Thameslink Seat Reservations

[JonathanH]

Is there a line that has reservations but doesn't have Advance tickets?

All locations will have advance tickets to somewhere.

There are many places where a point to point flow doesn't have an advance fare but the trains have reservations.

Try the Welsh Valleys for a place where trains have reservations but there are no advances to Cardiff but there are numerous others.

 

[trebor79]

How is the average person, who hasn't read this thread, meant to know which trains are reservable and which trains are not (and hence which ones they're allowed to use on the unreserved leg of an advance ticket)?

For as long as I can recall, I've bought advance tickets from "somewhere the other side of London" back home to Cambridge/Ely. The trains from London to Cambridge have never had a reserved seat on a specific train. The journey planner has always (obviously) routed me onto the fast non-stop train from London to Cambridge, but I've often opted for the semi-fast (now Thameslink) to Cambridge instead, because it is often a much quieter train and much more pleasant journey.

Yep, I buy tickets from/to "somewhere else" for a cheap day out in London. Only the "London to/from somewhere else" leg has the reservation printed on the ticket, with "& connections".
The solution now seems to be to manipulate the journey planner so that I'm on a GN service into KX, so there won't be a specific train printed on the ticket for that leg. I don't think there'd then be any problem at all using a Thameslink service, because although they are now reservable, they aren't reservations compulsory.

 

[717001]

The Thameslink website page:

Thameslink - Tickets

Find the answers to all your ticket enquiries, from seasonal tickets to our new key smartcard for uncomplicated travels

www.thameslinkrailway.com

states:

Can I reserve a seat on your trains?​

No. We don't offer seat reservations on any of our services.
If part of your journey is with another train company who do offer seat reservations, we can arrange them for you (subject to availability) when you buy your ticket at a ticket office or online.

 

[Hadders]

Hmmm. Well I have a reservation on a Thameslink train tomorrow morning….

 

[Alex365Dash]

The Thameslink website page:

Thameslink - Tickets

Find the answers to all your ticket enquiries, from seasonal tickets to our new key smartcard for uncomplicated travels

www.thameslinkrailway.com

states:

Which, funnily enough, is also the exact statement made on Southern’s website - except Southern have offered Advances with counted place reservations for a while now (counted place reservations reserve you on a specific train, but don’t give you a seat, which explains the answer).

Thameslink is now also offering counted place reservations, although for what reason remains to be seen…

 

[johncrossley]

Presumably they don't consider counted place reservations as seat reservations, given you aren't guaranteed a seat, never mind given a specific seat to sit in.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Thameslink is now also offering counted place reservations, although for what reason remains to be seen…

Maybe it's so that they can control the number of other TOC advances on their trains, wouldn't be the first

 

[Ianno87]

Maybe it's so that they can control the number of other TOC advances on their trains, wouldn't be the first

Don't I recall East Midlands Trains doing that? The number of Advances being sold Lincoln-London was swamping single car Class 153s...