TPE: Reservations compulsory?

[thealexweb]

Hi all. I am planning a Bolton <-> Edinburgh trip with TPE and I noticed on RTT a lot of journeys say reservations compulsory. I have never seen this on anything but the Caledonian sleeper. Is this a new thing for TPE?

Realtime Trains | 1812 Edinburgh to Manchester Airport | 20/03/2025

Real-time train running information for 1812 departure from Edinburgh to Manchester Airport on 20/03/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[jfollows]

It’s only the Scotland TPE services with compulsory reservations. Plus Avanti and LNER.

Per https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...are-they-allocated.280442/page-3#post-7150537

And all the trains have unreserved seats anyway. If you have an open ticket then the ”requirement” to hold a reservation is not enforced.

 

[OscarH]

I have never seen this on anything but the Caledonian sleeper.

They're still the only ones with real compulsory reservations (maybe the GWR sleeper?). Other TOCs marking them as such aren't actually the case, and it isn't enforced on the ground or anything. It's just a bodge because the TOCs wanted to be able to stop retailers selling valid flexible tickets at their leisure.

 

[185143]

They're still the only ones with real compulsory reservations (maybe the GWR sleeper?). Other TOCs marking them as such aren't actually the case, and it isn't enforced on the ground or anything. It's just a bodge because the TOCs wanted to be able to stop retailers selling valid flexible tickets at their leisure.

GWR sleeper isn't reservation compulsory. They have two seated coaches, which are highly unlikely to carry anyone other than first time passengers for an overnight journey as they're horrendous! Must be at least 4 times the seated capacity as on CS.

That said, it's selectively enforced on there at times. I asked to get on at Fort William with a valid rover, but no reservation. Got a lecture that I needed a reservation and travel wasn't guaranteed and so on. Before being allowed access to an entirely empty seated coach! This was on the Fort William portion where they're obligated to carry day passengers... allegedly.

Another time I was at Dumbarton getting on the Sleeper to London, obviously with a reservation. The TM who was taking over approached the other two people on the platform and asked where they were travelling to. They said Glasgow and he strongly encouraged them to board.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Hi all. I am planning a Bolton <-> Edinburgh trip with TPE and I noticed on RTT a lot of journeys say reservations compulsory. I have never seen this on anything but the Caledonian sleeper. Is this a new thing for TPE?

Realtime Trains | 1812 Edinburgh to Manchester Airport | 20/03/2025

Real-time train running information for 1812 departure from Edinburgh to Manchester Airport on 20/03/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

These trains get VERY busy - 5-car is way too short for the demand. If you don't want to be sitting on the floor, a reservation is very, very strongly recommended, even though the "compulsory" thing is just for sales and isn't enforced.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Feb 2025 ==

GWR sleeper isn't reservation compulsory. They have two seated coaches, which are highly unlikely to carry anyone other than first time passengers for an overnight journey as they're horrendous! Must be at least 4 times the seated capacity as on CS.

It's been marked fake compulsory since COVID. Doubt it's enforced though, aside from around Glastonbury when it might genuinely fill up.

I've done it once and the main passengers were staff.

 

[TUC]

Whereas conversely too many cross-pennine TPE services don't offer seat reservations at all.

 

[Kite159]

These trains get VERY busy - 5-car is way too short for the demand. If you don't want to be sitting on the floor, a reservation is very, very strongly recommended, even though the "compulsory" thing is just for sales and isn't enforced.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Feb 2025 ==



It's been marked fake compulsory since COVID. Doubt it's enforced though, aside from around Glastonbury when it might genuinely fill up.

I've done it once and the main passengers were staff.

Does the GWR sleeper get any busier during Glastonbury? If any music festival will cause it to fill it up, it would be that Boardmasters event in Newquay.

As for TPE, I'm sure they still have an unreserved coach, but agreed those 5 coach trains can get busy, especially on the services which were previously 8 coach 350s

 

[hexagon789]

Does the GWR sleeper get any busier during Glastonbury? If any music festival will cause it to fill it up, it would be that Boardmasters event in Newquay.

As for TPE, I'm sure they still have an unreserved coach, but agreed those 5 coach trains can get busy, especially on the services which were previously 8 coach 350s

They do, usually D on the 802s/307s but the higher seat numbers can be reserved.

Indeed, I reserved D65 recently myself both ways.

 

[xotGD]

Yesterday I made a seat reservation on an LNER service, and my reservation details came back with no reserved seat. Later, I received a text message telling me where to find the unreserved seats on the train.

 

[eoff]

Funnily enough I was on a train last year (TPE or LNER, don't recall) and there was an announcement telling people boarding that tickets without reservations were not valid. If this is generally true then it removes the reason I purchased an off-peak ticket, so I could get a different service if I wanted to.

 

[Watershed]

Funnily enough I was on a train last year (TPE or LNER, don't recall) and there was an announcement telling people boarding that tickets without reservations were not valid. If this is generally true then it removes the reason I purchased an off-peak ticket, so I could get a different service if I wanted to.

It is nonsense and entirely incorrect. You should raise a complaint to the relevant train company if you hear it again.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It is nonsense and entirely incorrect. You should raise a complaint to the relevant train company if you hear it again.

Unless they said Advance tickets, which would be correct. An announcement like that is very often made.

 

[Kite159]

Funnily enough I was on a train last year (TPE or LNER, don't recall) and there was an announcement telling people boarding that tickets without reservations were not valid. If this is generally true then it removes the reason I purchased an off-peak ticket, so I could get a different service if I wanted to.

Probably LNER with the member of staff still thinking it's the Covid era where some were quite militant about needing a seat reservation to board the mostly empty train.

 

[johntea]

Interestingly I've been travelling on the York - Manchester (via Wakefield) TPE service quite a bit recently and noticed even though an Advance ticket in all cases it doesn't actually generate a seat reservation, just Coach * Seat *** No specific seat

Also are TPE still in some sort of dispute over ticket checks? I rarely experience one on this route, a guard came down one the other day but only did a quick visual check that I had a ticket

 

[xotGD]

Interestingly I've been travelling on the York - Manchester (via Wakefield) TPE service quite a bit recently and noticed even though an Advance ticket in all cases it doesn't actually generate a seat reservation, just Coach * Seat *** No specific seat

Also are TPE still in some sort of dispute over ticket checks? I rarely experience one on this route, a guard came down one the other day but only did a quick visual check that I had a ticket

My wife has the same lack of seat reservations with Advances to/from Manchester Airport on the TPE services from/to Teesside.

I advised her to get in the rear set at Leeds.