There has been a thread on this subject very recently. XC strongly encourage passengers to obtain reservations, but despite what the timetable data claims, they are not compulsory and you aren't going to be point-blank denied boarding for not having one (as LNER purport to be doing).Just what the rules regarding reservations on XC? I may need to make a short journey from Reading to Oxford tomorrow, am I really expected to reserve a seat for a 20 minute journey? Is there no option to stand?
Although of course XC have made the change in the timetable data feed to say reservations mandatory so no accredited TIS should be retailing tickets without a reservation
There has been a thread on this subject very recently. XC strongly encourage passengers to obtain reservations, but despite what the timetable data claims, they are not compulsory and you aren't going to be point-blank denied boarding for not having one (as LNER purport to be doing).
In the exceptionally unlikely event that the train were to be overcrowded, beyond its "socially distanced" capacity, you could theoretically be denied boarding if you don't have a reservation. But this is almost never going to happen between Reading and Oxford at the current time.
Standing is not favoured at the moment because it makes it harder to ensure social distancing, and there is no way to pass through the train past other standing passengers at a "safe" distance except in the vestibules.
Of course people get on with it and stand on the Underground and other services which are busy at certain times, but the fact that this doesn't seem to have caused any notable increase in infections is by-the-by for thedictatorsmanagers currently in charge of the railway.
It's the kind of reservation they want you to get. It's a counted place reservation, which means that you are not allocated a specific seat, but you have one of a limited number of reservations that can be issued for that service.Could you point me to the thread? Is it on this section of the forum? I was just looking at journeys involving XC and at Advance tickets, and found exactly this situation in that it says they strongly recommend seat reservations, and yet when I go to the next page I get coach * seat ***, which is no help at all.
You are entirely correct; it's a ludicrous situation. As a taxpayer I am appalled at the profligacy of throwing money at the TOCs only for them to tell us either to go away, or as in your case, that there "are no trains"The Cross Country reservations system really is a load of nonsense. Take tomorrow for example - there are “no fares available” for Derby-Leeds between 07:45 and 17:45 according to popular websites, despite there being an hourly direct train. This is presumably because all the Cross Country trains have reached their artificial socially-distanced capacity.
However, I am willing to bet:
Indeed, so much am I sure about this I am going to Leeds tomorrow, on Cross Country, on a train for which there are supposedly no fares available.
- The TVM at Derby station will sell a Derby-Leeds offpeak return tomorrow
- There will not be bouncers at every door of every Cross Country train enforcing the reservations-only policy, meaning anyone with a SVR will be able to board the trains
- There will be unoccupied seats on each train, even if they are not quite as socially distanced as Cross Country might want (most likely some folks with reservations won’t travel and there won’t be any issue)
- If someone boards at Derby and in the unlikely event a ticket check takes place, the worst that could happen is someone without a reservation could be turfed off at Sheffield or Wakefield and continue on with Northern
Extending this discussion slightly: how the heck will customers ever be encouraged back to the railway, when the railway booking systems seem to suggest there are no seats available on flows such as Derby - Leed?
The Cross Country reservations system really is a load of nonsense. Take tomorrow for example - there are “no fares available” for Derby-Leeds between 07:45 and 17:45 according to popular websites, despite there being an hourly direct train. This is presumably because all the Cross Country trains have reached their artificial socially-distanced capacity.
However, I am willing to bet:
Indeed, so much am I sure about this I am going to Leeds tomorrow, on Cross Country, on a train for which there are supposedly no fares available.
- The TVM at Derby station will sell a Derby-Leeds offpeak return tomorrow
- There will not be bouncers at every door of every Cross Country train enforcing the reservations-only policy, meaning anyone with a SVR will be able to board the trains
- There will be unoccupied seats on each train, even if they are not quite as socially distanced as Cross Country might want (most likely some folks with reservations won’t travel and there won’t be any issue)
- If someone boards at Derby and in the unlikely event a ticket check takes place, the worst that could happen is someone without a reservation could be turfed off at Sheffield or Wakefield and continue on with Northern
Extending this discussion slightly: how the heck will customers ever be encouraged back to the railway, when the railway booking systems seem to suggest there are no seats available on flows such as Derby - Leed?
Every on this thread is worrying about nothing far too much, the wording on XC's own site doesn't say reservations are mandatory, only encouraged.
I've done two long-ish journeys on CrossCountry without any reservations in the past few weeks and even had my ticket inspected on board on one of them, and I know someone who commutes on CrossCountry many times per week and never has a reservation.
Yes you aren't going to be refused travel but you can't buy a ticket!Every on this thread is worrying about nothing far too much, the wording on XC's own site doesn't say reservations are mandatory, only encouraged.
