Embarrassing- but I don't get trains!
Replies: 23 - Last Post: Nov 23, 2012 2:15 PM Last Post By: PoppyG
jump to
15
There are all sorts of spoken of scenarios, regarding reserved seats.What *14 - PoppyG states is quite common.
Incidentally, if someone sits in a reserved seat and it's not there's, the train staff won't enforce anything.
They'll probably come and ask the person to move, but if they don't, that's as far as the staff will go with it.
I'm not sure how it works if the person has paid for the reservation, however.
It might result in more action being taken - quite what though, I don't know.
19
Seats may be reserved for only part of the journey. The train is going from A to F, stopping at B, C, D and E on the way. You are getting on at D and off at F, and have a reservation for that section. If nobody has reserved that seat from A to D, yes, it might be empty until you get on at D. You can see on the seat (sometimes a paper tag, sometimes in an electronic screen thingy above the seat) "this seat reserved from D to F". If I get on at A, I can sit there comfortably until the train reaches D, when you - who reserved it from D onwards - get on, and since I am in your seat you will ask me to move. Being the kind and generous person I am, I will of course get up for you.20
what I didn't think was fair about the reserved seats - was most of them remain empty for a long time. They could have been taken by someone, perhaps that person might have got off before the person who reserved them got on. I thought it was a very strange system.
Usually the reserved tag says what stations they're reserved between- you need to read the tag to see. So say you get on a train at Paddington and there's a ticket that says reserved from Reading to Bristol, you can sit in that seat until the train gets to Reading, no problem. If the tag says reserved Paddington to Bristol and after the train departs no one is sitting in it, you can safely assume the person who reserved the seat is a no show or has sat elsewhere, so you can sit there.
21
Thanks everyone so much for your help. I booked through the eastcoast site, and it seems our seats are together for 2 of the legs but not the first. It sounds though like that will not be a problem. Was using thetrainline based on lonely planet's notes here: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/england/transport/getting-around#80051I'm thankful for you all being much easier to understand. England/Scotland here we come!
23
stokey @ #20 - did read the tag - definitely not marked as such on all trains we were on.Pedro - we ended up getting 2 trains from York to London
