Northern rail & seat reservations

carlos1973

Does anyone know of any other operators that do not offer reservations?
Does anyone know why Northern Rail do not offer reservations?


My wife and I travel often across the country from the Lakes to the North-East to visit family. We can book seats on any other operator, but not NR. Their carriages even have the slots in the seats for the reservation tickets but they don't use them!
Our last journey saw a NR staff member putting reservation tickets out on a First Trans Pennine train that we were catching. If they put them on other peoples trains why don't they put them on their own!!!

wealdroam

carlos1973 wrote: »

Does anyone know of any other operators that do not offer reservations?
Does anyone know why Northern Rail do not offer reservations?


My wife and I travel often across the country from the Lakes to the North-East to visit family. We can book seats on any other operator, but not NR. Their carriages even have the slots in the seats for the reservation tickets but they don't use them!
Our last journey saw a NR staff member putting reservation tickets out on a First Trans Pennine train that we were catching. If they put them on other peoples trains why don't they put them on their own!!!

Southern, South West Trains and Southeastern are just three more that don't use seat reservations.

There must be others.

So that means you are mistaken when you say "We can book seats on any other operator...".

carlos1973

Thanks for your reply. I perhaps should have said the operators that I have used in the past and for these recent journeys.
I'd still like to know why it's not available.
Our reason for this is that my wife has to walk with a stick and needs a seat close to the door and toilet and with suitable leg room.
One journey we did the train was full, even over crowded, as the corridors were all blocked, and people couldn't leave their seats as there was no space to move. Stag parties were peeing into cans and throwing them out of windows, at stations passengers were let out but no further passengers were let on. If we had been standing on this particular journey my wife would not collapsed before reaching our station.

geerex

carlos1973 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. I perhaps should have said the operators that I have used in the past and for these recent journeys.
I'd still like to know why it's not available.
Our reason for this is that my wife has to walk with a stick and needs a seat close to the door and toilet and with suitable leg room.
One journey we did the train was full, even over crowded, as the corridors were all blocked, and people couldn't leave their seats as there was no space to move. Stag parties were peeing into cans and throwing them out of windows, at stations passengers were let out but no further passengers were let on. If we had been standing on this particular journey my wife would not collapsed before reaching our station.

You know your wifes' condition, plan ahead. Be at the station first. If it's too busy, catch the next train. If she really needs a seat then be a goddamn man and MAKE someone give her their seat. If they refuse, find the guard and make them enforce the priority seating.

You will find that man operators label other TOCs trains - generally if that operators' train has a lie-over in another operators station, there is an agreement in place to do this, much like providing wheelchair assists etc.

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Northern are not what you would call a long distance operator even though they do cover some miles but anyone wanting to cross the pennines, say Mancheter/Liverpool to York or even Newcastle would almost certainly always take the faster Transpennine services?

Capacity can be at a premium on Northern services so even if they did do reservations then there is no guarantee to even make it to your seat.

Northern really are just short trip services in all reality and thats not going to change soon until their franchise gets renewed and relet.

C2C dont do seat reservations either I dont think.