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Virgin Glasgow to London

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I have booked my tickets from Glasgow to London Euston, i did request forward facing but looking at the seating plan i am very doubtful.

I am in Coach J14a. I see it say service point, can anyone help and tell me firstly if service point has a table? and if it is forward facing?

Thanks

sharon.
 
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sprinterguy

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The service point is a cupboard and shelf unit used to replenish the catering trolley, which is located directly behind your seat. Seat J14 is an "airline" seat, so has a small table about large enough to fit a laptop on.

Whether the seat is facing forward or not will depend which way round the train is formed. I haven't been able to work out whether Virgins' Pendolinos are meant to have first class accomodation at the London end or not. If it is at the London end (The front of the train when leaving Glasgow of course) then your seat will be forward facing.
 

ukrob

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First class is at the London end 99% of the time.
 

Failed Unit

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meaning i will be forward facing?

I get terrible motion sickness so panicing a little lol.

Should be, but don't dispear first class is virtually empty on this route. If it happens to be backwards facing speak to the train manager, I am sure the will let you sit in the dozens of free forward facing seats.
 

jopsuk

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Surely you hope you CAN change? But anyway- it's quite simple, if you;'ve got the same seat booked for both journeys, then unless something very odd happens, you'll be facing forwards one way and backwards the other- the trains don't (normally) turn around on this route and Virgin aim to have 1st class at the London end (as do First Great Western, East Coast and Greater Anglia long distance services).
 

Failed Unit

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I have never travel on a Glasgow - London (or vice versa) service which has even been 1/3 full in first class - you will be fine. I once had a whole coach to myself on the 1630 London - Glasgow!
 
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haha typo error!!

Yes hope I can change lol.

It would be less stressful if travelling with my hubby but going myself, i can only hope x
 

jaigee

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I have travelled on off peak Virgin Pendolino First Class now every week for years and have never sat in my designated seat yet, and have never been asked to by the train manager.

Here is the latest Pendolino seating plan to include the 11 coachers, together with the Voyager plan.

View attachment seating-plan[1].pdf
 
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I have travelled on off peak Virgin Pendolino First Class now every week for years and have never sat in my designated seat yet, and have never been asked to by the train manager.

Here is the latest Pendolino seating plan to include the 11 coachers, together with the Voyager plan.

View attachment 11212

yeah i downloaded the seating plan, but i havent travelled on virgin before so wasnt sure which way seats were lol, and if the first class coaches go first or last.
 

WCMLaddict

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The morning trains to London do sometimes get busy at Preston, Wigan and Warrington even in First Class. Rarely but they do.
You will have no problem finding available forward facing seat on a train out of London.
 
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my train leaves glasgow 9.40am, friday monring and leaves london euston 17.40 on the sunday night.

Do you just get tea and coffee at weekends? I will be sure to pick up some sandwiches for my journey home.
 

calc7

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I am always amazed by the number of people are adamant that they want to or have to sit in their booked seat on empty(ish) services (This is in no way a dig at the OP!)

Though it doesn't help that Virgin and EastCoast have a habit of bunching people together at the end of one carriage. :)
 
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I am always amazed by the number of people are adamant that they want to or have to sit in their booked seat on empty(ish) services (This is in no way a dig at the OP!)

Though it doesn't help that Virgin and EastCoast have a habit of bunching people together at the end of one carriage. :)

to be honest i dont use trains lol, its very obvious. I just assumed i wouldnt beable to change, i was panicing that much i phoned virgin who were rubbish!! I am more relazed knowing there's a good chance i can change my seat :)
 

calc7

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to be honest i dont use trains lol, its very obvious. I just assumed i wouldnt beable to change, i was panicing that much i phoned virgin who were rubbish!! I am more relazed knowing there's a good chance i can change my seat :)

Understandable :)
Officially your Advance ticket is only valid for the seat given, but in practice, this is very, very rarely the case (I have travelled on hundreds of Advance tickets "in the wrong seat" and never had a comment made).

