TPE No Reserved Seating Quirk

[jkkne]

So as I return to commuting of sorts I’m booked weekly from November through to December on the Tuesday 9.46 NCL to MVC tpe service.

When the work travel agent booked it it’s come back as no seats reservable which I found odd, surely not every TPE service is booked up I then did a dummy run myself and bizarrely the 9.46 doesn’t allow you to book seats.

However on calling TPE customer services they’ve booked me seats and emailed the seat reservation to me but cited…it’s a sit anywhere system and seat reservation can only be done through us, My returns generated a seat reservation.

can anyone shed light on this quirk?

 

[JonathanH]

So as I return to commuting of sorts I’m booked weekly from November through to December on the Tuesday 9.46 NCL to MVC tpe service.

When the work travel agent booked it it’s come back as no seats reservable which I found odd, surely not every TPE service is booked up I then did a dummy run myself and bizarrely the 9.46 doesn’t allow you to book seats.

However on calling TPE customer services they’ve booked me seats and emailed the seat reservation to me but cited…it’s a sit anywhere system and seat reservation can only be done through us, My returns generated a seat reservation.

can anyone shed light on this quirk?

From what you describe, it would suggest that online systems are set up to only do "counted place" reservations, rather than actual seat reservations. However, this can be overriden manually by TPE customer services to actually allocate a seat.

Not really a quirk as such, just the way things are set up.

 

[Wallsendmag]

TPE always did this when a big event was on, is there anything going on on the route that week?

 

[Starmill]

It doesn't sound very much like "a sit anywhere system" if they're giving out reservations to people who ask.

 

[jkkne]

TPE always did this when a big event was on, is there anything going on on the route that week?

Nothing I can see and they are selling tickets for about £26 (fairly cheap for the route) for the whole two months.

If I try to book through LNER it tells me the service is full which I guess is the system not talking to the other one

 

[Wallsendmag]

Nothing I can see and they are selling tickets for about £26 (fairly cheap for the route) for the whole two months.

If I try to book through LNER it tells me the service is full which I guess is the system not talking to the other one

Interesting there is only one version of RARS2 the national reservation system

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is LNER refusing to sell non compulsory reservation services if there aren't any reservations left? If so they should have their accreditation withdrawn.

Their policy on their own trains is stupid enough without extending to TOCs without that policy.

 

[northernchris]

I booked an advance for this coming week around a fortnight ago for a TPE service and received a message before buying to say my chosen train was busy and no reservations were left. I bought through LNER and did the same journey a couple of months ago and was offered a reservation then, so hoping the train this week won't be rammed and its a glitch in the system somewhere

 

[Wallsendmag]

Is LNER refusing to sell non compulsory reservation services if there aren't any reservations left? If so they should have their accreditation withdrawn.

Their policy on their own trains is stupid enough without extending to TOCs without that policy.

I've checked a couple of Tuesdays NCL-MCV 0947 and we are selling tickets and getting seat reservations.

 

[alistairlees]

I don't see any glitches. Just TPE have (for some reason) set up that train (and no doubt others) as "counted places" rather than "specific reservations".

 

[Haywain]

Nothing I can see and they are selling tickets for about £26 (fairly cheap for the route) for the whole two months.

If I try to book through LNER it tells me the service is full which I guess is the system not talking to the other one

We're unable to see any difference between what the two websites are offering. Could you provide more details if this is persisting (by DM, if you prefer)?

Is LNER refusing to sell non compulsory reservation services if there aren't any reservations left? If so they should have their accreditation withdrawn.

No hint of overreaction there.

 

[Bletchleyite]

No hint of overreaction there.

Do LNER sell tickets for non-compulsory-reservation but reservable trains if the reservation quota has run out?

 

[Haywain]

Do LNER sell tickets for non-compulsory-reservation but reservable trains if the reservation quota has run out?

I believe so. In the case this thread is about we don’t know what the OP was or wasn’t seeing but you seem to have decided you know what the problem was.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I believe so. In the case this thread is about we don’t know what the OP was or wasn’t seeing but you seem to have decided you know what the problem was.

It was in response to them saying the LNER site was showing the trains as "full" (see post 5) - but it's probably not a debate to continue here.

 

[Haywain]

It seems both websites were offering the same counted place reservations but different wording rather confused the issue. Curiously, TPE have changed to offering ‘proper’ reservations on the trains we were looking at at some point during this morning.

 

[Par]

I’ve got a similar issue with TPE. Booked two Advances on their website for a journey from Edinburgh to Manchester on December 19th. These were booked on the first day they came on sale last month, so got a great price but wasn’t permitted to reserve seats. I don’t know why this was, but presumed the whole train was unreservable? This is the first time ever I’ve booked Advances without being offered seat reservations.

