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Which coaches on EMR Intercity services are unreserved?

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Class 33

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I'm doing a London-Sheffield return trip tomorrow(for just £20 with EMR's current Summer Sale). Unfortunately though after booking, I realised from the "Seat Finder" section of their website that the services I booked are for the shorter formed trains and predicted to be crowded! I also know from experience that whenever I reserve seats on trains, at least half the time I get given crap seats such as only a partial window view seat or even so called window seats that offer no window view atall because the seat is next to the wall of the train! Most of the time I don't bother with my reserved seats and find a better unreserved seat instead. So just wondering which coaches on EMR's Intercity services which use the shorter formed trains, are unreserved? Thanks.
 
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hexagon789

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I'm doing a London-Sheffield return trip tomorrow(for just £20 with EMR's current Summer Sale). Unfortunately though after booking, I realised from the "Seat Finder" section of their website that the services I booked are for the shorter formed trains and predicted to be crowded! I also know from experience that whenever I reserve seats on trains, at least half the time I get given crap seats such as only a partial window view seat or even so called window seats that offer no window view atall because the seat is next to the wall of the train! Most of the time I don't bother with my reserved seats and find a better unreserved seat instead. So just wondering which coaches on EMR's Intercity services which use the shorter formed trains, are unreserved? Thanks.
It used to be:

4-car: D
5-car: C
7-car: D

Obviously with the Meridian reformations, that may no longer apply.
 

LowLevel

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For 222's C on 5 cars, D on 7 cars and the whole train is unreserved on 180s.
 

LowLevel

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Interesting. I had a seat reservation for C57 today on a 5 car set (and wasn't as far as I'm aware short formed).
I've done a bit of digging and there appears to have been a very recent change to working with 222s (IE - last week or so). Firstly the unit diagrams have changed number - they're now DY1xx for 180, DY5xx for 5 car 222 and DY7xx for 7 car 222.

The unreserved coach now seems to be coach D for all 222 sets - meaning the composite on 5 cars (excepting of course the reformed sets which have a random layout) and the full standard coach on 7 cars.

I've checked the reservations on quite a few trains today and that now seems to hold true.

So it would appear you're quite right that my previous advice has been invalidated by a change of process and it is now coach D :smile:

For 10 cars the second set is proving a bit harder to work out and the pattern is less clear. I'd probably have to look at a heavily reserved weekend train to see what is what there.
 

Andy Pacer

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I've done a bit of digging and there appears to have been a very recent change to working with 222s (IE - last week or so). Firstly the unit diagrams have changed number - they're now DY1xx for 180, DY5xx for 5 car 222 and DY7xx for 7 car 222.

The unreserved coach now seems to be coach D for all 222 sets - meaning the composite on 5 cars (excepting of course the reformed sets which have a random layout) and the full standard coach on 7 cars.

I've checked the reservations on quite a few trains today and that now seems to hold true.

So it would appear you're quite right that my previous advice has been invalidated by a change of process and it is now coach D :smile:
Haha, thanks for the update.
Interestingly most if not all of C was unreserved this morning, I sat in an unreserved seat at the other end of the carriage so wasn't able to see if my official seat was shown as reserved.

I believe my journey back north from London this evening is booked 7 car, but as you say it should now be consistently D
 

Flying Snail

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Yet another person on a cheapo ticket with reservation who ignores the reservation, makes a beeline for the solitary unreserved coach and blocks two seats.

IMO all those with advances and other promotional fares with compulsory reservations should be required to take their reserved seat and be specifically barred from the unreserved coach.
 

Class 33

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Yet another person on a cheapo ticket with reservation who ignores the reservation, makes a beeline for the solitary unreserved coach and blocks two seats.

IMO all those with advances and other promotional fares with compulsory reservations should be required to take their reserved seat and be specifically barred from the unreserved coach.

When I boarded the train a couple of weeks ago, I quickly investigated what my reserved seat was like. As I expected it was absolutely crap. Next to the wall of the train with no view out the window whatsoever! Despite me booking a WINDOW seat! Whilst it wasn't an aisle seat, I wouldn't really describe seats positioned like this as WINDOW seats! If people book window seats, they should expect proper window seats with a view. I booked that journey not to specifically travel to Sheffield for any reason, but because I found out about EMR's Summer Sale with bargain return tickets available to purchase. And I wanted to do a train journey for leisure purposes, to enjoy the journey there and back simply relaxing and looking out the window at the passing scenery. Helps with my mental health. But when I saw my reserved seat was next to the wall of the train and no view out the window whatsoever , I thought "Sod that! I'm not sitting there!!" and found an unreserved seat instead with a window view. It's no wonder other people do the same too.

Incidentally on that particular service I was on, there were very very few unreserved seats. There wasn't a fully unreserved coach. Just some speradic unreserved seats in all coaches.
 
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