Trouble is for most of the day you do not need all that 1st capacity but on certain peak services you really do. I work on NXEA & although off-peak these 2 coaches only have a dozen or so passengers, up until the 10.24 arrival into Liverpool St & departures 15.00-19.30 these trains can be very very busy. Remember the difference between a £8 standard advance single & a £81 first single & with a much heavier premier clientele on the WCML i can see the benefit for the TOC.
To have a hybrid fleet would be a nightmare to diagram.
Can understand it on morning & evening services, but I got on this super-voyager early afternoon at Crewe, now I usually pride myself in using the railway info, like car stop signs & info on the dot matrix, so I thought I was at the right end (away from 1st). But no, 1st was at both ends of a 5 car! Luckily they were declassifying the coach I boarded.
I think if you want to offer substantial first class then maybe stop all seat reservations in standard (sit anywhere), but 1st passengers get free seat reservation with their ticket. It would certainly streamline things without people pacing up & down then arguing over seats. Imo, if they feel THAT important they should be encouraged to be in 1st anyway
Edit: & ofcourse someone needs to rethink 1st fares. It's not the royal train FFS!
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