After reading this thread, I rang TPE today to be told the service is reservable, but they couldn’t find me two seats together; the best they could offer was two seats across an aisle.

I was a bit surprised by this to say the least so declined the offer. Is it really likely that there wouldn’t be two seats together on a service 8 weeks out from it running. I feel a bit peeved to be honest having booked so early.

Are there likely to be seats left unreserved for walk-up ticket holders that we could use and any advice for our best options here?

Thanks in advance.

 

[yorkie]

Do LNER sell tickets for non-compulsory-reservation but reservable trains if the reservation quota has run out?

Once all the reservable seats are gone, I believe there is then a quota of 'counted place' phantom reservations which can be issued and if they go, the train cannot be part of any itinerary sold by any retailer.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Once all allocated seats are gone, I believe there is a quota of 'counted place' phantom reservations and if they go, the train cannot be part of any itinerary sold by any retailer.

That's LNER trains flagged as compulsory, I was thinking more was their site treating other TOCs' optional reservation trains differently than other sites, but it seems not.

 

[Haywain]

Once all the reservable seats are gone, I believe there is then a quota of 'counted place' phantom reservations which can be issued and if they go, the train cannot be part of any itinerary sold by any retailer.

However, TPE seem to be offering counted places and later opening up ‘proper’ reservations, which is very odd.

 

[221129]

Is it really likely that there wouldn’t be two seats together on a service 8 weeks out from it running

Given how busy these services are, I really wouldn't be that surprised.

 

[Bletchleyite]

However, TPE seem to be offering counted places and later opening up ‘proper’ reservations, which is very odd.

I think something may have gone a bit wrong with counted places since COVID. Originally they were created so that Advance tickets could be issued without reserving a physical seat (possibly, in TPE's case, because they didn't know what stock they would be using to operate that train at that point, but did know it was going to be operated, so wanted to open Advance sales, though principally so Advances could be sold on TOCs that don't reserve physical seats such as Northern and WMT). However, since COVID they have, with some TOCs, become actual counted places, i.e. you need one to access the train because otherwise you may not be able to. So sales sites offer them against walk-up tickets too, which wasn't meant to happen before.

The logic would potentially be if the train has reservations recommended or compulsory to issue one against a walk-up but otherwise not to, but I guess someone has to say that's the accredited behaviour and implement it.

 

[Haywain]

So sales sites offer them against walk-up tickets too, which wasn't meant to happen before.

It did happen before but seems to be much more often now.

The logic would potentially be if the train has reservations recommended or compulsory to issue one against a walk-up but otherwise not to, but I guess someone has to say that's the accredited behaviour and implement it.

I agree, there should be better management of these non-reservations so that they are only offered when necessary. But as you say, there may be accreditation issues there as well.

 

[Par]

Last night I did try a dummy booking for the exact same tickets on Trainsplit and that offered me two seats together in Coach D. If they can offer, why can’t TPE? I also tried a second attempt with TPE through their online web support, same answer, no pair of seats available.

 

[Nicholas43]

It seems to me that the ticket supplier used by TPE and GWR is failing to connect properly to the national reservation system. This has been going on for many weeks. With GWR, the symptom is that an attempt to book a journey whose second leg is reservable (eg Oxford to Swindon) results in a false claim that the only fares available are a few bizarre and expensive Advances.

 

[JonathanH]

With GWR, the symptom is that an attempt to book a journey whose second leg is reservable (eg Oxford to Swindon) results in a false claim that the only fares available are a few bizarre and expensive Advances.

How is it a false claim if that is genuinely the only quota available? It is perfectly reasonable for TPE (or GWR) to only release quotas for the most expensive advances if that is what they feel appropriate for a given service. That is the whole point.

 

[Haywain]

It seems to me that the ticket supplier used by TPE and GWR is failing to connect properly to the national reservation system. This has been going on for many weeks. With GWR, the symptom is that an attempt to book a journey whose second leg is reservable (eg Oxford to Swindon) results in a false claim that the only fares available are a few bizarre and expensive Advances.

Even counted place reservations need a connection to the reservation system

 

[Starmill]

How is it a false claim if that is genuinely the only quota available? It is perfectly reasonable for TPE (or GWR) to only release quotas for the most expensive advances if that is what they feel appropriate for a given service. That is the whole point.

I think the point being made is that the flexible tickets won't show.

 

[Nicholas43]

I think the point being made is that the flexible tickets won't show.

Yes, from Oxford in the example I gave. But flexible tickets, and plenty of reservations, are available if you try Didcot to Swindon. Weeks ago, the MD's office admitted that their supplier had a problem. At the stakeholders' meeting on 18 October, a pricing manager knew of the problem, but wrongly believed the supplier had fixed it. Flexible tickets are available from station ticket offices and vending machines, and competent on-line retailers such as trainsplit.