LNER London - Leeds £220 single on Social Media/Yorkshire Evening Post

[Adam Williams]

Avanti West Coast plays a similar game with the mandatory reservartions flag these days does it not?

It does indeed. I've never had a problem purchasing a Rugby->London Terminals walk-up SVR, though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It does indeed. I've never had a problem purchasing a Rugby->London Terminals walk-up SVR, though.

Does Rugby have WMT TVMs which presently don't have a planner function?

It's unusual for the last train of the day to be full though, so it's normally possible to buy for that. This is a very odd case.

 

[robbeech]

Avanti West Coast plays a similar game with the mandatory reservartions flag these days does it not?

Several operators play this trick.

which feels like exactly the sort of thing that could well happen, given LNER's clear disdain nowadays for 'turn up and go' passengers.

Not sure there’s a need for “turn up and go” here.

Great, so why did nobody anticipate that that would be what happened and pull all the Advance quota for 1st class tickets and 1st class walk-ups from the service (or amend it in the timetable so that it simply doesn't have first class accommodation)?

That would mean people would be able to buy the super off peak single in standard class, a ticket little over a quarter of the price of the ones being offered. We know exactly what they think of Super Off Peak!

 

[yorkie]

Avanti West Coast plays a similar game with the mandatory reservartions flag these days does it not?

Yes, but they aren't part of the fares trials.

 

[Mainline421]

On the contrary, the MD is carrying out DfT instructions and would no doubt be out the door if he refused.

This is more a discussion for the other thread, but this clearly comes from within LNER not the DfT. From what I heard the DfT were the ones that eventually had to force LNER to drop (uenenforced) compulsory reservations in the first place.

Someone at LNER appears irrationally obsessed with the issue as they responded by plastering Edinburgh Waverley with seeming hundreds of posters saying seat reservations are "highly recommended," and taking up two lines on the departure board below every train with the same. Contrast this with Avanti who updated their journey planner not to show their trains as compulsory reservation even though they do the same trick with the flag.

 

[infobleep]

This is more a discussion for the other thread, but this clearly comes from within LNER not the DfT. From what I heard the DfT were the ones that eventually had to force LNER to drop (uenenforced) compulsory reservations in the first place.

Someone at LNER appears irrationally obsessed with the issue as they responded by plastering Edinburgh Waverley with seeming hundreds of posters saying seat reservations are "highly recommended," and taking up two lines on the departure board below every train with the same. Contrast this with Avanti who updated their journey planner not to show their trains as compulsory reservation even though they do the same trick with the flag.

How can a train be compulsory reservation when booking if they are not marked as compulsory reservation in the journey planner? I'm talking about AWC.

 

[Mainline421]

How can a train be compulsory reservation when booking if they are not marked as compulsory reservation in the journey planner? I'm talking about AWC.

The flag is still incorrectly set to compulsory, but the text on Avanti's journey planner shows reservations as "recommended" for their trains.

 

[OscarH]

The flag is still incorrectly set to compulsory, but the text on Avanti's journey planner shows reservations as "recommended" for their trains.

Presumably despite saying recommended it would still force a reservation and refuse sale without one?

 

[infobleep]

The flag is still incorrectly set to compulsory, but the text on Avanti's journey planner shows reservations as "recommended" for their trains.

OK but does it shows as that on other journey planners? And when it shows as recommended on thr AWC jounrey planner, I assume you can't always buy a ticket.

 

[Mainline421]

OK but does it shows as that on other journey planners? And when it shows as recommended on thr AWC jounrey planner, I assume you can't always buy a ticket.

No, and I'm not defending Avanti here. In fact LNER at least do counted places to their credit, so the problem is actually less bad on their trains.

My point was simply that the DfT aren't the ones mandating this as far as I know, the blame lies squarely with LNER and Avanti.

 

[londonbridge]

That's not really fair to the coach service, if their service is full and they think they can sell another one they will provide a relief. I've seen the overnight national express service to Edinburgh with 8 relief coaches from Victoria during festival season before. The railway can't do that because its management isn't good enough, it's not reactive to passengers needs and it's costs are just way out of control.

Yes, I once did a midnight coach from Manchester to London, when I arrived they’d laid on two coaches, one for London bound passengers which ran non-stop, the other for those requiring intermediate stops.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes, I once did a midnight coach from Manchester to London, when I arrived they’d laid on two coaches, one for London bound passengers which ran non-stop, the other for those requiring intermediate stops.

Very common as hiring coaches isn't very hard when you've already got a contract in place with that operator. Maybe a bit less so than it was now all coaches including duplicates must be wheelchair accessible though.

 

[paul1609]

Very common as hiring coaches isn't very hard when you've already got a contract in place with that operator. Maybe a bit less so than it was now all coaches including duplicates must be wheelchair accessible though.

When Portsmouth FC were away to Tottenham in the FA Cup in Jan 23 on a rail strike day Lucketts (part of National Express) provided 55 x full size coaches to do the journey. I rather imagine that wasn't their only booking that day. Throughout the logistics were pretty impressive especially since they'd only had about a month's notice Compare and Contrast the utter shambles that most rail replacement buses have become even though they've known that the buses would be required months in advance.

 

[Haywain]

Lucketts (part of National Express) provided 55 x full size coaches to do the journey.

Presumably, they didn't have to be fully accessibly coaches that rail replacements have to be?

 

[paul1609]

Presumably, they didn't have to be fully accessibly coaches that rail replacements have to be?