PS - enjoy your trip. Sounds like a journey I would really enjoy. :)
 

Failed Unit

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Understandable :)
Officially your Advance ticket is only valid for the seat given, but in practice, this is very, very rarely the case (I have travelled on hundreds of Advance tickets "in the wrong seat" and never had a comment made).

PS - enjoy your trip. Sounds like a journey I would really enjoy. :)

They don't enforce it (except on print at home tickets) I guess now on east coast with the ability to select seats this isn't a big issue.

I can see why the TOC would want to enforce booked seat only. I am have changed an AP ticket. They issue an excess and a new reservation. I no longer need to send back my old reservation and ticket. I could still use my old train and sit in a different seat. The gaurd who have no reason to suspect I have done this but if I must be in my booked seat alarm bells would ring as it maybe rebooked (or at least have no reservation)
 

jopsuk

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The only time it makes sense to enforce "booked seat" is when a train is nearly (but not quite) fully reserved- else you get someone letting an unreserved passenger sit in their seat early (before the train fills up), and they then sit in someone else's, and so on, until someone with a reservation finds all the seats are taken.
 

RJ

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Should be, but don't dispear first class is virtually empty on this route. If it happens to be backwards facing speak to the train manager, I am sure the will let you sit in the dozens of free forward facing seats.

Which services have you been using :|. Certainly not the case on weekends.
 

telstarbox

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Sharon - if your tickets say "Advance" on them then double-check you board the correct train at each end, as these tickets are invalid on any other service and you will be made to buy a full fare ticket if you travel on the wrong train.
 

Failed Unit

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Which services have you been using :|. Certainly not the case on weekends.

Never use them at weekends, but various times in the week. I did a count on the 1630 London - Glasgow one Friday, 5 people in 1st after Preston (about 50 before)
 
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Sharon - if your tickets say "Advance" on them then double-check you board the correct train at each end, as these tickets are invalid on any other service and you will be made to buy a full fare ticket if you travel on the wrong train.

i never really checked the tickets, its the 9.40am train to london and 5.40pm back on the sunday. I hope i get on correct train or end up in Wales lol.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
i just hope on my train journey theres plenty of forward facing ones! haha
 

AlterEgo

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my train leaves glasgow 9.40am, friday monring and leaves london euston 17.40 on the sunday night.

Do you just get tea and coffee at weekends? I will be sure to pick up some sandwiches for my journey home.

The 1740 is quite often very busy on a Sunday, but it does vary.

If you want to alter your seat reservation, call Virgin on 0845 000 8000 (Option 5) and they'll happily do it, although they won't guarantee direction of travel as some trains can run in reverse formation at short notice.
 
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The 1740 is quite often very busy on a Sunday, but it does vary.

If you want to alter your seat reservation, call Virgin on 0845 000 8000 (Option 5) and they'll happily do it, although they won't guarantee direction of travel as some trains can run in reverse formation at short notice.


havent a clue where to start on requesting to move to another seat!!
Dont know how they run or which order the coaches run.
 

krisk

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Should be, but don't dispear first class is virtually empty on this route. If it happens to be backwards facing speak to the train manager, I am sure the will let you sit in the dozens of free forward facing seats.

On a southbound train seat J14 is a single seat facing forward with a table and power socket.

If you want to move the top two thirds of H and G are usually unreserved or the Traveller Club seats in J are rarely taken.

Just bear in mind with food service it is normally offered K, J, H then G.
 

calc7

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Just bear in mind with food service it is normally offered K, J, H then G.

Until they mix it up and take the trolley straight through to the far end of G and serve 'on the way back'. <D
 

MidnightFlyer

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I have known even First to be full totally (as in not one spare seat) on weekends, usually southbound on Saturdays (northbound can be very quiet) and northbound on Sundays. One train I was on once off Euston had senior management on the platform (on a Sunday) sorting the boarding out!
 
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On a southbound train seat J14 is a single seat facing forward with a table and power socket.

If you want to move the top two thirds of H and G are usually unreserved or the Traveller Club seats in J are rarely taken.

Just bear in mind with food service it is normally offered K, J, H then G.

Great thanks for that, same seat on the way home to plenty of travel sickness tablets lol
 
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