Seat-hoggers..............

[route:oxford]

It's hardly difficult. You don't even have to interact with people.

Just lift their bag up and put it on the overhead rack.

If people won't move, sit on their lap.

 

[Temple Meads]

I'm guilty of this, but if I was in a carriage that was reaching capacity then I've got absolutely no problem with someone sitting next to me.

 

[MK Tom]

As pretty much everyone else has said when I'm sitting in a 70 seater carriage with 10 people in it I will put my bag on the seat next to or even opposite me if I'm on a train with no tables. As soon as it gets to the point where there are no free double seats left I'll put my hand on it and lift it onto my lap at every station. Usually nobody sits there and I'll put it back until the next stop unless someone comes through in between. As I usually travel with a bag-for-life style carrier rather than an actual bag I never use the overhead racks for fear everything will fall out. I also like to be able to get at my lunch and book

 

[reb0118]

As a guard I'm a bit of a "luggage nazi". No luggage in the doorways, aisles, or vestibules. No luggage in the disabled areas. No wheeled or heavy luggage on the seats. This is regardless of how empty or full the train is. I charge a luggage ticket is there is space in the rack but the luggage is in the aisle. I charge a full single if the luggage is on a seat - and inform the passenger that they will have to remove the luggage if a standing passenger wishes that seat.

I've had two on train fires & know the importance of keeping all exits clear. Common sense really.

Wish regard to soft bags,coats, &c. I don't mind if it's quiet but if my train starts to get busier then I use the P.A. "Ladies & Gentlemen this train is now rather busy & we expect more passengers to board at the next station. Kindly remove all items of luggage, coats, newspapers, &c. from the empty seats beside you. You will find plenty room for these items in the racks above your head. This allows your fellow passengers to take a seat"

Of course if that is not heeded then stronger action may be needed. Don't get me started about feet on seats...........

 

[Michael.Y]

As a guard I'm a bit of a "luggage nazi". No luggage in the doorways, aisles, or vestibules. No luggage in the disabled areas. No wheeled or heavy luggage on the seats. This is regardless of how empty or full the train is. I charge a luggage ticket is there is space in the rack but the luggage is in the aisle. I charge a full single if the luggage is on a seat - and inform the passenger that they will have to remove the luggage if a standing passenger wishes that seat.

I've had two on train fires & know the importance of keeping all exits clear. Common sense really.

Wish regard to soft bags,coats, &c. I don't mind if it's quiet but if my train starts to get busier then I use the P.A. "Ladies & Gentlemen this train is now rather busy & we expect more passengers to board at the next station. Kindly remove all items of luggage, coats, newspapers, &c. from the empty seats beside you. You will find plenty room for these items in the racks above your head. This allows your fellow passengers to take a seat"

Of course if that is not heeded then stronger action may be needed. Don't get me started about feet on seats...........

I wish there were more like you.

Big French guy sat at a table today with his size 13s up on the opposite chair, yammering loudly into his handsfree.... A quick wave and a beckon, and those size 13s hit the floor. Wish it was that easy.

 

[Sheridan]

Michael - interestingly enough I find trains often roll into Chester full and my heart sinks as I think I won't get a seat with an empty one next to it - but as if by magic everyone gets off at Chester and we often set off to Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl or Bangor with a relatively empty train. Is this something you've notice?

 

[Bungle73]

As a guard I'm a bit of a "luggage nazi". No luggage in the doorways, aisles, or vestibules.

Do your trains have large luggage racks for suitcases? On most trains here all there is is the overhead rack, so if one has a large suitcase one has no choice but to put it in the doorway.

 

[Lrd]

Do your trains have large luggage racks for suitcases? On most trains here all there is is the overhead rack, so if one has a large suitcase one has no choice but to put it in the doorway.

You can often put them in between the seats, like two sets of seats with their backs together.

_/ _/ _/\_-_/\_ \_ \_ (Seats)
--------*----*--------- (Floor)

* = Suitcases

(I felt creative )

 

[Michael.Y]

Michael - interestingly enough I find trains often roll into Chester full and my heart sinks as I think I won't get a seat with an empty one next to it - but as if by magic everyone gets off at Chester and we often set off to Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl or Bangor with a relatively empty train. Is this something you've notice?

