Declassified First Class - Thameslink

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Hi all.

Next Friday, I'm going to be travelling to Cambridge from London St Pancras International with Thameslink.

I'm hoping to bag a seat in the declassified rear First Class compartment - so, out of interest, is anybody able to advise whether the declassified First Class area is likely to be busy (or full, i.e. will I be likely to even get a seat) for my journey, which is being made at around 10 am?

I rarely travel with Thameslink and have never ventured to "First Class" before, so I have no idea what to expect! (Do most people rush to the rear or is this anomaly still relatively obscure?)

Thanks very much.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Hi all.

Next Friday, I'm going to be travelling to Cambridge from London St Pancras International with Thameslink.

I'm hoping to bag a seat in the declassified rear First Class compartment - so, out of interest, is anybody able to advise whether the declassified First Class area is likely to be busy (or full, i.e. will I be likely to even get a seat) for my journey, which is being made at around 10 am?

I rarely travel with Thameslink and have never ventured to "First Class" before, so I have no idea what to expect! (Do most people rush to the rear or is this anomaly still relatively obscure?)

Thanks very much.

I personally have never known it to be "full" although I've only ever made a few (pre Covid) journeys on the line and all during the off peak.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Hi all.

Next Friday, I'm going to be travelling to Cambridge from London St Pancras International with Thameslink.

I'm hoping to bag a seat in the declassified rear First Class compartment - so, out of interest, is anybody able to advise whether the declassified First Class area is likely to be busy (or full, i.e. will I be likely to even get a seat) for my journey, which is being made at around 10 am?

I rarely travel with Thameslink and have never ventured to "First Class" before, so I have no idea what to expect! (Do most people rush to the rear or is this anomaly still relatively obscure?)

Thanks very much.

You'll have a choice of seats, possibly close to the whole lot. Even before COVID it was rarely full, though the section aft of the doors by the cab was often host to groups of noisy gossiping staff!

In the morning peak it would fill by Hitchin. Seemingly still just a handful of in-the-knows. It's also only a marginal improvement in comfort over standard that many commuters aren't bothered, but the seat back tables are the biggest bonus for your coffee/can of G&T.

Enjoy your trip

 

[Ianno87]

That time of day, that direction, rear first class is highly unlikely to have more than one or two people in it.

 

[davetheguard]

I too -like the OP was aware that the rear 1st class compartment was de-classified southbound.

But what happens northbound? Is the same compartment de-classified i.e. now the front of the train? Or is it still the rear compartment; meaning that two sets of 1st class spend half their time declassified?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[baz962]

I too -like the OP was aware that the rear 1st class compartment was de-classified southbound.

But what happens northbound? Is the same compartment de-classified i.e. now the front of the train? Or is it still the rear compartment; meaning that two sets of 1st class spend half their time declassified?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Usually whichever is the rear carriage , so not the same carriage coming back.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Excellent. Many thanks for all the helpful replies.

 

[Royston Vasey]

I too -like the OP was aware that the rear 1st class compartment was de-classified southbound.

But what happens northbound? Is the same compartment de-classified i.e. now the front of the train? Or is it still the rear compartment; meaning that two sets of 1st class spend half their time declassified?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Yes always the rear, meaning a Thameslink King's Cross starter (the village stoppers are TL branded, not GN) has coach 8 of 8 declassified and you get a lot of normals filling it whether they know it's declassified or not, especially in the late evening!

In fairness to them, they may not be able to tell from the ambience that it's a first class compartment!

 

[62484GlenLyon]

It is worth noting that there is nothing obvious on the train advertising the fact that the rear 1st class area is declassified. The only advice is a brief message once every few minutes on the P.I.S. screen.

 

[AM9]

It is worth noting that there is nothing obvious on the train advertising the fact that the rear 1st class area is declassified. The only advice is a brief message once every few minutes on the P.I.S. screen.

... which only gets displayed on the PIS in the 1st class area. The other PISs get a graphic, if you sit in a gangway seat you can see displays further forward.

 

[30907]

It is worth noting that there is nothing obvious on the train advertising the fact that the rear 1st class area is declassified. The only advice is a brief message once every few minutes on the P.I.S. screen.

Don't the platform displays show where 1st is?

 

[mmh]

Don't the platform displays show where 1st is?

I can't remember if the dedicated platform ones do, at shared platforms they act as normal ones do. It doesn't really matter though, first class is always at the front, the rear section is always declassified.

Someone will probably be along shortly to say "ah! But Sutton loop Blackfriars terminators are completely declassified as there are no first class fares!"

 

[Ianno87]

Don't the platform displays show where 1st is?

I can't remember if the dedicated platform ones do, at shared platforms they act as normal ones do. It doesn't really matter though, first class is always at the front, the rear section is always declassified.

Someone will probably be along shortly to say "ah! But Sutton loop Blackfriars terminators are completely declassified as there are no first class fares!"

The core stations show "First Class at the Front". I.e. by implication the rear is declassified.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Announcements and indicator boards at all stations always state "First Class is at the front of the train"

 

[davetheguard]

Usually whichever is the rear carriage , so not the same carriage coming back.

Yes always the rear,

Thanks for that, it clarifies things.

