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Oddest seat reservations you have been issued with

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STEVIEBOY1

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I just fancied a day out and saw that the Southern Services tomMany destinations including Eastbourne are being diverted to / from London Bridge, which is ok for me, I can go from home to Waterloo on SWR, go from Waterloo East all the way to London Bridge on Southeastern, then get the Southern train onto Eastbourne. I just booked online and was amused to note that it has booked me on a specific train from Waterloo East to London Bridge. (Although no seat/carriage numbers were given.)
 
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Kite159

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Two oddest I've come across is
Brighton to Hove on a Sunday afternoon GWR service
Birmingham New Street to Smethwick Galton Bridge on the 06:XX Welsh service (the train was pretty much empty)

I dare say some staff might have come across random Manchester Piccadilly - Manchester Oxford Road reservations in the past
 

DelW

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A few years ago, travelling from southern England to mid Wales on an advance throughout, I was given a reservation coupon for the Heart of Wales service for a specific seat in "coach C".
The train was a 153 ;)
 

Cheshire Scot

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I dare say some staff might have come across random Manchester Piccadilly - Manchester Oxford Road reservations in the past

Not just staff, I saw that as once when looking for an unreserved seat after boarding at Piccadilly - and of course the slightly longer Oxford Road/Piccadilly to Victoria journey with a reserved seat.

Any takers for Waverley to Haymarket?
 

vlad

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It's quite a few years ago now but my sister once booked a ticket from Stoke to somewhere like Exeter. She thought she'd booked a through train so was confused when the tickets arrived in the post and it showed she had to change trains in Bristol. She therefore went to the station in person to query this and was told it was a through train but the computer had decided she's need to change carriage for no obvious reason. It didn't seem as though the train was completely full as the staff member was able to change her reservation for one in the same seat all the way.
 

Whistler40145

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I remember reading in a well known railway magazine of someone booking a seat reservation from Worcester Shrub Hill to Worcester Foregate Street
 

Ianno87

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Didn't buy it, but I once managed to create an Advance fare from Manchester to Cambridge. Reservation on EMR from Manchester to Sheffield, then via Doncaster/ECML, then Peterborough to Ely back on the same EMR service that was alighted from at Sheffield.
 

alistairlees

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If a leg is reservable, and the customer wants reservations, then they will receive reservations for the leg, no matter what the distance / duration. The alternative is for the leg not to be reservable between (say) Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Victoria, but to still be reservable between Manchester Oxford Road and (say) York. I think the new reservation system can support this, but I am not sure.

What would forum members suggest as a solution to silly short distance reservations (genuine question)?
 

Ianno87

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If a leg is reservable, and the customer wants reservations, then they will receive reservations for the leg, no matter what the distance / duration. The alternative is for the leg not to be reservable between (say) Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Victoria, but to still be reservable between Manchester Oxford Road and (say) York. I think the new reservation system can support this, but I am not sure.

What would forum members suggest as a solution to silly short distance reservations (genuine question)?

I don't think anybody is suggesting they are a "problem" - just an interesting novelty.

But if there was to be a "solution", only issue a seat reservation where the journey time exceeds the standing threshold of 20 minutes.
 

APT618S

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There was one time when using the XC 10 min reservation system when it said there was no seat availability for my requested journey. So I broke it down into 2 sections which covered the journey and they went through OK. The oddity was for the 2 sections I was given the same seat number and coach !
 

Welshman

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The TfW website advises in the light of social distancing potential passengers book a seat.

Last week, my wife wished to travel from North Wales to Shrewsbury, and I tried to book her tickets on the website but found "no seat reservations possible"

When I queried this with TfW, I was told reservations are not possible because "staff are not willing to walk the train to place the labels on the seats" [presumably due to covid]. So why does their website advise such action? As far as I know, none of their present coaches have electronic displays.

When I collected her tickets the day before, I was surprised to find an extra coupon advising a space had been reserved on the train I originally nominated. I am not happy with the counted place method, for example would the conductor check at each station that the passengers had such a ticket, and, in this case, if an unexpected crowd had embarked at the station previously and there was now no space bearing in mind social distancing, would the conductor evict some to ensure she could safely board? I think not, nor would I wish it so.

