First Great Western & East Coast Weekend Upgrades

[cuccir]

I'm travelling on an Advance ticket Oxford-London on Sunday (the 14:50 departure to London). I notice that a weekend first upgrade is only £5, which seems a good deal for an hour's journey, especially given they don't provide guaranteed seat reservations. Is the train likely to be busy and will it be worth the fiver - two cups of coffee, added to extra comfort, would make it easily worth while?

I'm also going to be on an East Coast train out of London at 17:30. That would cost £25 and although I know the first class service is good, we should be able to get to our booked seats (always select 'seat near door' on potentially busy trains!), unless anyone on here knows that East Coast trains at this time are exceptionally busy?

 

[wibble]

With FGW, if you book your Weekend First in advance you will be given a seat reservation. Alternatively, you can buy your upgrade on the train.

For East Coast, upgrades are only available on the train and cannot be purchased in advance of travel.

 

[Flamingo]

You can get your Pad-Oxf weekend upgrade on-board. Just find your seat in 1st class on boarding (G, H and maybe F, should be plenty of space), and have your £5 ready for when the TM comes through. They usually go through as soon as it leaves Pad, unless it's in reverse.

Remember, you need to go to the buffet and show your upgrade to get any freebies (tea, coffee, water and biscuits - the chocolate ones are good).

 

[ainsworth74]

Just out of curiosity can you get weekend upgrades on advance tickets or is it just open tickets?

 

[Mojo]

The FGW timetable shows the 1450 on Sundays as not being an HST and not conveying catering. Assuming it is correct then it will therefore be a DOO Turbo and the only difference between First and Standard being better seats and a segregated section (amongst a few other bits like carpet).

If you only wanted to do it to experience First class then it's not worth it, as you won't get free drinks and First class is not the premium product it is on the Intercity services (eg. HSTs).

Unless an RPI is on board you won't get checked anyway, although saying that it is an ex-Malvern service; do they have guards on board to cover the Cotswolds section?

 

[Flamingo]

The FGW timetable shows the 1450 on Sundays as not being an HST and not conveying catering. Assuming it is correct then it will therefore be a DOO Turbo and the only difference between First and Standard being better seats and a segregated section (amongst a few other bits like carpet).

If you only wanted to do it to experience First class then it's not worth it, as you won't get free drinks and First class is not the premium product it is on the Intercity services (eg. HSTs).

Unless an RPI is on board you won't get checked anyway, although saying that it is an ex-Malvern service; do they have guards on board to cover the Cotswolds section?

I forgot to look up what class was on the OXFORD run, I was describing the routine on an HST. I don't know what happens on a turbo, I don't work them or travel in them.

Just out of curiosity can you get weekend upgrades on advance tickets or is it just open tickets?

On FGW any ticket can be upgraded (although I have to say, it's often a better deal to buy and Advanced 1st class ticket than buy a STD class and pay the upgrade - do the maths before deciding). I'm not sure about other TOC's, I believe it varies.

 

[wibble]

I'm not sure about other TOC's, I believe it varies.

It does vary - SWT doesn't allow them.

 

[bnm]

It does vary - SWT doesn't allow them.

Just to clarify - SWT don't allow Weekend First upgrades on Advance Purchase tickets. Permitted on all other ticket types.

 

[devon_metro]

The FGW timetable shows the 1450 on Sundays as not being an HST and not conveying catering. Assuming it is correct then it will therefore be a DOO Turbo and the only difference between First and Standard being better seats and a segregated section (amongst a few other bits like carpet).

If you only wanted to do it to experience First class then it's not worth it, as you won't get free drinks and First class is not the premium product it is on the Intercity services (eg. HSTs).

Unless an RPI is on board you won't get checked anyway, although saying that it is an ex-Malvern service; do they have guards on board to cover the Cotswolds section?

Was under the impression Oxford 'fasts' were not DOO. Perhaps Oxford terminators are however i've been on Pad - Cotswolds turbos that most certainly had a guard.

 

[TEW]

Whenever I have been on Oxford fasts which are Turbos there has been a guard. Never seen one venture out from the cab however.

 

[cuccir]

Both my train to Oxford and from Oxford had no guard, or at least not one seen, so I presume they are DOO?

Didn't bother in the end, but the train was so jam-packed that (it looked like) people were standing in first anyway: certainly standard class was packed in commuter-style. The route needs more capacity than the turbo provided!

Even more bizzarely, my East Coast train to Durham (terminated Newcastle), which left Kings Cross full but not crammed, almost half emptied at Newark. I can safely say I've never seen that before!

 

[clagmonster]

While we're on the subject, can guards for other companies sell FGW weekend first upgrades for use on FGW services? Do the trains on the Thames Valley branches have revenue trained guards, and if so, can you purchase the upgrade on board, even in a PF area? Thanks.

 

[TEW]

The Marlow branch has a guard, I know Greenford doesn't and I'm not sure about the others. Yes you can buy the upgrade on board even in a penalty fares area.