Chiltern Business Class.

[Deafdoggie]

Hi. We're travelling with Chiltern on Saturday & RTT says it's a class 68 & stock. Is Business Class still a thing, and if not, can you just sit in there without paying any extra?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Hi. We're travelling with Chiltern on Saturday & RTT says it's a class 68 & stock. Is Business Class still a thing

No, though removing the antimacassars seems to be too much effort so it looks like it is, which means it's a bit of an exclusive club of those who know!

and if not, can you just sit in there without paying any extra?

Yes.

 

[dooton]

No, though removing the antimacassars seems to be too much effort so it looks like it is, which means it's a bit of an exclusive club of those who know!



Yes.

Antimaccasars were removed last year.

 

[bussnapperwm]

Hi. We're travelling with Chiltern on Saturday & RTT says it's a class 68 & stock. Is Business Class still a thing, and if not, can you just sit in there without paying any extra?

It still has the Business Zone stickers on the walls inside, and the seating is the same as it was, but it's ordinary standard accommodation so no extra is payable. (It was great the other day as my brother and I had half a carriage to ourselves on it all the way from Moor Street to Marylebone)

 

[Deafdoggie]

No, though removing the antimacassars seems to be too much effort so it looks like it is, which means it's a bit of an exclusive club of those who know!

Excellent. I'll join the club!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Antimaccasars were removed last year.

Crikey, took them long enough. I never understood why they didn't just put an instruction out to guards that if they saw them they should take them off and put them in the bin.

(Also slightly surprised enthusiasts didn't nick them as souvenirs )

 

[Deafdoggie]

(Also slightly surprised enthusiasts didn't nick them as souvenirs )

That could be how they were removed!

 

[PZ 08895]

I travel on the Chiltern loco-haulded sets roughly once a month and sit ln the former Business Class carriage with a normal standard class ticket, and as expected, there is never any issue. Its a very comfortable way to travel!

 

[CyrusWuff]

Chiltern "temporarily" declassified the Business Zone during the pandemic. That doesn't mean they won't start charging for it again at some point, however. (If they get the ex-TPE Mk5A coaches, for example, given they have a First Class carriage in the formation.)

 

[yorkie]

It's certainly a standard class coach for ticketing purposes at the moment.

Whether that may or may not change in future is a topic for another thread (in the speculative discussion section)

 

[Flying Snail]

Chiltern "temporarily" declassified the Business Zone during the pandemic. That doesn't mean they won't start charging for it again at some point, however. (If they get the ex-TPE Mk5A coaches, for example, given they have a First Class carriage in the formation.)

They had pretty much lost interest in it well before covid, the catering had gone a few years before, for years they never bothered enforcing it between Stourbridge and Brum and eventually just quietly dropped the whole thing. There are so few services run with the hauled sets now it is hardly worth bothering with.

 

[Adam Williams]

In my experience, it's often the Chiltern staff mess room!

 

[Bletchleyite]

About Chiltern Business Class—I've traveled with them before, and from my experience, it's still a thing. However, it's always a good idea to confirm directly with them. Now, if it turns out it's no longer available, you might wonder if you can sneak into the area without paying extra. While I can't condone breaking the rules, it's worth considering if the option's there.

It's declassified and you can sit there on a Standard ticket. Even when it did exist, it was an on-board upgrade (because it wasn't guaranteed to be provided) so you wouldn't be in trouble if you did sit there, you just had to pay a supplement to the guard.

The only reason I reckon it existed was because the coaches they got from Wrexham and Shropshire had it, and reseating it would cost money, so they thought they might as well make a few extra quid from it. The Banbury slamdoor set didn't have it. Aside from that Chiltern's policy has long been that Standard class is to a fairly high standard of comfort and so it's not needed.