People sat in first class with out a ticket

[sickyicky]

This weekend I booked first class train tickets so I was more likely guaranteed a seat. I suffer with chronic illness and new the trains would be packed due to football match and Christmas shopping. Both time trains have been busy and on the way there it was standing only. No one in first class had a ticket eventually someone gentleman gave me a seat once I had to sit down on the floor. I would have asked for a seat from someone who didn’t have a ticket but I was on my own and first class was full of drunken footballers shouting. On the way back train was full but had enough seats for everyone but that meant people sitting in first class. The train carriages haven’t been declassified so I can’t claim the extra back I paid and as train was so busy train guard couldn’t get through to check tickets. On the train out we had to change and an elderly gentleman when telling some footballers that this was a first class carriage did they have a ticket was told to F off. What do you do in these situations. I’m on the train heading back now so if train guard does come and check tickets and these people aren’t ask to move I will nicely ask how I go about getting the 60 pound difference in ticket refund.

Surely in first class though you have a reserved seat? The only time I go anywhere on the train is when I travel down to London a couple of times a year and work sometimes pays for a first class ticket for me. If at peak times, some people will sit in there who don’t have tickets. If they’re sat in my seat I’ll stand over them and demand they go sit elsewhere, but it’s amazing how many people roll their eyes and argue the toss with me. There’s an increasing number of feral self entitled people out there who walk amongst us I’m afraid….

Not always. I have had tickets from lner with a first class seat but no reservation.

You should have spoken to the guard!!!! That's what they are there for!!!!

Seriously, is that your contribution?!?
Get a life ffs 🤔

I also did this when my daughter was getting some grief on a train, they were absolutely brilliant. Sent the guard down to escort her out the carriage, made sure i met her off the train, followed up the next day to see if we wanted to take it further.

I had an experience like this about 6 years ago.
Not on first class tho.
It was a train on the northern line (I think that's what it was called) it started in Manchester.
It was a horrible experience.
Most of the passengers were football fans.
I got on and I had a seat reserved, however someone was in my seat. I just kept saying my seat number and thankfully the man sitting there got up.
The rest of the people sat next to me were very young, and
they weren't too bad, very chatty and drunk
They had so many cans of beers, they kept encouraging me to drink and telling me to come with them for more drinks.
It was weird.
The train was so chaotic
We did have a conductor who was just silent

And the fans seemed to have a woman with them, no idea who she was supposed to be but she seemed like a tour guide or something. The men were so rude, seemed like they had never been to a city before, they kept going on about how many Asians were in the city and saying racist remarks.
And the lady kept saying, aww come on now, don't be like that, and they were saying, but you know what I mean init

Anyway, they all got off in Sheffield,and everyone was so relieved.

And most of them had no ticket at all! The men kept on boasting about that, and were laughing at a few who said they did have tickets
Conductor knew, and didnt say a word.
So bizaare, are they told to just transport these hooligans from place to place I wonder?
There were far too many to even try and control
The train was packed and you couldn't even move
They were sat on the floor, standing everywhere, ugh
I've never taken a northern line train again!

There's just not enough capacity in general, which is down to lack of investment by generations of government. Doesn't help that Sunak cancelled half of the biggest infrastructure project in Europe against the advice of his Rail Minister and all of the experts, this is going to cripple capacity around Manchester.

Are you sure it wasn't declassified? I took a train two weeks ago and was told by the guard to go to first class without even showing my ticket. He never mentioned it had been declassified. I was 2.5 hours into my journey when the announcement came over the tannoy that first class would "remain declassified" all the way to Manchester. It was rammed, standing room only, and I was so grateful to have a seat as I have a hidden disability and standing for that long would have been agony. I was on a reserved seat but there was no way that the person who reserved it would be able to get through to sit on it. I'd have moved if they had coz they'd have fought so hard to get to it they'd deserve it.

Have you contacted the rail company about your experience? They might be able to confirm whether you are entitled to a partial refund or not.

Same. Commuting into Waterloo I very rarely get a seat in or out. Usually have someone’s armpit in my face. Surprised so many people are shocked tbh.

Fine. But that’s not universal. I commute into London daily. There are barriers at both ends of the route that you need a ticket to pass through, but zero staff on trains and no ticket checks.

