SWR First Class carriage position (Reading to Waterloo)

[drinker]

Hi,

Is there anyway to know whereabouts the FC carriage will be located before the train arrives at the platform mid route? It is usually on the front of the train, sometimes in the middle and sometimes towards the back.

My reason for asking is that I have a disability and have paid extra for a FC season ticket to travel to London in the peak hours (around 7:30am) and ensure I get a seat. However I am finding that 10-20% of the trains don’t have the FC carriage at the front. This doesn’t sound significant but if I am waiting on the platform at the front and the carriage is at the middle or to rear of the train I have no realistic way of getting to the carriage. I actually have to wait on the platform for the next train! It is not possible for me to move between carriages because it is so busy (standing room only).

Virgin obviously state where the FC carriages are on the overhead noticeboards but SWR doesn’t do this on their packed commuter trains.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[swt_passenger]

Hate to be the one to tell you this, but first class is being permanently removed from the Reading route (and all other Windsor side routes) starting 10th December. The Class 458s generally used on those services are currently having all their signage removed, it was noted in another thread on Saturday just gone that most were already done.

 

[A Challenge]

You could get a changeover to a STD season I think, could someone else confirm if you can?

 

[swt_passenger]

You could get a changeover to a STD season I think, could someone else confirm if you can?

You’d think that would go without saying, but odd they haven’t explicitly mentioned it on the poster someone saw at Ascot and put online a few days ago:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/swr-repaints-and-refurbishments.152252/page-42#post-3737170

 

[drinker]

Thanks for the info. I did hear something about this but thought it was from mid 2019. Oh well! Interesting that they haven’t contacted those who have paid for First Class season tickets with what their options are??

 

[TEW]

Best chance of finding First Class is waiting in the middle. 6 of the 36 458 units employed on most Reading line services don't have First Class, so it is when one of these turns up that you find no First Class is available. Unfortunately SWR are not very good at providing information about the location of First Class, although it is worth checking their journey check, sometimes information is provided about the lack of First Class on Reading services.

 

[Ethano92]

If worst comes to worst, I'll have lost faith in humanity if someone in standard doesn't give up their seats when asked whether your disability is visible or not rather than wait half an hour for the next train. Although FC will be removed all together on this route, this is another example of how the railways don't make things easy for those with disabilities through the little things such as stating where first class is -something not many even realise. Perhaps ask help from platform staff or a kind member of public to ask people standing to allow you to get through to a seat (that will hopefully have been given up) if the train is already standing room only from where you get on.

Hope things go well, unfortunately on this route first class is subject to change

 

[43096]

Best chance of finding First Class is waiting in the middle. 6 of the 36 458 units employed on most Reading line services don't have First Class, so it is when one of these turns up that you find no First Class is available. Unfortunately SWR are not very good at providing information about the location of First Class, although it is worth checking their journey check, sometimes information is provided about the lack of First Class on Reading services.

If it shows on the screen as being a 10-car service it will be formed of two 458s. For those, as you say, you are best being in the middle of the train in case one of the 6 with no FC turn up (458531-536) - if you are very unlucky you might get a pair with no FC. If it is two of the 458501-530 batch FC is in cars 1, 5, 6 and 10 i.e. at the outer ends of each unit.

If it is an 8-car service it will be two 450s, with FC in cars 2 or 3 and 6 or 7.

 

[drinker]

Thank you. At least I now understand the logic!

I think I’ll cancel the season ticket from the 9th December and try and reduce my travel to London very slightly (3 days per week) and revert back to using a DSB discount on a daily basis which I know is quite a bit cheaper than the season ticket.