Azuma seating maps

[CTS1990]

Hello - newbie here, so apologies if this isn't the correct location for this type of discussion...

With the impending roll-out of LNER's Azumas, you may have noticed they have recently updated their website with seating plans:

https://www.lner.co.uk/globalassets/_page-structure/azuma-content/Azuma-seat-maps

Does anyone know if it's possible to establish which is to be the 'North' end and which is to be the 'London' end of the Azuma fleet? Obviously, this is far easier with Class 91s hauling northwards and pushing southwards.

I do hope LNER do not follow GWR's - seating plan is on their website, but no indication of direction. I recently traveled to Bristol and moved to another coach as I didn't like my seat!

 

[Chrism20]

The First Class should be the London end with Coach A being at the country end

 

[Bletchleyite]

Why do TOCs never show the window layout on seat maps? It wouldn't be hard to do so.

 

[Mag_seven]

Why do TOCs never show the window layout on seat maps? It wouldn't be hard to do so.

Indeed, Eurostar manage it.

 

[hexagon789]

Hello - newbie here, so apologies if this isn't the correct location for this type of discussion...

With the impending roll-out of LNER's Azumas, you may have noticed they have recently updated their website with seating plans:

https://www.lner.co.uk/globalassets/_page-structure/azuma-content/Azuma-seat-maps

Does anyone know if it's possible to establish which is to be the 'North' end and which is to be the 'London' end of the Azuma fleet? Obviously, this is far easier with Class 91s hauling northwards and pushing southwards.

I do hope LNER do not follow GWR's - seating plan is on their website, but no indication of direction. I recently traveled to Bristol and moved to another coach as I didn't like my seat!

Assuming they stick with tradition, First Class will be at the south end/London-end of a train formation, presumably with two 5-cars the First Class would be to the south within each set.

Obviously trains can end up in reverse formation from time-to-time though.

Hopefully LNER will be better at keeping sets correctly orientated than GWR.

 

[cactustwirly]

Assuming they stick with tradition, First Class will be at the south end/London-end of a train formation, presumably with two 5-cars the First Class would be to the south within each set.

Obviously trains can end up in reverse formation from time-to-time though.

Hopefully LNER will be better at keeping sets correctly orientated than GWR.

From experience (with GWR) the 9 car sets tend to be the right way round, but the 10 car sets are all over the place!

Hitachi don't seem as bothered about which way round a set is, when they put it out for service

 

[hexagon789]

From experience (with GWR) the 9 car sets tend to be the right way round, but the 10 car sets are all over the place!

Hitachi don't seem as bothered about which way round a set is, when they put it out for service

From reading other peoples' experience even the 9-cars get chucked put any which way. The reservation system is apt to get the coach letters wrong on double 5-cars and the station PIS aren't always on the ball either.

In other words - it sounds rather messy.

 

[cactustwirly]

From reading other peoples' experience even the 9-cars get chucked put any which way. The reservation system is apt to get the coach letters wrong on double 5-cars and the station PIS aren't always on the ball either.

In other words - it sounds rather messy.

The 10 car sets have their own diagrams, so the reservation system has 10 car seat maps for 10 car services.

 

[hexagon789]

The 10 car sets have their own diagrams, so the reservation system has 10 car seat maps for 10 car services.

That's not quite what I meant. I meant that when two sets come off depot as a 10 car lash-up, the onboard system will sometimes try to label both sets with the same Coach Letters instead of running through letters consecutively across the whole train.

I've read about this issue some weeks ago, so it may have been fixed but considering how long the sets have been in service now.

 

[Cambrian359]

What’s all the crew space for? Seems a lot especially for a 5 car train?

 

[ComUtoR]

Why do TOCs never show the window layout on seat maps?

Probably because they aren't enthusiasts and are concerned about people finding their seats and displaying a seating layout, rather than the view someone gets out a window.

 

[tiptoptaff]

What’s all the crew space for? Seems a lot especially for a 5 car train?

Like the GWR ones, it's a kitchen

 

[Megafuss]

Unless it's clear where each coach will be on the 2x5 car sets compared to the platform, I can see chaos ahead. It's bad enough just getting folk waiting at the right end of the platform under the current simple setup nevermind having two separate first class sections...

 

[alistairlees]

Probably because they aren't enthusiasts and are concerned about people finding their seats and displaying a seating layout, rather than the view someone gets out a window.

It’s possible to show both and be concerned about both - that’s called being customer-focused. For many customers this is an important aspect of the journey. If you look on airline seating plans you will notice that many (at least the ones I use regularly such as Ryanair and wizzair) do show the window positions.

