Got tickets but all seats reserved

[poppynurse]

I am fairly new to rail travel but have recently bought a family railcard for trips out. We went to London yesterday and had a great time but on the return train nearly every seat was reserved. As we bought our tickets 3 or 4 weeks in advance should we have had reserved seats? There was nothing on the tickets to indicate seat numbers, in fact the train times weren't even on the tickets.
As it was we sat in reserved seats, as there were no others, but couldn't sit together which is a bit of a problem with two young children. Forunately no one commented on us sitting in the wrong seats.
We are going again soon and I notice that the tickets for that trip again have no seat numbers allocated.
Can someone explain how the system works for me....

[barracad]

It depends on your type of ticket, but if you know the exact trains you will be boarding then you can ask to reserve seats on that particular train but you must do it at the time of booking.

I work in London quite regularly and when I travel I usually reserve seats on my outbound journey but just ask for an open ticket for the return as I don't know what time I will be going back. Even though I do this, the company I book with still reserve a seat for the return journey too which I never use as I can't commit to catch that particular train - so there's always a seat reserved which will never be used. When I board a train to go home I often find the same as you that there are lots of reserved seats and sometimes I have to sit in one of these seats and prepare to move if somebody turns up who has that seat reserved, but I can't recall the last time that happened. One can only assume that either the seats are reserved unnecessarily as with mine, or that people have seats reserved and sit elsewhere (the first people to board trains usually go for the seats next to a table and power point rather than the 'normal' seats).

[kangaroozoo]

If you are able to stick to certain trains then when you book your tickets, ask them to reserve seats for you.

As barracad said, some people book seats and don't actually use them. It can be irritating but there's not much that can be done about it.

Even though you may have stated the trains you were travelling on when you booked them, they don't necessarily have to print the train times because depending on the type of ticket, you may be able to travel back on any train.

[Burv]

Originally Posted by barracad

It depends on your type of ticket, but if you know the exact trains you will be boarding then you can ask to reserve seats on that particular train but you must do it at the time of booking.

If the ticket is not an advance purchase ticket, then the seat booking can either be issued at time of the ticket being sold, or up to the day before departure, as long as the ticket is shown to the clerk at the time.

[68904]

If for example you are travelling from York to Birmingham and you see a seat on the train reserved from Newcastle to Bristol, you can assume that the person with the reservation has not caught this train so I would sit down in that seat and hope no one comes and claims the seat.
If someone does, then vacate and let that person who has the reservation sit down.
Many trains depart with all the seats reserved but a lot of people do not show for the seats but the reservation tickets are still on the seat back.
Also some seats are reserved say from Birmingham to Plymouth, and you are going from York to Derby then it would be safe to use that seat as you will be away long before Birmingham.
If the train is full and standing, and a person has a bag on the seat, make them move it and sit down.

[mc661]

Seats can be reserved up to around 1900 the day before departure. Sometimes you can reserve up to 4 hours before the train leaves its first departure point (all depends when the company prints the reservations out and closes the train to new reservations).

You only need to go to a ticket office, show your tickets and ask for a seat reservation. They should be able to accommodate your specifics, i.e. table, facing forward/back.

[europa16]

I have done this a few times on Virgin trains from Edinburgh to Preston. the only problem was, a couple of times, that the reservations never quite made it the train, so it was each man (or woman) for themselves. One other time, I had to kick Ian McCaskill out of my reserved seat (didn't click till I got home)

[68904]

This was Virgin trains I was using from Newcastle to Leeds.
20 years ago it would have been a Class 47 Loco and 12 MK2 coaches, and a big brake van for bikes dogs and what have you.
These sets could carry 620 people.
Now a 4/5 set which can carry about 300 people, and folk standing all the way.
Thats progress..
I have worked these trains as a guard for 27 years and enjoyed every minute of the time.
The worst thing that happened to BR was privateisation and then EWS.

[68904]

This was Virgin trains I was using from Newcastle to Leeds.
20 years ago it would have been a Class 47 Loco and 12 MK2 coaches, and a big brake van for bikes dogs and what have you.
These sets could carry 620 people.
Now a 4/5 set which can carry about 300 people, and folk standing all the way.
Thats progress..
I have worked these trains as a guard for 27 years and enjoyed every minute of the time.
The worst thing that happened to BR was privatisation and then EWS.
Now I travel on them for nothing.
Am off to Cromer on Wednesday, via Peterboro and Norwhich( For free.)For a day out now the kids ae back at school.

[68904]

Went to Cromer, changed at Peterboro to Norwhich, then to Cromer and Sheringham.
Good service all the way there and back.
On the 1557hrs train from Norwhich to Liverpool there were numerous reserved seats on a busy service out of Norwhich.
Two seats opposite me were reserved from Norwhich to Liverpool. On leaving Norwhich they were still empty, so my mate claimed them.
The guard did tickets and said nothing to my mate and all was well.
Although space is limited to that of 20 years ago the new 2 car units are air conditioned and seats comfortable, and can zip along at 90mph for mile after mile.
The problem with me is I am a child of the British Rail era 27 years ago, it takes some shaking off.

[Lula]

Did you put your anorak in the top basket ?

[sequenci]

I belive Coach B on the Virgin Voyager trains do not have any reservations; It may be worth investigating that car first.

Saying that I think they are no longer operated by Virgin so it may have all changed.

[68904]

When on and about the railway, I wear the correct PPE.
As far as I know anoraks are for people who talk a good train ride.
Tickets please.

[Lula]

Roflmao :d

[74656]

Im terribly sorry to hear about your journey.

When buying rail tickets, you legally are actually only paying for "carraige" on a service, UNLESS you reserve a seat.

This is the legal contract you enter into when buying a ticket, only exception being if you reserve a seat.

[68904]

If you work for a prestigious railway, you are lucky.
They all seem to me to hate the RMT with venom, aided and abetted by ASLEF, who will do anyones job.
This is not just idle chat it is a life time experience on DOO trains single manning, and DRI committments which make other grades redundant.

[sequenci]

Originally Posted by ciaomc2002

I work for a very prestigious private rail company.

Shame we don't have these in Britain hahah.