travelling on sleepers

[45039]

hi just wanna know is it easy to get on the lon-sco and lon-penz sleepers as a passenger as going on a all liner but dont know whether to seat or sleep!.
Also any good cheap hotels near the stations at cardiff, london termi and carlisle cheers

 

[me123]

On an ALR, you shuold contact a tickete office and try to book your seat/berth but, because you've got all week, be as flexible as possible. The sleeper tends to be quietest midweek, apparently, so that's probably your best bet.

The sleeper is priced in two portions: ticket and accommodation. The ticket is irrelevent to you as you hold an ALR ticket, so you simply need to pay the accommodation supplement.

Sleeper Berths are:

Single berth cabin (First Class travel ticket required) £39·00 per berth

Double berth cabin (Standard Class only) adult £34·00 per berth, child £17.00 per berth

Caledonian Solo*—(exclusive use of a twin berth cabin) £49·00 one way

*Valid with Standard Open/Saver/Business Saver/Weekender returns only

No railcard discounts. I believe that your caledonian solo fare is also valid with your ALR. It's not a bad price for a travelling hotel, but if you were travelling on a "normal" ticket then booking your supplement, it is a lot!

Apparently, sharing cabins isn't very common, particularly midweek, so paying the supplement may not be necessary unless you absoloutely do not want to share with a stranger (I'd be in that position myself).

If you want a seat, I'm not entirely sure if you have to pay a supplement for that.

All the info I've given relates to the caledonian sleepers to Scotland; I'd imagine the "Night Riviera" would be similar.

PS. When travelling seated sleeper to Fort William, you have to alight from the train and move into another carriage at EDB apparently, so I would not recommend that. However, you can arrive in Glasgow earlier by using "The Deerstalker" and changing onto a local class 156 service at Westerton.

 

[AlexS]

Apparently seats are free but you have to get a reservation.

 

[45039]

cheers for that not been on a ALR for 15 yrs so wasnt sure last time there was plenty of overnight trains EG 23-50 something GLA-INV and return working plus overnights at crewe which were brill now though no mails to see ,just dont fancy coming home every night even the overnight VIC-GATs dont run now
5th APRIL
car barnsley-doncaster
91111 0620 - DON-EDB
170415 1100 - EDB-GLS QS
170428 1730 - GLS QS-EDB
91112 1900 - EDB-LDS (to donny)
car doncaster-barnsley
PS Scotrail turbostars are hellfire but still prefer the shove duffs

 

[37412]

even the overnight VIC-GATs dont run now

I believe that the Gatwick Express (460's) does run all night on a reduced service so you could sit on one of those all night!

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Well I have done an ALR in the seated section and they seem fine with it (or did anyway)

As fro FSR sleeper, depends on the staff at their descretion, out of obout 5-6 sleepers ive done on the ALR in the seated area only 1 asked me to have a reservation but will only let me on this once, others have let me on as long as the seats are not reserved.

 

[Z12XE]

travelling on sleepers

Mind you don't get splinters in your backside........

 

[theblackwatch]

As fro FSR sleeper, depends on the staff at their descretion, out of obout 5-6 sleepers ive done on the ALR in the seated area only 1 asked me to have a reservation but will only let me on this once, others have let me on as long as the seats are not reserved.

Ascot should be able to give you an answer on this one, I seem to remember he was training to be a guard with them not so long ago.

 

[45039]

Mind you don't get splinters in your backside........

hehe very funny i dont they are concretehock::razz:
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I believe that the Gatwick Express (460's) does run all night on a reduced service so you could sit on one of those all night!

just looked at GATEX site the last train is 0030 from london last one from GAT is (i think) 0150 any more overnight moves to suggest as remember im a yorkshire man so im tight!!!! CARDIFF IN FA CUP FINAL ??????

 

[1D53]

Brighton, Three Bridges, York, Sheffield, Blackpool. They all have overnighters.

 

[45039]

Brighton, Three Bridges, York, Sheffield, Blackpool. They all have overnighters.

WHAT!!! some stations are still open 24hrs i thought that went out with the last of the mails what about crewe???

 

[class 313]

WHAT!!! some stations are still open 24hrs i thought that went out with the last of the mails what about crewe???

A lot of FCC Thameslink stations are 24hr. Well, on the mainline route anyway.

 

[1D53]

Don't think anything stops at Crewe overnight. The TPE overnighters are all from Manchester Airport, Sheffield ones call Piccadilly and Sheffield only, Blackpool ones at Piccadilly, Bolton (some), Preston and Blackpool North. York ones call at Piccadilly, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. There used to be a 2am from Newcastle too but it was cut, it called at Durham, Darlington, York, Leeds, Huddersfield, Piccadilly and all stations to Airport.

 

[45039]

Don't think anything stops at Crewe overnight. The TPE overnighters are all from Manchester Airport, Sheffield ones call Piccadilly and Sheffield only, Blackpool ones at Piccadilly, Bolton (some), Preston and Blackpool North. York ones call at Piccadilly, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. There used to be a 2am from Newcastle too but it was cut, it called at Durham, Darlington, York, Leeds, Huddersfield, Piccadilly and all stations to Airport.

cheers for that but living in barnsley i might be better off in bed!!

