Unable to get ScotRail reservations after 9pm?

[gsnedders]

I'm just back from my local station where having bought a three-part split journey for tomorrow, I asked if I could get a reservation for the part which offers it. I was told two things: firstly, that the system had been down all day (oh well…) and then secondly that the system is turned off at 9pm each day so they can't do so later anyway.

The first part seems fair enough, the second raised my eyebrows.

Scotrail's website says:

A seat reservation can be requested up to 2 hours before travel by calling our customer support team on 0344 811 0141. Alternatively you can visit your local station and arrange a reservation.

Nothing about any time restriction (and their call centre is open till 10pm, so can they not issue reservations for the last hour?).

The NRE website says advances are available:

Up to 23:59 day before travel for some early morning trains.

Up to 2 hours before the train's departing point of origin for the rest of the day's services.

Presumably, an advance couldn't be issued if the seat reservations system is turned off, hence the first part of that would necessarily be "up to 20:59 day before travel"?

So, uh, is it somehow the case that reservations can't be made (and presumably advances cannot be sold) overnight for ScotRail, or is this just a case of bad customer service?

 

[gsnedders]

Looking on the ScotRail website, I'm able to go through the "buying a ticket" flow until checkout for the train I'm planning on travelling on tomorrow and reserve a seat (and it duly allocates one: "Coach A, Seat 45B (Window)"). That very much makes it seem like the system is up and running fine…? (And yes, hypothetically it could be something that affects only booking offices, but… that seems unlikely to me.)

 

[Wallsendmag]

Certain offices only offer reservations at certain times of day have you checked the opening hours on NRE?

 

[gsnedders]

Certain offices only offer reservations at certain times of day have you checked the opening hours on NRE?

Ticket office open the entire time the station is manned, until 23:30 every day. (This is a suburban Glasgow station, FWIW.) NRE says nothing about reservations specifically? (They sold me the tickets, just not the reservation.)

 

[causton]

They may be bending the truth or making it up. I remember it used to be quoted that advances or reservations were closed at 9pm the day before, that has long changed for most operators now though!