FGW 1st Eastbound Only

[ess]

FGW offer season tickets with 1st class eastbound only for local services from Reading etc. Does that mean Westbound is often empty? Why not offer a westbound only option too?

 

[MCR247]

Maybe its just that eastbound was underused and westbound was fine?

 

[laird]

Travelling to London in the morning boarding after Reading meant there was little or no chance of getting a seat, unless in First class.
Coming out from London you could either travel off peak or run with the other commuters from the lawn to get that prized favourite seat.
So the concept of a season ticket with First class one way and Standard class the other was born, or at least so the tale goes.

Whether it will ever be extended to Reading and the West is an interesting question, at the moment I believe it starts from Twyford?

 

[bengolding]

Are you sure about that? I know of someone who often gets a First Class monthly season from Paddington - Slough? They avoid the stoppers at all costs as I also find that the First compartment is hardly ever checked so is often a free-for-all, especially in the peaks.

 

[Flamingo]

Are you sure about that? I know of someone who often gets a First Class monthly season from Paddington - Slough? They avoid the stoppers at all costs as I also find that the First compartment is hardly ever checked so is often a free-for-all, especially in the peaks.

On one of the rare occasions I worked an evening Pad - Slough (to OXF I think), I had a complaint made against me that I was "trying to catch people out" after I checked tickets in 1st, as according to the lady on the STD season ticket I asked to pay up or shift, "Nobody ever did tickets in 1st before Slough".

She wrote in to complain about me. :roll:

Another to add to the collection

 

[laird]

There are from Twyford, Maidenhead and Slough faster (non-stopping) trains that perhaps would be easier to check tickets on, it is perhaps to these that the fare is primarily targetted.
There isn't much of an advantage to travelling First on a stopping Turbo save for the seat availability?

When I've been on the platform at Reading when these would go through at peak times it was noticeably light on passengers but I presume by Paddington would be full to bursting.