Long distance Thameslink journeys (Peterborough - Brighton; Brighton - Bedford) would definitely be more worthy of consideration with the more comfortable seat in de-classified 1st class.

 

[mmh]

I think it's worth pointing out here for anyone thinking this permanently declassified first class is something to aim for, that unfortunately Thameslink first class is considerably more disappointing than standard class on many operators. It's all relative. It's slightly better than what the people the other side of the door (and because these are Siemens trains where they quite ludicrously replicated the manual swing doors of the trains they were replacing, it is the other side of a door!) but you don't even get an antimacassar.

 

[bramling]

I think it's worth pointing out here for anyone thinking this permanently declassified first class is something to aim for, that unfortunately Thameslink first class is considerably more disappointing than standard class on many operators. It's all relative. It's slightly better than what the people the other side of the door (and because these are Siemens trains where they quite ludicrously replicated the manual swing doors of the trains they were replacing, it is the other side of a door!) but you don't even get an antimacassar.

The seats immediately adjacent to the driving cab are actually quite pleasant (shock horror something vaguely positive about a 700!). However the downside is that noise seems to amplify down the train, probably due to the finishes used and the complete absence of niceties like carpet. So even here can feel like sitting in something like a hospital waiting room or a transport canteen, hardly a first class ambience. Some proper sliding doors would help, but I think this isn’t practicable due to the smoke control measures.

As alluded to elsewhere, it also doesn’t help that first on GTR often seems to fill with staff travelling pass, which again can result in a “travelling messroom” feel. The GN side is legion for this, a lot of staff based at Hitchin travel pass to elsewhere, or seem to park there and then travel to their place of work. Then on top of that at certain times of day there’s guaranteed to be LNER staff travelling to King’s Cross.

 

[Bald Rick]

but you don't even get an antimacassar.

Err, you do!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think it's worth pointing out here for anyone thinking this permanently declassified first class is something to aim for, that unfortunately Thameslink first class is considerably more disappointing than standard class on many operators. It's all relative. It's slightly better than what the people the other side of the door (and because these are Siemens trains where they quite ludicrously replicated the manual swing doors of the trains they were replacing, it is the other side of a door!) but you don't even get an antimacassar.

The seats are a higher backed version of the venerable Fainsa Sophia. Personally I prefer Standard, having tried it.

 

[Royston Vasey]

At least the seats are a different from standard (personally I think they're an upgrade from the ironing boards), unlike the GN 387s. They're exactly the same seats with an antimacassar!

For all their faults, Greater Anglia got a lot right with the 379s, comfortable standard seating with seat back tables, and lovely 2+1 first class seating.

 

[Aictos]

Hi all.

Next Friday, I'm going to be travelling to Cambridge from London St Pancras International with Thameslink.

I'm hoping to bag a seat in the declassified rear First Class compartment - so, out of interest, is anybody able to advise whether the declassified First Class area is likely to be busy (or full, i.e. will I be likely to even get a seat) for my journey, which is being made at around 10 am?

I rarely travel with Thameslink and have never ventured to "First Class" before, so I have no idea what to expect! (Do most people rush to the rear or is this anomaly still relatively obscure?)

Thanks very much.

I'm aware you have stated that you intend on travelling with Thameslink from St Pancras but if you walk across the road to Kings Cross, you have 2tph (one goes to Kings Lynn while the other goes to Ely) which are first stop Cambridge.

You don't have declassified 1st class but as you get power sockets at every pair of seats, that does make up for it and as it doesn't stop anywhere, it's a comfortable journey.

It may be worth looking at as a alterative to the Thameslink service.

 

[Huntergreed]

For us with phones/laptops, the power-sockets in first class (noticeably absent from standard) are a lifesaver! This alone is a big upgrade on standard

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think it's worth pointing out here for anyone thinking this permanently declassified first class is something to aim for, that unfortunately Thameslink first class is considerably more disappointing than standard class on many operators. It's all relative. It's slightly better than what the people the other side of the door (and because these are Siemens trains where they quite ludicrously replicated the manual swing doors of the trains they were replacing, it is the other side of a door!) but you don't even get an antimacassar.

It's basically Class 80x Standard with slightly better padding/higher backs on the seats. But it's not at all unusual for commuter units to have First Class that's near enough the same as Standard on an IC TOC.

As for Standard itself, I used to think the really narrow seats had massive benefits to circulation until I used a full-and-standing Northern 195 (which has wider seats and armrests but otherwise the same sort of layout in what is actually a slightly narrower body) and found that actually worked slightly better (e.g. because you didn't whack people "hanging over" into the aisle when walking past), and that the main things that seemed to make a difference were the wide doors, standbacks and doorless gangways. Yes, you'll get a few more standees crammed into a 700, but if commuting is going to be down...

 

[Hadders]

A few things to clarify:

- It's always the rear 1st class compartment that's declassified. The PIS on the platform will simply say 1st class is at the front of the train.
- Declassified 1st has become more popular as more passengers have become aware of it (and at times it can get a bit chavvy) but you shouldn't have an issue getting a seat at that time of day.
- The train is likely to be 12 cars long so walk to the very far end of the platform at St Pancras. A 12 car train completely fills the length of the platform
- As others have said you'll likely have a faster and non-stop journey if you pop across the road to King's Cross and catch a Cambridge Express service.