Yup, you're right - we always unload a massive amount of people at Chester, whether we're going southbound or westbound. However, we fill up again going southbound to Wrexham and the commuter towns of Rhiwabon, Chirk and Gobowen, and if we're going westbound on a boat train, we take on Irish folk who've travelled up from London on the Virgin.

 

[scotsman]

I'm pretty sure I know who reb0118 works for, in which case, the trains he works have overhead racks, spaces between seats and racks at the end of each coach

 

[transmanche]

Yup, you're right - we always unload a massive amount of people at Chester, whether we're going southbound or westbound. However, we fill up again going southbound to Wrexham and the commuter towns of Rhiwabon, Chirk and Gobowen, and if we're going westbound on a boat train, we take on Irish folk who've travelled up from London on the Virgin.

Are you a guard for ATW? If som you've probably clipped my ticket on a Chester-Gobowen run!

I have one of those small cases, the ones designed so they can be taken on a plane as hand-luggage. It fits nicely onto the overhead racks on HSTs, Mk4s and TPE's 185s. My only gripe with ATW's 175s is that my case doesn't fit in the overhead rack!

 

[ollyrogers]

Only once have I put up a fight about being asked to move my luggage - this was at Langley, where an unpleasant young Asian lad came up to me (despite there being by my count 6 or 7 seats available with no-one else boarding the train) and said "Oi bruv move your bag yeah". Bearing in mind this was at 7:30 in the morning and I'd paid £35 for the pleasure of being on that train I felt it unnecessary for him to demand it in this manner... I got very ratty with him when he started bleating on about paying for a seat on the train - to which I asked to see his seat reservation...

Of course, if he'd have asked politely everything would have been so much different... "Yes of course, let me just put it in the rack..."

 

[MK Tom]

I had assumed we were talking hand/carrier/soft bags and small suitcases and not big wheeled travel cases. Things you can easily lift off at any moment and are prepared to do aren't a problem. I can entirely see the problem with having a massive case the size of a dog taking up the seat next to you because if someone needs it it's going to take a lifetime to get it out of their way.

 

[amcluesent]

If I find the train is busy, I just ask 'excuse me, is that seat taken?' Never had a problem with pax moving a bag.

What annoys me is pax taking a huge wheeled case into a EC MkIV and going past the racks at the end, and you're wondering exactly where do you think that will go in the carriage?

Anyway before we claim the moral high ground, there's a thread on the fourum about techniques to discourage pax sitting beside you...

 

[transportphoto]

This is one of the funny things I find about the railways, your constantly being told to keep all luggage and personal possessions with you at all times then as soon as you get on a train, your told to chuck them on the luggage racks, this could quite possibly be out of your site if the train is busy. I have personal experience of someone stealing one of our suitcases from the rack, we didn't notice until we got off.

The BTP couldn't do anything but give us a crime number. This enabled us to make an insurance claim for the contents and for a replacement case however that isn't my point. What are we meant to do?

BTW, we are talking about smaller cases here, just to big not to fit on an over head and under seat - personal case i think their called.

 

[Michael.Y]

Are you a guard for ATW?

My only gripe with ATW's 175s is that my case doesn't fit in the overhead rack!

Steward. And yes, the overhead racking on 175s is a little tight. However there's loads of legroom and a bag can go behind your heels no prob. (IMO)

 

[Bungle73]

You can often put them in between the seats, like two sets of seats with their backs together.

_/ _/ _/\_-_/\_ \_ \_ (Seats)
--------*----*--------- (Floor)

* = Suitcases

(I felt creative )

On an Electrostar?

 

[CC 72100]

As a guard I'm a bit of a "luggage nazi". No luggage in the doorways, aisles, or vestibules. No luggage in the disabled areas. No wheeled or heavy luggage on the seats. This is regardless of how empty or full the train is. I charge a luggage ticket is there is space in the rack but the luggage is in the aisle. I charge a full single if the luggage is on a seat - and inform the passenger that they will have to remove the luggage if a standing passenger wishes that seat.

I've had two on train fires & know the importance of keeping all exits clear. Common sense really.

