Asking someone to move on train

[openjoy]

Is it unreasonable to ask someone to move if they are sat in a train seat that is allocated to you on your train ticket?

I’ve always thought it was ok to do. There are the screens above the seat that say “seat booked” or “seat available until x” etc. I was on a train recently where a woman asked someone to move as they were in her seat and they refused. It caused a bit of a scene in the carriage.

Should the seat allocation (which is free with the standard ticket booking) be ignored and if you get a seat you do and if you don’t, you don’t?

I always reserve a seat if I can due to disability (though the train company that serves my local station doesn't offer this).
I have however found, on more than one occasion, that the seat I reserved doesn't even exist. Like my reservation will say coach G or whatever and when the train arrives there isn't a coach G. Ive then had to sit in a seat that's reserved for someone else, but I'll always move if asked. I've spent several trips seat hopping from one reserved seat to another reserved for a different part of the journey.

I've also found though on other trips that some people just don't check and I've had to ask others to move from my reserved seat when there have been plenty of seats free and not reserved. Sometimes I've had people telling me to go sit in those seats instead but I've insisted on my reserved seat on those occasions in case I need to leave my seat for any reason and I don't want to find someone else has sat there when I get back as I need to be able to sit. People grumble but I've only ever once had someone refuse to move.

It's normal for there to be lots of no shows, so people can take a chance and then move where necessary, which is better than standing when there are empty seats. Cancelled trains are the worst culprit for reservation issues; people delayed in the cold for 2 hours who find those with no delay get entitlement to the reserved seats can tend to get grumpy. It is worth assuming that someone clarifying genuinely didn't hear or take on what you've said; with all the background noise it can be very difficult to hear someone's whispers so you've no idea if they want the toilet, the carriage letter, help with a bag, checking if that train stops at a minor station, or that they are asking to take on your seat (justifiably or not). With cancellations, I would always let whoever seemed to have the greatest need get the seat even if I was theoretically entitled to it.

When I travelled more for work, it was common for people to grumble loudly about anyone using laptops or quietly discussing work on the train (non quiet coaches, 2 hour plus trips during the working day). Minor sympathy that the reserved seating is put together, so they feel they have to sit with us evaporates under passive aggressive remarks that they'd really wanted a table to themselves. Similar types grumble about children, people eating, how busy the train is, delays, noise... so I would think whether they are in the seat they wanted due to reservations is just one more opportunity to have a moan. I assume they just enjoy moaning and are best ignored. Even when it's my reserved seat, I won't stay if there are unreserved empty tables though, comfort always trumps being right.

Yes. I was told my ticket wasnt valid unless I sat in my booked seat. No one ever not moved. I've also been on trains with not booking a seat and moved when requested. It's not a biggie.

Trains round my way don't have reservations either.

I probably wouldn't again. It was the combination of it being a mum with young kids and a train with lots of empty seats. But they were basically in our seats so that the kids could use their tablets plugged in.

It's the trains for national travel (in all areas) that have reservations in operation. I don't know of any local travel ones that do.

Nice bit of ageism there. Her age is irrelevant.

I am imagining someone random getting to drive the train here 😁

Really? I've never heard of that. What line is this?

Split ticketing doesn't help either. I've only done it once and never again! I had different seats for each split ticket. Total pain in the arse. I'm not sure if that's usual but it's put me off doing it again

Bookings exist for a reason, there should not be a need for this post.

I often read about fights on airplanes when someone asks to remove you from your booked seat in order to accommodate themselves or children.

If you have booked, you might be happy to change or you might not. If you're not happy to move that shouldn't even be questioned as THERE IS A BOOKING.

I’ve seen the confusion arise, and anger, when trains are cancelled as reservations no longer stand. I’ve also been on very packed intercity long distance trains where you struggle to find a seat - I would enforce my seat reservation in those circumstances

Well they obviously could book a seat on OP's train as OP had done so.

It’s on the ticket. It was on the tickets for both stages of a journey from Grantham to Northallerton. Different lines.

This exact thing happened to me. King’s Cross to York and the seats we had booked were already being sat in by other people who had the same seats booked in their ticket. In fact it happened multiple times over the journey to other people getting on at later stations.

The guards could do nothing because all parties were showing valid booked tickets.

On LNER you can book up to five mins in advance which is why I don't just go and sit in another free seat, as it may not stay unreserved and then I have to move again.

It's common for tickets (advance ones) to only be valid for one specific train, and for normal tickets to be valid for a specific route or train operator, but in 35 years of train travel I've never come across tickets which are only valid if you sit in your reserved seat. Was it definitely specific seat, not specific train?

If you're travelling for hours then absolutely you want a seat and when travelling with children you need to.know you can keep them near you. I use LNER a lot and it's usually fine but I did once have to get a guard to move a family from our booked table. They were v pissed off and wouldn't move for me.

Grantham to Northallerton is all on the East Coast line

Having just done some googling, seems the T&Cs of advance tickets do include sitting in your reserved seat
4. When and where the ticket can be used
4.1 Tickets are valid ONLY on the date and train service(s) shown on the ticket(s).
4.2 Where applicable, you must travel in the Class and reserved seat(s) shown on the ticket(s).

But discussion on rail user forums suggest it's very very rarely enforced, and if if was it wouldn't make your ticket invalid, you'd just be asked to move to your reserved seat.

Wow, i haven't come across that. I guess there's just no mechanism for the software to select a preferred seat.

I regularly use Trainline, and if there are split tickets on the route I've always been given the same reserved seat throughout the journey.

Recently I used Trainsplit, and got 5 separate tickets for a single train; there were 2 with no reserved seat and 3 with different reserved seats!

Personally I wouldn’t hesitate to ask them (politely but firmly) to move.
If they refused, I’d summon the guard to sort them out.

I used to travel on trains train a great deal, and most of them were booked by people who didn't catch that train anyway. It's fine to sit in a reserved seat, then move without complaint if requested. Also look at the reserved tickets -some are only for a small part of the journey, so you may still be able to sit in them for your journey.

ThaIt's just impressive! Does trainsplit work out any cheaper than trainline?