Can I reserve a seat without a ticket?

[Bensonby]

A bit of a niche and random question and may well be the railway version of a “first world problem”, but I’m wondering about an issue that is a real-world scenario for me.

I am a metropolitan police officer and have a rail pass that allows me to travel across South East England for a monthly fee. Some of you may be familiar with the scheme.

Next month I have to go somewhere for work purposes (a training course) and I am being accompanied by a non-warranted member of police staff who doesn’t get access to the scheme.

The TOC we will use has reservable trains and she will be buying a ticket with reservation (either through our corporate booking team or claiming expenses). She will get a seat reservation. Ideally I’d like to sit with her, and indeed I’d like a guaranteed seat as it will be peak time, but is it even possible for me to book a seat reservation without booking an actual ticket?

As I say, a minor issue, but I’m interested in the technicalities as much as anything: I imagine this scenario could exist with season tickets etc. though my circumstances are pretty niche.

 

[Haywain]

A bit of a niche and random question and may well be the railway version of a “first world problem”, but I’m wondering about an issue that is a real-world scenario for me.

I am a metropolitan police officer and have a rail pass that allows me to travel across South East England for a monthly fee. Some of you may be familiar with the scheme.

Next month I have to go somewhere for work purposes (a training course) and I am being accompanied by a non-warranted member of police staff who doesn’t get access to the scheme.

The TOC we will use has reservable trains and she will be buying a ticket with reservation (either through our corporate booking team or claiming expenses). She will get a seat reservation. Ideally I’d like to sit with her, and indeed I’d like a guaranteed seat as it will be peak time, but is it even possible for me to book a seat reservation without booking an actual ticket?

As I say, a minor issue, but I’m interested in the technicalities as much as anything: I imagine this scenario could exist with season tickets etc. though my circumstances are pretty niche.

Yes, it is possible but you may need to visit a station to do so. Some TOCs allow online seat reservations but not all, so it depends whop you are travelling with.

 

[freddie1729]

Most TOCs will reserve a seat for you if you phone them.

 

[Watershed]

You can do it easily online through the GWR website. If you create an account then you can make seat reservations there. No guarantee of sitting together, mind, as there isn't a seat selector...

 

[Bletchleyite]

LNER will do it for their services only on their website and app including a seat selector, if it's them.

If it's Avanti, barely any point as you never know what'll run anyway.

You can do it easily online through the GWR website. If you create an account then you can make seat reservations there. No guarantee of sitting together, mind, as there isn't a seat selector...

Make two and get her to sit in that one instead of the booked one? Technically not allowed on an Advance but only the most stubborn guard would care, and all they'd do is ask them to move back.

 

[ashley84]

You can do it easily online through the GWR website. If you create an account then you can make seat reservations there. No guarantee of sitting together, mind, as there isn't a seat selector...

The GWR thing (which someone else on here pointed me to) feels like a huge loophole to me. It takes it on trust that you've got a ticket (or will get one), so potentially there's nothing to stop someone booking seats on multiple services across the day, only intending to travel on one... If this was widely known it would presumably break the whole system because trains would appear fully booked with people who have no intention to travel.

I discovered recently they don't even provide a way to cancel. I had booked some reservations I didn't need any more but couldn't find any way to release them- i messaged GWR on the live chat and they said they can't cancel them!

Handy as it is, it all feels wrong somehow...

 

[Bletchleyite]

LNER's setup does allow them to be cancelled.

 

[Runningaround]

The GWR thing (which someone else on here pointed me to) feels like a huge loophole to me. It takes it on trust that you've got a ticket (or will get one), so potentially there's nothing to stop someone booking seats on multiple services across the day, only intending to travel on one... If this was widely known it would presumably break the whole system because trains would appear fully booked with people who have no intention to travel.

I discovered recently they don't even provide a way to cancel. I had booked some reservations I didn't need any more but couldn't find any way to release them- i messaged GWR on the live chat and they said they can't cancel them!

Handy as it is, it all feels wrong somehow...

Then you have other sites that won't allow you to select a train without it being reservable so you end up reserving a seat on a train you'll not be on and then join the unreserved train with all the others who've done the same. The reservable train will then see passengers walking the length of each carriage looking for an unreserved seat.

 

[Bensonby]

Thanks for the replies!