Train passengers refusing to move

[HolyGuac]

Well, I'm really disappointed in the general public. AIBU to be shocked at the hard faced people in our sets refusing to move?

I booked train tickets and reserved seats about three months ago as we are having a special pre Christmas Day out with my two kids and husband.

Get on the train and the seat reservation numbers above the seats (the digital display ones are on the blink), it says from Euston...we are going to Euston, there are people in our seats who are refusing to move.

One said there's plenty of other seats, there are other seats but not in a table which is what i had booked.

We moved on found separate seats (two two's behind each other) I've been back to ask them nicely if they could move as there are no other table seats, this is a special trip etc etc they've flat out refused.
One said someone took Her seat which is why she moved to our seats, I asked why she couldn't have asked for them to move and got some blather about just taking any seat as the displays are not working!

I'm really disappointed by people today, what a bunch of arses. They are sat there knowing it's not their booked seats.
I would never take someone's seat like that.

God there are some real araeholes on this thread. “They didn’t do anything wrong”, “fairs fair” etc etc. You’re having a laugh! They were rude to take the seats you told them you had booked. I’d have been fuming

A colleague had this, a couple refused to move from their seats and were extremely nasty about it. Colleague had to stand. Unfortunately for the nasty couple they wanted to get off at the stop before colleague, turns out they’re not the only ones who can refuse to move. Colleague wouldn’t budge to let them out so they were trapped in their seat till the train moved off and had to travel to the next station a good 20 minutes away.

God there are some real araeholes on this thread. “They didn’t do anything wrong”, “fairs fair” etc etc. You’re having a laugh! They were rude to take the seats you told them you had booked.

Reservations were not valid. Down. Suspended. Broken. Not in force. Not available. None reservations.

Nobody is being an arsehole here by saying there were no booked seat because that it the case. The problem here lies with the TOC for not having reservations in place to give the people who had booked them. You

@KatherineJaneway

That sounds very sensible - probably essential over Christmas on a v popular route to avoid over crowding

Manners have definitely gone out of the window these days. I blame the parents.

They weren’t rude to take the seats 🤦🏽‍♀️ The seats didn’t show a reservation . Yes it may have been nice of them to move but they were as just in the right not too. OP found seats.

Threaten to sit on them & do it if they don't move!

OP, how do the passengers know you booked the seats? If the displays are not working then are you expecting them to just take you at your word?

If the guard or ticket collector was on the train asking them would have moved them. Complain to the train service to may get a refund

If there are plenty of seats then she can get one. She would be moving if it were my seat.

This is why trains simply shouldn’t have seat reservations. The amount of rows I see over sear reservations is unbelievable.

@ Supercal12
Far worse than sitting on someone’s reserved seat is overt racism. I can’t decide whether you’re trying and failing to be funny - regardless it’s entirely unacceptable and has been reported.
I hope you are banned.

Sorry, haven’t read full thread, but wanted to stick my twopenarthworth in - I travelled to Edinburgh from midlands on LNER and the reservation lights (or whatever they are) were broken too. There was an announcement about it basically saying you could sit where you liked and there were no reservations on this train because of it. I managed to get my seat luckily!

I once refused to move. I am mobility impaired, though not (usually) bad enough for the mobility seats. My first train was late so missed the connection, on which I had a booked seat, and had to take the subsequent train. There were no displayed seat reservations. Someone turned up stating they had reserved that seat. I moved to another one. Then the ticket inspector asked me to move from that unmarked seat, as it was apparently also reserved. I asked him which seat I could move to without being asked to move again, as no reservations were being shown. He assured me I would not be asked to move again. I moved. Then I was approached again. This time I refused to move.

YANBU. I'd of been pretty annoyed too..

This is why trains simply shouldn’t have seat reservations. The amount of rows I see over sear reservations is unbelievable.

The TOCs should make more effort to ensure the reservations system is actually working. Far too easy for them to be lazy and just not bother setting it up at the slightest of excuses.