Wish regard to soft bags,coats, &c. I don't mind if it's quiet but if my train starts to get busier then I use the P.A. "Ladies & Gentlemen this train is now rather busy & we expect more passengers to board at the next station. Kindly remove all items of luggage, coats, newspapers, &c. from the empty seats beside you. You will find plenty room for these items in the racks above your head. This allows your fellow passengers to take a seat"

Of course if that is not heeded then stronger action may be needed. Don't get me started about feet on seats...........

I think First great Western could learn a little bit from you. I've seen on a PNZ- PAD (via Bristol) before luggage piled up by the door, meaning that in an emergency, it would be totally in accesible. You could barely see the window!

 

[Flamingo]

I think First great Western could learn a little bit from you. I've seen on a PNZ- PAD (via Bristol) before luggage piled up by the door, meaning that in an emergency, it would be totally in accesible. You could barely see the window!

Penzance trains are notorious, not helped by people ignoring the pleas to put their luggage in the luggage vans if they are going long distance.

But the guard should have shifted them, The other alternative is to stop people boarding with luggage after the train is full.

Looking at the trains in the week before / after Christmas, I was wondering at what point would we have to adopt the Ryanair model, and start charging extra for luggage. I know in theory we can, but I have never known anybody do this, I'm thinking we need to start to make people think about what they are bringing (and before anyone starts whining about "It's the TOC's fault for not having enough space", why should passengers be forced to stand because seats have been taken out to make room for someone wanting to bring their entire lifes possessions on the train with them.) The last time I moved house I used Pickfords, not FGW.

 

[amcluesent]

The last time I moved house I used Pickfords, not FGW.

Yep, how often do you you see a couple with her pulling two substantial trolley-cases and he's pulling a suitcase that's weighing in at 100kg.

 

[Flamingo]

Yep, how often do you you see a couple with her pulling two substantial trolley-cases and he's pulling a suitcase that's weighing in at 100kg.

And carrying a TV and microwave...

 

[ole man]

I think First great Western could learn a little bit from you. I've seen on a PNZ- PAD (via Bristol) before luggage piled up by the door, meaning that in an emergency, it would be totally in accesible. You could barely see the window!

That is no fault of the passenger though, if FGW and other TOC's provided adequate space for luggage then that wouldn't happen.
As you well know the railway is trying to compete with air travel but still has a long way to go to catch up them regarding space, meals even.

No passenger wants to sit far away from there luggage these days, with so many thieves hanging about, its not hard to pinch somebody's luggage if there sat half way down carriage and can not see it

 

[Flamingo]

Well, we could learn from the airlines, and charge for each piece of luggage carried...

What do you call "adequate"? Space for each passenger (400+) to have a two cases 55x40x20 cm, and one 90x70x30 cm, 50kg each? That is the allowance according to the NRCoC. Passengers do exceed it, by quite a lot.

 

[Bungle73]

Well, we could learn from the airlines, and charge for each piece of luggage carried...

A plane has a weight limit, a trains does not, that's why they charge.

 

[Inox]

seat hoggers? you want seat hoggers?

I've posted this before, but this happens to be my best experience:

 

[ole man]

That wouldn't work, how would it be enforced with some many people now getting there tickets from machines and internet, etc.

The railway can never compete with the airlines for space, lets not forget airline passenger do not get off, they stay the whole journey, rail suffers from passenger getting on and off whenever they feel like it.

I can not see any option TOC's have?

 

[Lrd]

On an Electrostar?

I am not too familiar of the seating arrangements on Electostars, but do know that there are luggage racks on Southern 377s.

 

[Class172]

I often put my bag on a seat, especially if it is an airline seat - if it is busy and another passenger asks to sit there then I will oblige and move it.

 

[island]

I am not too familiar of the seating arrangements on Electostars, but do know that there are luggage racks on Southern 377s.

And on Southeastern 376s too. Not, on the other hand, on the 465s/466s.

 

[WestCoast]

It's a bit of a problem on traditional bus-seated 142s on Northern, because the seats aren't individual, so the bench that is supposed to fit 2 people can be a bit tight. It won't allow 2 people 'of a certain size' to physically position themselves on the bench. Hence why bags end up there...