Their reply was to check back on the day:Looks like there could be a problem with reservation systems? @CrossCountryUK can you assist? Is the 1926 Burton to Leeds actually sold out in Standard on 06/08? what is the correct fare for this train as £63.20 seems a bit steep for what's likely to be a quiet train? Thanks
I don't think XC realise the scale of this problem, and they will continue to lose revenue as a result.Hi there, the online systems reflects bookings made, so is no more standard class availability. There may be some more tickets released on the day of travel if you wish to check back then. ^RS
I can't answer that but you can see when stops were restored or removed on http://timetablehistory.com/Do any of the mods/admins/experts on here know of any website that gives the booking office system type "error messages", eg "no inventory", "no availability" or "Closed" ??? I'm looking into exactly the issues being discussed in this thread so a friend that travel. Trains have been removed and restored or stops removed. This works fine for journey information but the National Reservation System (NRS) is not robust, if one stop is removed it can put the whole journey back to "no inventory".
You could try tweeting XC; while they may say to check back on the day, if sufficient people contact them they might look into it a bit deeper.I’ve just had a look on National Rail for the fare between Reading and Oxford and although it refused to offer me a return fare it did give me an option to purchase the Oxfordshire day rover. So I can’t make a return journey with XC, but I can sit on their trains all day between Reading and Banbury...
How is it different to what is there already?With any luck the new reservation system going into test today RARS2 will help , once it's rolled out into production systems.
@Wallsendmag Will this spell the end of TTIS or has that already been confined to the dungeons of hellI'm hoping that some of the availability problems due to seats being in different allocations will not appear due to a fundamental change in the way the templates are set up.
Not 100% sure , combination of not being close enough and having far too much on my plate@Wallsendmag Will this spell the end of TTIS or has that already been confined to the dungeons of hell
Train dep | Tue 28/07 | Wed 29/07 | Thu 30/07 | Fri 31/07 | Mon 03/08 | Tue 04/08 | Wed 05/08 | Thu 06/08 |
09:45 | No fare | No fare | No fare | £18.80 Std | £63.20 1st | £63.20 1st | £18.80 Std | No fares |
10:45 | No fare | £63.20 1st | £63.20 1st | No fare | No fare | No fare | £63.20 1st | £63.20 1st |
11:45 | No fare | No fare | £63.20 1st | No fare | £63.20 1st | £63.20 1st | £35.90 Std | £35.90 Std |
12:45 | No fare | No fare | No fare | No fare | No fare | £35.90 Std | £35.90 Std | £35.90 Std |
13:46 | No fare | No fare | No fare | No fare | No fare | No fare | £35.90 Std | £63.20 1st |
14:46 | £90.90 1st | £90.90 1st | £90.90 1st | No fare | £90.90 1st | £37.50 OP | £37.50 OP | £37.50 OP |
But if you base things on 3 standard coaches per train at say 30% capacity for social distancing thats 51 usable seats so there isn't capacity for bargains.
Train dep Tue 28/07 Wed 29/07 Thu 30/07 Fri 31/07 Mon 03/08 Tue 04/08 Wed 05/08 Thu 06/08 09:45 No fare No fare No fare £18.80 Std £63.20 1st £63.20 1st £18.80 Std No fares 10:45 No fare £63.20 1st £63.20 1st No fare No fare No fare £63.20 1st £63.20 1st 11:45 No fare No fare £63.20 1st No fare £63.20 1st £63.20 1st £35.90 Std £35.90 Std 12:45 No fare No fare No fare No fare No fare £35.90 Std £35.90 Std £35.90 Std 13:46 No fare No fare No fare No fare No fare No fare £35.90 Std £63.20 1st 14:46 £90.90 1st £90.90 1st £90.90 1st No fare £90.90 1st £37.50 OP £37.50 OP £37.50 OP
Hope no one wants to go from Derby to Leeds on a weekday for the next couple of weeks. One way journey departing Derby after 09:00. Cheapest fare offered is listed in the table (in almost all cases those quoted are Advance Std or Advance 1st, except where OP is shown).
Seriously, we all know these trains are likely to be lightly loaded. We also know that a TVM at a station is almost certainly going to sell an off peak ticket shortly before every one of these trains departs, but the average leisure consumer checking online is unlikely to know this. If this is the best Cross Country can do, there is no wonder people are not returning to the railway.
All of the trains are at least four cars, and most are doubled up to eight on this part of the network too.But if you base things on 3 standard coaches per train at say 30% capacity for social distancing thats 51 usable seats so there isn't capacity for bargains.
At least 50% capacity should be possible even with "social distancing" measures (and bear in mind there will be some groups, which can of course sit together). And, since XC still haven't deigned to bother operating anything remotely resembling a normal service, most trains are either 5 car or doubled up. So capacity is a lot higher than 51 seats.But if you base things on 3 standard coaches per train at say 30% capacity for social distancing thats 51 usable seats so there isn't capacity for bargains.
Just to note that XC have next to no autonomy here; the decisions about what they can do and how they can operate are apparently being micromanaged by government.At least 50% capacity should be possible even with "social distancing" measures. And, since XC still haven't deigned to bother operating anything remotely resembling a normal service, most trains are either 5 car or doubled up. So capacity is a lot higher than 51 seats.
I don't think anyone is demanding that they sell Advance tickets. In fact in this situation that is the opposite of what's happening: they're claiming that flexible walk-up tickets are "sold out" (which is a contradiction in terms) and yet in some cases Advance tickets are still available.