Trains are also grossly overcrowded. It's no use encouraging people to dump their cars, at the same time as having uncontrolled immigration, at the same time as the railway infrastructure not being updated to provide more capacity. In some areas (like around Manchester), the trains can't be lengthened because the platforms are too short (having been made shorter decades ago when trains were losing popularity)

Due to decades of mismanagement and lack of funding, the railway system isn't fit for purpose at the moment and is creaking at the seams.

Amtrak conductors in the US will happily boot CF's out of business class if they haven't reserved it.

I disagree that the conductor is lazy. I have had a few situations at work where I have had to confront people and it’s turned nasty very quickly. I can understand peoples apprehension, these days people can be vile enough online without the physical aspect. It’s not that easy and has left me terrified more than once.

I was travelling from Euston and two young men were sitting in seats near me. A very old couple (80ish?) the gentleman with a stick. He had seats booked, but there were no 'booked' labels on the backs. The two young men refused to move, and sniggered unpleasantly. The train was very crowded, but people did offer them seats eventually.

To cut a long story short, the young men got off before me to reveal they'd been sitting on the reserved labels which they'd removed.
That was a while ago but the snigger on their faces still makes my blood boil.

Had this problem once on the LNER service to Edinburgh a rather large lady aruged that I was in her seat and I wasnt, in fact when the grip, railway slang for ticker collector, cam along he had a job convincing her she had misread her ticket!

It did seem that she was illeraite!

Travled on the french SNCF TGV system over the years never once had a problem there. Last trip was on the TGV Est line running at close on 200 miles per hour and quiet, and smooth, absolute luxery:)

On East Midlands Trains -now renamed East Midlands Railway! Seat reservations frequently are not displayed but the train manager will keep making announcements saying ‘sorry but there are no reservations on this service.’ As others have said, you don’t pay for seat reservations and if everyone started digging their heels in aka ‘that’s my seat’ it just turns into musical chairs with everyone standing arguing with each other.

The desire for table seats makes me laugh. I avoid them like the plague. I’m 5ft 9 with very long legs and if I have to sit at a table seat, I end up with my legs curled up my bum and find it bloody impossible to slide out from under the table. Every seat has a drop down tray in front of it so it’s just as easy to work on them, or for kids to do their drawings or whatever.

On a much wider issue our railways are a total disgrace. I worked in London for 13 years and often spent the better part of the 2hours and 10 minutes journey home standing in the passage between carriages, usually crammed in with about ten other people. To add insult to injury, the return journey, even then, five years ago, cost £180! It’s well over £200 now. I fly to Amsterdam for £39 - in comfort.

I go to Manchester at least once a month for my work and we’re often crammed in on the transpennine trains like sardines. It’s disgusting and dangerous. I phone my husband to tell him I’m at Picadilly station and my train home is expected at a particular time - I always laugh when I tell him that, because they’ve never been on time yet!

In all the European countries I’ve visited the trains are reliable, cheap and not overcrowded. Sod HS2! That’s a bloody joke for a start. Us Northerners just want a decent service. We couldn’t give a rats arse about getting into London ten minutes faster.

@ScreamingValenta I've pm'd you.

I'm wondering if we were on the same train OP. I travelled from Euston yesterday on the 11.10 northwards and none of the carriage or seat displays were working. When we got to ours there was a crowd of Millwall supporters in them - yes really! And they were rude and aggressive, but I am made of stern stuff and we needed the seats as my children are both autistic and one has physical disabilities also. They did ultimately move complaining bitterly as they did so. One of them dished out a disgusting disablist slur towards my autistic child as he went. The whole thing was a nightmare tbh and it was compounded by the fact that they were drinking heavily, which I believe should be banned on trains. The journey was awkward as anything and I couldn't wait to get off as they stayed nearby. Then on the way back we got there early hoping to prevent a repeat performance and there were people in them again, in seats that were clearly marked as reserved. I made them move to. They were quite as aggressive but were pretty disgruntled and made it quite clear. It makes me so angry and makes train travel so stressful. Reserve your own seats ffs!

I've realised the key is to get to the train as early as possibly - half an hour before if necessary and occupy your reserved seats. It's the only way to avoid unpleasantness.