SWR 1st Class - declassified?

[Lifelong]

Good evening all…on the Guildford New Line we are starting to see trains w first class. After initial delight w the new stock (people were genuinely calling their other halves to tell them they had a nice train last week), questions now around the 1st class.

I asked a guard last week around declassification and he said ‘if we were going via Woking then confirmed, we are trying to get confirmation on this line’. I asked another guard tonight and he said ‘fine, all declassified on the metros’. But it’s not being announced and so people are still standing whilst ‘1st’ has seats.

I’m personally less concerned on that than I am w a RPI taking a contrary view to what the guards are saying. I have a recollection of someone being told on the forum that this sort of thing was discretionary, is that really the case?

Cheers

 

[hexagon789]

Good evening all…on the Guildford New Line we are starting to see trains w first class. After initial delight w the new stock (people were genuinely calling their other halves to tell them they had a nice train last week), questions now around the 1st class.

I asked a guard last week around declassification and he said ‘if we were going via Woking then confirmed, we are trying to get confirmation on this line’. I asked another guard tonight and he said ‘fine, all declassified on the metros’. But it’s not being announced and so people are still standing whilst ‘1st’ has seats.

I’m personally less concerned on that than I am w a RPI taking a contrary view to what the guards are saying. I have a recollection of someone being told on the forum that this sort of thing was discretionary, is that really the case?

Cheers

Yes, it is entirely discretionary even if the timetable says the service is standard class only.

If a first class fare exists it can be charged (not entirely uncommon), or alternatively the guard can simply chose to lock out the first class area (not very common).

 

[Watershed]

Good evening all…on the Guildford New Line we are starting to see trains w first class. After initial delight w the new stock (people were genuinely calling their other halves to tell them they had a nice train last week), questions now around the 1st class.

I asked a guard last week around declassification and he said ‘if we were going via Woking then confirmed, we are trying to get confirmation on this line’. I asked another guard tonight and he said ‘fine, all declassified on the metros’. But it’s not being announced and so people are still standing whilst ‘1st’ has seats.

I’m personally less concerned on that than I am w a RPI taking a contrary view to what the guards are saying. I have a recollection of someone being told on the forum that this sort of thing was discretionary, is that really the case?

Cheers

You would need confirmation from SWR, ideally in writing, that any First Class is declassified. In practice I imagine most metro guards won't be checking tickets anyway, and if they do they'd probably be OK with you sitting in first. But if you encounter an RPI... you want the confirmation alluded to above, in case they start getting uppity about it.

 

[Lifelong]

Yes, it is entirely discretionary even if the timetable says the service is standard class only.

If a first class fare exists it can be charged (not entirely uncommon), or alternatively the guard can simply chose to lock out the first class area (not very common).

Many thanks. I will continue to ask then. There are, though, no 1st class fares on the journey in question...

 

[hexagon789]

Many thanks. I will continue to ask then. There are, though, no 1st class fares on the journey in question...

What is the journey?

There are certainly First Class fares for Waterloo-Guildford via Woking.

 

[Lifelong]

What is the journey?

There are certainly First Class fares for Waterloo-Guildford via Woking.

London to Cobham (I only looked at National Rail Enquiries mind you - ticking the ‘include first class’ and only standard fares appeared)