Communicating changes in reservations caused by set swaps

[Fuzzytop]

I recently went through a post-journey survey for LNER. There were questions on improving communication on station signage when set swaps muck up reservations.

The scenario: you hold standard ticket with seat reservation for D12. But a 9-car (ie. A, B, C, G, H, J, K, L, M) is working the service instead of the booked 2x5 (ie. A, B, C, D, E; F, G, H, K, M).

You were asked to choose the clearest from three options of signage text, and which seat in the 9-car you would head to (J12 or otherwise).

1. Standard D and F, please use J. First Class D and E, please use L.
2. Standard D and F, go to J. First Class D and E, go to L.
3. D and F, go to J. D and E, go to L.

None of the options stood out to me as particularly clear, but it'd be interesting to see what everyone else thinks.

 

[DanNCL]

None are great but I think option 2 is the best of those ones.

Option 3 is not good at all as it doesn’t make clear which alternatives are for standard and which are for first.

 

[DelW]

In a similar situation last week on GWR, with a 5 car replacing a 9 car set, it was just left as a free-for-all, with nothing on displays and passengers having reservations in the missing coaches (of whom I was one) just told to find any free seat(s). Though the 6 rows "reserved for staff use" were supposed to stay sacrosanct.

 

[Fuzzytop]

In a similar situation last week on GWR, with a 5 car replacing a 9 car set, it was just left as a free-for-all, with nothing on displays and passengers having reservations in the missing coaches (of whom I was one) just told to find any free seat(s). Though the 6 rows "reserved for staff use" were supposed to stay sacrosanct.

To be fair, a 5 car free-for-all was also my experience on LNER lately...

Perhaps the coach lettering is something we will have to learn to live with. I still find it odd that Coach H is quiet only on 9-car Azumas and not designated on 10-car.

 

[YorksLad12]

I had the email as well (I was in seat D2 though), and went with Option 1 - purely because it said "please", which is polite. But I also made the point the should say to go to coach J (or wherever), as some people might assume there was a point on the station/platform they should assemble at.

But I did also choose later on the option of sitting in 'my' seat in coach J, J2; so it should also tell passengers to find a free seat in J or to find the same seat number in J, whichever it is. If you follow.

 

[Parallel]

In a similar situation last week on GWR, with a 5 car replacing a 9 car set, it was just left as a free-for-all, with nothing on displays and passengers having reservations in the missing coaches (of whom I was one) just told to find any free seat(s). Though the 6 rows "reserved for staff use" were supposed to stay sacrosanct.

It is usually GWR policy not honour seat reservations when a 10/9 carriage IET has been short formed to 5 carriages - The Twitter staff have confirmed that previously, however I guess that is down to the train crew to make the passengers on board, aware!

 

[Ianno87]

I still find it odd that Coach H is quiet only on 9-car Azumas and not designated on 10-car.

Presumably it needs all the signage in the carriage, but then to do it on a 10-car would need one quite zone in each 5 car set, which would then be excessive having 2 carriages in total. 10% of the train is reasonable, but 20% would not be.

I'd still personally just bin quiet zones entirely.

 

[YorksLad12]

To be fair, a 5 car free-for-all was also my experience on LNER lately...

Perhaps the coach lettering is something we will have to learn to live with. I still find it odd that Coach H is quiet only on 9-car Azumas and not designated on 10-car.

Presumably it needs all the signage in the carriage, but then to do it on a 10-car would need one quite zone in each 5 car set, which would then be excessive having 2 carriages in total. 10% of the train is reasonable, but 20% would not be.

There is only one coach H in a 10-car set as well (dynamically assigned rather than being fixed of course). So apart from on-vehicle stickers it could be done; I've rarely done a 10-car set so hadn't noticed there wasn't a 'H'ush coach. Paradoxically you would lose more seats in a 10-car than a 9-car (though not that many) thanks to having four half-cars instead of two but the effect is minimal.

I'd still personally just bin quiet zones entirely.

I guess we don't know, but how many people are booking into coach H on the 9-car sets? Could it be reduced to coach K, for example?