 

[37412]

cheers for that but living in barnsley i might be better off in bed!!

Leeds-Manchester overnight moves available, do the 2330 out of Kings Cross to Leeds, not a timetabled conection but it normally makes a +10 sommat onto a unit to Man Picc, can then do one back or a airport leap or two then go North or South from there. FCC Bedford-Brighton run all night as well, a round trip should do, a Gatwick move, then to Brighton on FCC, back to Beford and back into London ready for another day out.

 

[Ascot]

Well I have done an ALR in the seated section and they seem fine with it (or did anyway)

As fro FSR sleeper, depends on the staff at their descretion, out of obout 5-6 sleepers ive done on the ALR in the seated area only 1 asked me to have a reservation but will only let me on this once, others have let me on as long as the seats are not reserved.

The National Timetable says you must have a reservation. But it is only encouraged that customers have a reservation. As said it is quiet on a week day compared to a weekend. If there is a seat then yes you can sit on it. If it also said that if someone needs to travel at the last min then the guard can sell them a ticket if there is room. You can book a reservation 2-3 hours before departure.

Sleeper supplements are:
Standard Accommodation £36
First Class Accommodation £41
Caledonian Solo £51
Child (Standard Class) £18

 

[45039]

Many thanks for all the info you lot i wish the overnight holidaymakers still ran with the steam or NB peaks cant beat bristol temple meads at 2AM waiting for the following service now they were the days!!!

 

[Reini]

Hi!

Does anyone have a seating layout of the seated sleeper coaches running on the Caledonian sleepers? Or maybe an idea, wich seats will be best, if I'm travelling alone (airline style seats would be nice...)

Maybe I'll trvel with one this summer, and I defianeatly don't want to catch a awful seat like number 4 again like last year (it's next to the front sliding door, and everybody fell over my feet. So it was impossible to get some sleep between London and Carlisle...)

Thanks to everbody who can help me!

 

[me123]

I think the interior design been updated since, but that'll be the layout (I can't find a diagram, but someone else may have one). When booking, you could probably request a "solo" seat because the booking system for caledonian sleeper is different.

From what I understand, it's mostly if not all airline.

 

[support-uk-rail]

Can you get discounts on the Sleeper with PRIV passes?

 

[Ascot]

Can you get discounts on the Sleeper with PRIV passes?

PRIVs is a funny one on sleepers. Officially you cannot travel in the seated part with your PRIV for both leisure and duty work. However with the berths it's a different ball game, you can tick one of your boxes and pay the berth supplement (as posted above) or use staff PRIV discount which is at 75% and buy a berth supplement. Only tickets you can buy with your PRIV discount at 75% is First/Standard Open Single/Return and not all the other goodies you get with it like travel card. You don't get discount off the Berth fare so that's still £36 for standard and £41 for for First Class.

With seated you shouldn't be booked on Watford to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Watford and Watford to Inverness due to the platform lengths. If you are on Seated on the Fort William you will have to get off at Edinburgh and move to the Aberdeen portion and they should only be booked via FSR for the Fort William one.

 

[support-uk-rail]

Hmm... thanks.

I'm reffering ONLY to the Western line.

I didn't understand the seating part? Say again please?

 

[Ascot]

Hmm... thanks.

I'm reffering ONLY to the Western line.

I didn't understand the seating part? Say again please?

You mean the Penzance one (Great Western) or the West Highland Line (Fort William, ScotRail)?

Seated part (First ScotRail):
If your going to Fort William on seated, you will have to change trains when the train splits at Edinburgh around 1ish Southbound and 4ish Northbound. And between London and Edinburgh you would be put in the Aberdeen seated coach.

If you are getting on at Watford and going to Inverness you will be pushing it as the seated coach will be off the platform and travel agents shouldn't book seated from Watford. Same with to and from Edinburgh and Watford.

Having just realised your on about the FGW one, it would of been better to say that first before making me type War n Peace up.

 

[Gizmogle]

I did the Night Riviera on a priv.

You can't use boxes on their own.

You can use PRIV discounted tickets for the seated area. Although it's usually cheaper to buy the advance tickets.

You can use a priv with a box filled in for a berth, but you have to pay the berth supplement as well.

I may be wrong here, but that's how I understand it.

 

[support-uk-rail]

Sounds accurate.

Went on the Riviera last time, sat in seating until 4am. It goes via Bristol I assume, but I will have been asleep. Got of at a quiet Exeter.

We were sat opposite two other PRIV's who were obviously trainspotters, and because we were going slow at most parts, they could take advantage of running through to the adjoining bit, shoving their head out the window and yelling through First Class "66064 EWS....". Lol - for snobby businessman and a kid trying to sleep, it was slightly annoying!

 

[paul1609]

The riveira goes different routes especially on a Sunday night.
Ive been via;
a) reading, bristol tm
b) trowbridge, bristol tm
c) reading, bristol pw
d) yeovil pm reverse at exeter
and even e) reading, basingstoke, reverse at exeter.