Must admit that I didn't spend the morning checking every bus but as I understand it every coach that is used on a scheduled service or a relief has been PSVAR compliant for some years which would suggest that the fleets used by NXTS are as this includes all their airport, festival and event work.
Apparently it's only the general for hire sector that has non compliant vehicles now as they manage the issue by demand of the hirers. The issue with rail replacement buses is nobody is prepared to pay the increased hire fees.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Leaving aside my employer for the moment, as a Newcastle fan I was at The Emirates on Saturday (no trains home after final whistle) I'm going to Blackburn tomorrow (no trains home after final whistle) and Chelsea on 11th March (no trains home after final whistle). The whole question of matches being moved for TV needs to be looked at in conjuction with fans access to transport home.

 

[800001]

1D36 23:33 kings Cross to Leeds on Wednesday 28th will now be formed of a 9 car Azuma

 

[stuartl]

1D36 23:33 kings Cross to Leeds on Wednesday 28th will now be formed of a 9 car Azuma

LNER app now showing standard singles available at £65

 

[Haywain]

1D36 23:33 kings Cross to Leeds on Wednesday 28th will now be formed of a 9 car Azuma

As predicted upthread.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Has it been reopened for sale or is the assumption that that'll just be needed to accommodate people on flexible tickets?

 

[Haywain]

The whole question of matches being moved for TV needs to be looked at in conjuction with fans access to transport home.

There is always a lot of noise about this, but the reality is plenty of matches take place when there is no transport home for fans, independently of TV choices. And the noise is always about away fans, ignoring the fact that in many areas meaningful public transport is almost non-existent in late evenings even in the local area of the match.

 

[800001]

Has it been reopened for sale or is the assumption that that'll just be needed to accommodate people on flexible tickets?

Reopened for sale, standard £65 advance single available to book.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Reopened for sale, standard £65 advance single available to book.

I bet people who paid £200 odd for the first class advances won't be happy!

 

[robbeech]

Leaving aside my employer for the moment, as a Newcastle fan I was at The Emirates on Saturday (no trains home after final whistle) I'm going to Blackburn tomorrow (no trains home after final whistle) and Chelsea on 11th March (no trains home after final whistle). The whole question of matches being moved for TV needs to be looked at in conjuction with fans access to transport home.

There either are or aren’t trains home. If there are and people have bought tickets for it then they should run as booked, strengthened where possible and passengers given the full set of rights they’re entitled to. If there aren’t any booked to run then that’s how it is, fans / passengers will have to make other arrangements. Of course, it would be great if an operator saw an opportunity to put in extra trains if they can, but it’s the tax payer that would be funding the majority of these extra services rather than the passengers.

I bet people who paid £200 odd for the first class advances won't be happy!

Any reasonable retailer will refund this if the passenger buys a replacement one. They shouldn’t have to foot the bill for doing so but such is life. Infact I believe there are some rules somewhere suggesting they should.


Of course, whilst this becoming 9 cars instead of 5 is a very positive thing, it does mean that there will definitely be no seat reservations on the service, though I suspect it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway as they likely wouldn’t have enforced them.

 

[Haywain]

it does mean that there will definitely be no seat reservations on the service

That is definitely not the case, as they are now selling Advance tickets for the service and LNER do not sell Advance tickets with counted place reservations.

 

[robbeech]

That is definitely not the case, as they are now selling Advance tickets for the service and LNER do not sell Advance tickets with counted place reservations.

What about those who have already purchased tickets (advance or otherwise) before the set swap? For example those who had paid £220 for a 1st Advance, they’ll have a seat reservation but it is policy to remove seat reservations with a set swap (even when there’s a L23 on both for example)

 

[Haywain]

What about those who have already purchased tickets (advance or otherwise) before the set swap? For example those who had paid £220 for a 1st Advance, they’ll have a seat reservation but it is policy to remove seat reservations with a set swap (even when there’s a L23 on both for example)

A 5-car set and a 9-car set will have the same seat reservations available, with the extra coaches in the 9-car set being just that. There is no risk of duplication. With an in service set swap that is unplanned it might be 9 going into 5, or 10 into 9, neither of which will fit so it is easier to remove reservations than have more reservations than seats.


Edited to remove incorrect information.

 

[800001]

A 5-car set and a 9-car set will have the same seat reservations available, with the extra coaches in the 9-car set being just that. There is no risk of duplication. With an in service set swap that is unplanned it might be 9 going into 5, or 10 into 9, neither of which will fit so it is easier to remove reservations than have more reservations than seats.

Coach B has a different seat layout on a 5 car compared to a 9, and coach D is the composite coach so that now becomes K, coach E becomes M on the 9, so there will need to be some clever allocation of the new advances and some good communication to those already booked when it was a 5 car.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Coach B has a different seat layout on a 5 car compared to a 9, and coach D is the composite coach so that now becomes K, coach E becomes M on the 9, so there will need to be some clever allocation of the new advances and some good communication to those already booked when it was a 5 car.

Pretty sure that the website looks after this.

 

[TUC]

Very common as hiring coaches isn't very hard when you've already got a contract in place with that operator. Maybe a bit less so than it was now all coaches including duplicates must be wheelchair accessible though.

As much as I am a strong advocate for disability access, why would there be a need for every duplicate to be accessible? Surely ensuring that sufficient coaches are accessible for those with mobility needs should be enough?