Same in Scotland. Barriers at least at the end of the journey at some points. But tickets are always checked on board as well.

My reaction to the comment 'you must be a snob' is then the writer of this statement is obviously a 'moron'. I am surprised that this issue is being accepted as 'The Norm.' The railways companies should not issue First class tickets for trains that are predictably going to be overcrowded. A refund is certainly in order. Back in 1967, on our honeymoon we had to travel from Birmingham to London on a football supporters train. As there was absolutely no room to move in 2nd, class we went into a First Class carriage. The Guard arrived and we were charged the extra fee. We were expecting this to happen. There was no overflow from 2nd to 1st, as is clearly the entitled attitude of society today.

Your victim-blaming is reductive and unhelpful.

My experience of train travel over the last couple of years suggests being jammed in like sardines happens far too often. On an evening train there were train staff shouting at people to move down the aisle as customers wouldn't be able to get home if they can't get on... there was literally nowhere for people to move to! When we got underway it was a nightmare for anyone trying to get off, it was like trying to play twister! It must be virtually unusable for people with physical disabilities or with small children. It really isn't a public 'service' & shows privatisation didn't improve it at all. I am glad the Gov said train companies can't put up ticket prices next year, they shouldn't be able to charge what they do given you can't even sit down half the time!

Years ago before we moved in together I used to visit my partner on a 4 leg journey. There were iften priblems with bad timing fir connections etc. I found out you could complain about this and so twice i wrote to them showung evidence if ticket . I got reembursed. No problem. Id just complain, explaining what happened and ask for a full refund. And say you were very angry and uncomfortable.

The ones that are nationalised are better. East coast line infinitely better than West coast.

My husband is an agile 74 year old who travels regularly on trains to support his local club to both home and away games. Last week he tells me the train was rammed, no seats so he sat in first class as the journey was around an hour and a half. Perhaps the train companies need to re- evaluate the number of carriages on certain routes. His usual route is always full on match days and yet for years they have failed to add more carriages.

OK……..wind your neck in! I was making a reasonable comment to the OP after all, not enquiring after your personal travel arrangements!

I was on a train with a friend recently and when we got on it was standing room only, people,stood everywhere like sardines. Bizarrely there was one seat spare at a table. I’m disabled and couldn’t have stood so squeezed my way down the aisle and sat down. Friend who is in her 60s stood.

Train was rammed full of football fans who were all drinking and quite loud. But they were Really nice, just because someone is a football fan doesn’t mean they’re a hooligan. People kept offering my friend a seat but she kept declining as she didn’t mind standing.

We chatted to a variety of people about the football and they were asking us what we were doing. 7 hours later most of the same men were on the train on the way back, they were coming up to us and asking if we’d had a nice time at the theatre. Yes, most of them were really drunk my now and staggering a bit but everyone was friendly.

Manchester to Sheffield can be a nightmare. I used to regularly travel to Stockport to pick up a connection, that wasn’t bad. Coming back was the problem. The train filled up in Manchester, next stop Stockport where it was already full. I nearly always booked that bit of my journey, and usually had to ask for my seat. The worst was when a train was cancelled and bookings were void.

It was so different catching the connection that trundled through Cheshire, lots of stops, never had a problem getting an unbooked seat.

You don't if the train company you're travelling with doesn't do seat reservations. It doesn't matter who you book it with, you won't get a seat reservation with South Western Railway for example.

sitting

In Southern trains, you can’t make seat reservations, even in first.

It’s a waste of money getting a first ticket; people openly sit in there without one. They are a section within a ‘standard’ carriage which confuses people I think.

I did it once... Train to a large music festival and train was also full of people with their tents/bags. We had to go into first class and sit there because we physically couldn't move for all the people and luggage.

Edited to add - obviously if the ticket inspector has told us to move I would've, but they didn't because we physically couldn't get anywhere else, it was rammed!

I gave up with trains. I used to use them to get to Paddington for Heathrow flights. But rarely did I get to sit in my reserved seat as someone else there and been told to f off. Plus they're always crammed, late, not enough carriages. Just get a hire car and drop it off at the airport. Its more expensive (just) but so hassle free.
The uk public transport system is crap.