FGW Seat reservations

[DJ737]

G'day

After sorting out the Scotrail / Serco sleeper kerfuffle (see other thread) , I booked my elderly mother on a train from Paddington to Swansea (with connection to Lamphey) with an Senior R/C advance and she was allocated seat in coach A, seat 6, I emailed FGW with a seat request at the same table for my Britrail pass and 3 mins later had a reply with seat 5 in the same coach A.

All good so far ,what I need to know is coach A at the Swansea end of the train or the London end leaving Paddington? as my mother has a walking aid and may need some assistance. (but not a wheelchair)

Train is 1045 Paddington-Swansea on 7 May

Cheers
DJ737
Melbourne, Australia

 

[bb21]

Coach A is at the extreme country end, unless the train is in reverse formation, which is unusual but happens from time to time.

 

[fairysdad]

You should be able to book passenger assistance at Paddington, which will probably include a ride in one of those beefed-up go-kart things they have for such a purpose:

Around the station

To book, call reception on 020 7922 6793

Monday to Friday 07:00 - 22:00
Saturday and Sunday 08:00 - 20:00

If you haven't booked ask a member of staff, use the yellow phones around the station and car park, or go to reception (by the top of platform 1). Please allow an extra 30 minutes if you haven't booked.

Mobility assistance vehicles are available.

(Source)

I may be wrong, but I think Coach A is also the 'Quiet Coach' on HSTs.

 

[CC 72100]

I may be wrong, but I think Coach A is also the 'Quiet Coach' on HSTs.

Correct.

 

[fairysdad]

Correct.

Yay! Completely irrelevant I know, just felt like adding that bit (I put it in inverted commas though as I've travelled in it a couple of times and it was anything but quiet...)

 

[DJ737]

G'day

Thanks for the replies, my mother should be OK as long as we get to Paddington in plenty of time to walk to the front of the train.

Cheers
DJ737
Melbourne, Australia

 

[Flamingo]

I'm fairly sure that seat's 5&6 A are airline, not a table. They are just inside the door.

 

[TEW]

They are. The 1045 Paddington-Swansea is normally a low density HST set because of the Pullman restaurant on board so there should be 4 unreserved tables in Coach F and 8 in Coach E.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

I'm fairly sure that seat's 5&6 A are airline, not a table. They are just inside the door.

Aren't they also "enhanced space" with the "please give up this seat for someone less mobile" message?

I suspect they are allocated first come, first served. So if booking an Advance in the "quiet" coach, go for "direction of travel" when heading west and "backwards" facing when going east.

 

[Flamingo]

One row ahead, I think. 1 to 4 are the first row.

 

[bnm]

One row ahead, I think. 1 to 4 are the first row.

In coach A I believe only seats 1-4 are now marked as priority seats, with 5-8 also offering extra legroom in high density sets and 5-8, 11, 12 in low density. All used to be marked in the seating plan as priority, but the latest plans in the FGW Network Timetable only mark seats 1-4 as priority.