What is your favourite seat?

[OLJR]

I have clear ideas about my favourite seats when travelling by rail.

Ideally I will take a backwards facing seat at a table for two in the middle of the quiet coach. If there are any cabin division screens I like my back to one of them.

What are your favourite seats?

East Coast 225 1ST
K29 northbound and K31 southbound (these seats also have a dance floor next to them because the carriage switches from 1-2 config to 2-1 config in the middle)
Second preference: K13 northbound and K11 southbound

Virgin Pendolino 1ST
H15 northbound and H18 southbound
Second preference: H21 northbound and H30 southbound

Commuter services 1ST
Window seat on a table of four facing backwards to travel and in the corner with back to the wall with the door - I find that on off-peak services these seats are extremely private as the cabin is nearly always empty and nobody looking through the glass door will see me!

 

[Butts]

Seat......????

Don't you mean seats

I like a "4" to myself on any East Coast 1st Class carriage preferably at mealtime or booze trolley time

 

[CNash]

A window seat on the left side of the train if available, though preferably not one facing another set of seats due to legroom issues.

For example, on this diagram my preferred seats are either of the two shown in bold:

[B]>[/B]  [B]>[/B]  >   <  <  <
>  >  >   <  <  <
      >   <

 

[Mcr Warrior]

A46 on a Virgin Trains Pendolino (Standard Class - Quiet Zone)

A17 on a Trans Pennine Express Class 185 (First Class section).

 

[Harbon 1]

Coach C seat 1 on a Mk4 set, no idea why...

 

[TB93]

Mine is the one at the front of the train,that's the best seat.

 

[PeterY]

Facing forward, usually righthand side on double track sections. Hopefully a seat that you can get a good clear view out of the window.

Hate sideways seating on the tube and 378's.

 

[HST Power]

East Coast

Anywhere in Coach K (Class 91) or J (HST). I'll normally grab a 'single' for long distance runs. Coming home from London or on short distance trips, I'll try and get a 'four' to myself.

FCC

1st Class again (Great Northern). On a 321, I take a table. On a 365, I prefer the paired seats.

Tyne and Wear Metro

I hereby call 'shotgun' on the awesome seats that see out onto the tracks.

 

[t_star2001uk]

I prefer the one seat right at the front usually with a speedometer in front of me and a nice clear view ahead through the windscreen.....

 

[TB93]

I prefer the one seat right at the front usually with a speedometer in front of me and a nice clear view ahead through the windscreen.....

Snap

 

[Harlesden]

Favourite seat?
An empty one.
Facing forward right next to the window
Whoever sits next to me should preferably not either (a) munch Walkers crisps throughout the journey or (b) try to engage me in conversation about gardening, a subject I know nothing about and am not interested in

 

[OLJR]

Tyne and Wear Metro

I hereby call 'shotgun' on the awesome seats that see out onto the tracks.

I love going over the QEII bridge in those seats!

 

[krus_aragon]

I prefer by far to have a forward-facing seat. If selecting from an empty carriage (on what will usually be a 158 or 175) I'll choose a forward-facing window seat on the left hand side of the train, at a table. But I can't say I've noticed that one particular seat on a train gets my custom more often.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Window, table, facing direction of travel.

 

[43074]

The one beside the driver with a good view of his actions and the route ahead, reserved under prior arrangement and necessary supervision...

As a customer, forward facing (airline style if alone) by the window on everything else, not too fussy on which side of the coach - depends on the route.

 

[AndyLandy]

Forward-facing table seat. Preferably by the window. Ideally with an empty aisle seat beside me, but I accept I can't always have that!

On a 444, I aim for one in the DMCO or, failing that, the DMSO. If I'm travelling first class, I usually aim for one of the 1+1 table seats.

If I'm travelling standard on a Pendolino, I aim for coach C so I can be near the buffet (sorry, not buffet, The Shop™). If I'm on a Virgin Voyager service, it's all about Coach D.

Southern's 377s, it's all about the driving vehicles, as they have 2+2 seating with tables, whereas the intermediate vehicles are all 3+2! Yuk!

LM's 350s, I'm not entirely sure I care. I quite like being at the very front or very back, but basically I'm not fussed.

Northern's old 150s, I used to sit at the front (or back) where the longitudinal seating is. Plenty of legroom there!

On their current fleet of 142s and 150s, I'll just take whatever's on offer.

Oh, and this:

Tyne and Wear Metro

I hereby call 'shotgun' on the awesome seats that see out onto the tracks.

QfT! That's by far the best seat in the house! Preferably the front unit facing forwards, but the rear unit facing backwards is almost as awesome. Got some great pics of the snow on the tracks from one of those seats a couple of years back!

 

[thelongestroad]

Back cab. It's like the front cab but backwards.. it's brilliant. Fitted with individual heating controls, reading lights, a opening window and if you're really lucky, a table with two windows on the crew side.

 

[corin paul]

I like to stand at the window of a H.S.T. or on class 153 in rush hiur.

