, via Sheffield, by TransPennine Express. I am in my seventies, and can not remember ever having seen rain as heavy and prolonged as fell throughout Thursday afternoon and evening. Our train back to Manchester on Friday morning was cancelled. However, we were able to travel on a LNER train to York and thence to Machester on TPE via Leeds. All the rail staff I encountered, in the ticket office in Doncaster and on board the two trains, were helpful and pleasant. The reason we travelled to Cardiff via Manchester was because there was a nearly 60% fare increase via Birmingham since we made that journey in November 2018.

 

[williamn]

Just tried to reserve seats Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and return on advance tickets and was told it was impossible by London Charing Cross. Why do TfW sell advance tickets without seat reservations on a train on which reservations are available?!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Just tried to reserve seats Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and return on advance tickets and was told it was impossible by London Charing Cross. Why do TfW sell advance tickets without seat reservations on a train on which reservations are available?!

They effectively see it as a chargeable extra service paid-for by buying a more expensive walk-up. Yes, it's ludicrous, either have reservations first come first served or bin them off entirely.

 

[williamn]

I just tweeted them and they replied instantly saying it was possible and asking me to DM them, so lets see.

 

[williamn]

Already all sorted - I'm impressed!

 

[krus_aragon]

Just tried to reserve seats Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and return on advance tickets and was told it was impossible by London Charing Cross. Why do TfW sell advance tickets without seat reservations on a train on which reservations are available?!

I'd put that down to:

• Reservations aren't automatically issued with advances for TfW trains any more (for good reason, relating to short trains and people not sitting in their reserved seats)
• Ticket offices see that no reservation is automatically made, but are unfamiliar with TfW (originally Arriva)'s reason for doing this
  
• The staff interpret this incorrectly as meaning no reservations at all should be issued