 

[Marton]

It’s possible to show both and be concerned about both - that’s called being customer-focused. For many customers this is an important aspect of the journey. If you look on airline seating plans you will notice that many (at least the ones I use regularly such as Ryanair and wizzair) do show the window positions.

There are good reasons for window seats on the ECML, certainly on the east side and I believe that in the days of compartment stock the corridor was on the west side.

Or maybe another myth.

 

[Mag_seven]

Probably because they aren't enthusiasts and are concerned about people finding their seats and displaying a seating layout, rather than the view someone gets out a window.

The position of the window relative to the seat is an important factor for many, not just enthusiasts. Not everybody wants to spend the journey staring into a smartphone, tablet or laptop. As I said before Eurostar can do it so why can't LNER?

 

[mmh]

Unless it's clear where each coach will be on the 2x5 car sets compared to the platform, I can see chaos ahead. It's bad enough just getting folk waiting at the right end of the platform under the current simple setup nevermind having two separate first class sections...

Virgin, CrossCountry and the TOCs in the south east have been running trains with multiple first class sections for a long long time without much chaos.

 

[Skie]

Why do TOCs never show the window layout on seat maps? It wouldn't be hard to do so.

Virgins old seat map did this, with seats being marked as limited/no view if they weren't smack bang against a window. Then they updated their seating plans and strangely this went missing! Probably because it might mean some people would avoid booking a particular train if they can't get a seat with a view, as rare as that may be the beancounters probably thought 1 lost sale was too many and had that bit of info removed.

 

[43096]

Probably because it might mean some people would avoid booking a particular train if they can't get a seat with a view, as rare as that may be the beancounters probably thought 1 lost sale was too many and had that bit of info removed.

Utter dribble. “Bean counters” aren’t going to be involved with what goes on a seat map on a website. They’ll be too busy counting beans....

 

[Skie]

Utter dribble. “Bean counters” aren’t going to be involved with what goes on a seat map on a website. They’ll be too busy counting beans....

You'd be surprised how heavily involved in decisions Virgins marketing team are. They also control the website.

 

[Andyh82]

Probably because they aren't enthusiasts and are concerned about people finding their seats and displaying a seating layout, rather than the view someone gets out a window.

Err, LNER do show the window layouts on their seating plans.

They haven’t on the Azuma one discussed here, but they are present on the HST & Electric plans

So maybe LNER and VTEC before them are enthusiasts then?

 

[Class455]

I know this is a bit of a long shot here, but can anyone confirm if Coach L seat 40 is by a window and faces towards London? I have booked my trip on the Azuma and selected this seat so hopefully it will be. I'd originally booked Coach L seat 19 but according to the seat diagram posted here it seems that seat faces away from the direction of travel so managed to change it. I'm hoping it's not one of those seats in between a window....

 

[43096]

You'd be surprised how heavily involved in decisions Virgins marketing team are. They also control the website.

You’d better define what you mean by “bean counters”, then, as I’ve never come across it used for marketing before.

 

[route:oxford]

I know this is a bit of a long shot here, but can anyone confirm if Coach L seat 40 is by a window and faces towards London? I have booked my trip on the Azuma and selected this seat so hopefully it will be. I'd originally booked Coach L seat 19 but according to the seat diagram posted here it seems that seat faces away from the direction of travel so managed to change it. I'm hoping it's not one of those seats in between a window....

I don't understand why you think it's a "long shot", when the OP has provided you a link to the seating map, we know that first class is at the London End and every seat, including seat 40 has an arrow to indicated which direction it faces.

As for the window. With the amount of space allocated to the first class seat, it would be almost impossible for it not to have even the slimmest window space.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Probably because they aren't enthusiasts and are concerned about people finding their seats and displaying a seating layout, rather than the view someone gets out a window.

Not just enthusiasts wish to choose a seat against a window rather than a panel.

 

[43096]

Not just enthusiasts wish to choose a seat against a window rather than a panel.

Quite. If normal passengers weren’t bothered about windows, why bother having windows at all!?

 

[Class455]

I don't understand why you think it's a "long shot", when the OP has provided you a link to the seating map, we know that first class is at the London End and every seat, including seat 40 has an arrow to indicated which direction it faces.

As for the window. With the amount of space allocated to the first class seat, it would be almost impossible for it not to have even the slimmest window space.

Only because nobody's actually travelled on the Azuma yet :P

 

[route:oxford]

Quite. If normal passengers weren’t bothered about windows, why bother having windows at all!?

I suspect, at the moment, there is only a marginal difference between installing a window or installing a flat panel screen. In the future, it may well be more economical to have windowless trains with flat panel screens presenting a choice of displays for passengers. It would also improve the weight and structural integrity of the train.

Think how good it would be. You'd board a train on the most miserable hour long commute on a dark winter day - but be presented with a beautiful summer's morning.