 

[trainophile]

Forward facing aisle seat, airline. Whichever side of the train the sun isn't on! Will occasionally go for a backwards facing one if the sun is just too glaring, but prefer forward as I like the feel of my back being pressed into the seatback when the trains is at speed.

Just because I prefer an aisle seat doesn't mean I object to someone asking me to let them through to the window seat, although it's sometimes tricky finding somewhere else to put my large travel bag .

 

[Ben.A.98]

Normally forward facing, (as going backwards makes me feel sick), at a table, as close to the front as I can get.

 

[RichmondCommu]

As a long suffering commuter into Waterloo any seat is a bonus.

 

[trainophile]

Can't understand why so many people prefer a table seat, unless they want to work on a laptop or such. I feel my personal space is invaded by having some stranger's face a couple of feet from my own, then there's the shared foot/legroom thing. Also you can't put baggage on the floor in front of you, and it's a bit antisocial to put it on the table. Then there's the 'eye contact' problem, i.e. looking anywhere BUT at the person opposite in case [shock horror] they might want to talk!

In the old days when ATW gave proper seat reservations with Advance tickets, on two separate occasions I was heavily sneezed on by a person across the table, and both times I ended up with a nasty flu-like illness for a couple of weeks .

 

[1e10]

I prefer the seats at the end of the coach. The reason being that I can use my phone or iPad without having some nosey bugger looking over my shoulder.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Forward facing, window, airline seat - ideally near the back of the carriage as this gives a better "tube" effect which seems ( no idea why ) to amplify the feeling of speed. If possible, I like to travel on the right hand side - especially if I'm on a Mk3 and likely to pass another Mk3 set en route..



On Eurostar, my choice of seat is 2/74, 3/74 or 4/74 on the way out from London and 17/74, 16/74 or 15/74 on the way back to London.

Hate sideways seating on the tube and 378's.

If the train isn't too busy you can use one of the tip up seats to sit facing forwards...

 

[craigwilson]

Can't understand why so many people prefer a table seat

I can only speak for myself, but a lot of "airline" seats just don't have the legroom for the 6ft+ amongst us - I'm 6'2" and make a point to avoid the ones on Pendolinos. My favoured choice on the 390s is seat A02 or A03 (Aisle seat at a table, quiet coach).

 

[Mojo]

On a Pendolino C1 or C2 without a doubt. If not available and I don't mind being in the Quiet zone then A21, A22, A27 or A28. I only discovered those seats in coach A last Weds thanks to a tip off from MattE2010.

 

[ash39]

On East Coast HST's (not sure about others but I imagine it's the same), you can get a single seat to yourself at the far end of the TGS.

 

[Hyphen]

Hmm. My favourite seats depend heavily on the TOC, the train, the route, where I'm getting on (I don't care about where I'm getting off) and often, which way round the train is (for non-London services). Oh, and it's all different again if I'm in 1st.

FGW Swansea -> London:
STD: Assuming the train is in the 'normal' formation, near (Swansea) end of coach E in one of the 'priority' seats. If they aren't available then I'll go backwards slightly and sit at the far (London) end of coach D.
1ST: H10.

FGW London -> Swansea:
STD: Far (Swansea) end of coach B, in one of the priority seats. Applies equally where on the route I get on it (probably more so at Cardiff).
1ST: H10.

XC Cardiff -> Nottingham (I never travel 1ST on this):
The veryvery front of the train. If First is at the back, I sit on one of the tables facing backwards in the small cabin area. If First is at the front, I sit in the main saloon in the priority seats facing backwards.

XC Nottingham -> Cardiff:
Boarding at Nottingham, the very rear of the train. Boarding at Derby, the very front of the train (where I class 'front' as the direction it leaves in).

TPE between Sheffield and Cleethorpes (I never travel STD on this service):
Always always first class seat 9, the one with nobody next to you and nobody opposite you.

Any service leaving Sheffield southbound (unless I'm in 1ST in which case I have no preference):
The very front (south end) of standard class. If it's a Voyager I will usually only be on it as far as Derby where I will change for a much preferred 170.

Any Voyager:
The floor of any vestibule. Seriously. The seating on the Voyagers does my back in and I can have problems for days (occasionally weeks) after sitting for lengthy periods on them. With a vestibule there's usually a lot more freedom to sit, stand, move sidewards etc. These days I only tend to stay on them as long as is absolutely necessary. If another option is available I will usually let the Voyager pass and wait. 222s don't seem to give me the same trouble.

 

[Starmill]

On a Pendolino C1 or C2 without a doubt.

C2.

Can't remember why Mojo likes them but I certainly do; because they've gotten me two free 1ST Upgrades because the TM wants to put his/her bag+coat there.

 

[Qwerty133]

When travelling on my own I much prefer airline seats at the aisle especially when it is dark, the only exceptions are xc 170s where I prefer the sideways seats next to the cab in coach C and any train where I have nearly the whole coach to myself where I will have a table. I will also try and get a seat in Coach D on 5 car meridians.