The night before she expressed a wish to travel on an earlier train, which her ticket allowed, and I was surprised to find on the website I could reserve her a space on that train, and was issued an email with a reference number.

In the event, she travelled on her original train on which there was plenty of room, and with no ticket inspection on either the outward or return journeys.

I was left wondering what is the point? You pays your money and takes your chance.
 
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SteveM70

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But if there was to be a "solution", only issue a seat reservation where the journey time exceeds the standing threshold of 20 minutes.

A solution looking for a problem.

There’s nothing wrong with offering reservations for short journeys, and I’ve benefitted from them as thanks to being a clumsy oaf I’ve had four separate occasions where I’ve had my leg in plaster for 12 weeks at a time, and standing for any distance was blooming uncomfortable especially if the train was lurching around
 

johntea

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I often used to wonder about the number of 'no shows' when it came to reservations, of course they could be sat on the train in a different seat but how far in advance are (I suppose WERE now since most are displayed electronically!) tickets printed and placed at seats?
 

Sleepy

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I often used to wonder about the number of 'no shows' when it came to reservations, of course they could be sat on the train in a different seat but how far in advance are (I suppose WERE now since most are displayed electronically!) tickets printed and placed at seats?
It used say reservations could be booked up to 2 hours prior to departure from train's origin station (except very early morning departures) I gather Sleeper bookings close to a similar timescale.
 

JonathanH

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A few years ago, travelling from southern England to mid Wales on an advance throughout, I was given a reservation coupon for the Heart of Wales service for a specific seat in "coach C".
The train was a 153 ;)
That isn't surprising. The 153s had permanent "Coach C" markings as if in another longer train they would be coupled to a two-car unit where the coaches were A and B. If they were booked to operate on their own, they would just be Coach C. A "C" can be seen in the distance on this picture https://www.mattypsrailwaypics.com/uploads/9/3/9/5/9395206/2669786.jpg. (Actually it can't but it was visible in the original picture.)
 

DelW

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That isn't surprising. The 153s had permanent "Coach C" markings as if in another longer train they would be coupled to a two-car unit where the coaches were A and B. If they were booked to operate on their own, they would just be Coach C. A "C" can be seen in the distance on this picture https://www.mattypsrailwaypics.com/uploads/9/3/9/5/9395206/2669786.jpg. (Actually it can't but it was visible in the original picture.)
Ah, that would explain it. It did seem rather odd at the time though.
 

STEVIEBOY1

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And this is the Reservation Coupon for my journey Waterloo East to London Bridge.
 

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lxfe_mxtterz

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I've had a seat reservation on a CrossCountry service from Bristol Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads once. The train wasn't particularly busy, but a family of four, who had presumably been aware of the reservation earlier on, wilfully vacated their table bay for the ten minute journey just as I was entering the carriage at Bristol Parkway!
 

Huntergreed

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The fact that I was denied boarding on an LNER azuma from Waverley to Haymarket without a reservation, which I did eventually get, and ignore.
 

HST274

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The most hilarious one I have done is in Cross country first class from Par to Lostwithiel which lasted around 6 mins. We sat in the proper seats and got four cans of coca cola and a bad coffee for free!
 

6Gman

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Two oddest I've come across is
Brighton to Hove on a Sunday afternoon GWR service
Birmingham New Street to Smethwick Galton Bridge on the 06:XX Welsh service (the train was pretty much empty)

I dare say some staff might have come across random Manchester Piccadilly - Manchester Oxford Road reservations in the past
I have seen Oxford Road-Piccadilly paper seat reservations on a TfW service in the past.
 

STEVIEBOY1

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I have just had some more odd seat reservations, either for specific trains and one with seat numbers:

London Bridge to St.Pancras & Return-Thameslink,
Then all the following on Northern;
Bradford F.Sq to Leeds & return,
Shipley to Bradford F.Sq
Leeds to Ribblehead & return, (Which I can understand.)
Bradford F.Sq to Saltaire,
Saltaire to Leeds and then Leeds to Wakefield Westgate on XC which again I do understand. Most of the others are a bit odd though.
 

Ianno87

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I've had counted place reservations between Cambridge and Cambridge North.
 

Hadders

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I didn't think seat reservations were available on any Thameslink trains, even counted place ones.
 
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