booked train tickets and think they have seated me on the quiet coach.

[BecandCassius]

Hi there
So I recently booked a train to my nans for a trip on December with my soon to be 2 yo son. Upon looking at the seats on have been allocated and looking at seating plans for the train company's I'm travelling with I'm pretty sure they have put me in the quiet coach. Uh oh, I don't really want to take my toddler on the quiet coach for 4 and half hours but im not sure what other options I have as the train line won't let me change my seats. I don't want to be inconsiderate to other travellers but I didn't get a choice in seating when I booked. If there are unreserved seats will I be allowed to use them if so how do I know which seats are unreserved and if it's full AIBU to use my reserved seats with a toddler. I feel I must add I have typical boy he is excitable and can be loud. I don't want to be that person people complain about but I might not have any other choice.

The quiet coach usually just means please don't use your phone or have music on. I don't think it is like a library - you are allowed to talk! Am sure your little one will be fine. Take books - maybe some colouring?

You can sit wherever you like, as long as the seats aren't reserved. Just make sure you get to the station in plenty of time so that you can get on the train as soon as the platform is announced, and then you can get seats wherever you want.

As biwi said, you can sit in any unreserved seat. I wouldn't worry though if you can't get one in a different carriage - you can't help a baby chatting and making noise. It's not the same as mobile phones or music, you can chat in them.

Thank you for your responses. You have eased my mind. How do I know if a seat is unreserved? Do I need to ask someone if so who? Sorry for all the questions I'm just trying to make sure I have all my ducks in a row well ahead of time so that the trip is as easy as possible given that's it's just me and DS. Thanks again.

Depending on the train company, if a seat's reserved, there'll either be a little ticket sticking up at the back of the seat, saying which stations it's reserved from and to, or a digital display on the wall of the carriage next to the seat.

Sometimes they announce which coaches have unreserved seats.

It depends on the train company. Some trains have unreserved carriages, so you could just sit there no problem. Otherwise again depending on the company, each seat will say reserved or available.
It is annoying when you don't get to choose your seats.
I used to travel on Virgin trains a log and id always book the quiet carriage. But I don't now because I travel with a baby.

There'll either be a ticket in the back of the seat or on the little screen above the seats.
I know Great Westerns unreserved coaches are E/F and Cross Country are Coach B

thanks guys. I think that they quiet catlrriage should be an option not just somewhere they put you. I'm with cross country so will check out coach Bedding first. Thanks everyone

If you're not travelling tomorrow you can go into a booking office and reserve different seats if you want. If it's a Voyager they dont have a quiet coach, if it's a HST it will be coach G. On a HST coach B is first class, but there's usually 1/3 of seats in each carriage that are unreserved

I called up the train line who I booked with and they said they can't change my seats and I would have to book a new ticket but my current tickets are non refundable so I can't afford to do that may I guess even if it is a quiet coach and there's no room anywhere else there isn't much I can do about it except try to keep DS as busy and happy as possible to minimise the noise level. I'm with cross countrh

You sound like a really considerate passenger. If your son gets over excited and fellow passengers can see that you are actively trying to keep him calm and occupied you should be fine.

It's the parents who pay no attention to their children when they are clearly pissing off the other passengers that are the problem.

Just sit in an unreserved seat elsewhere.

What's the coach you are in?

Contact Cross Country directly and reserve 2 seats with them.

www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/tickets/ten-minute-reservations

I'm in coach F on both trains. I will be trying to keep him quiet but he can't be silent and I just hope people will get that and not get frustrated.

Well, this certainly explains why I am constantly annoyed by people who say "oh! We're in the quiet coach!" upon arrival - I guess they have also been allocated seating by a reseller like the Trainline and haven't been diligent like you about finding out where they are.

On cross country you can find the train info here. I've just done a 5 hour journey today with Cross Country and I must say that although there were aspects of the journey which were shit compared to East Coast, the customer service was excellent. I'm sure if you explain what has happened the train crew will sort you out with new seats - I would find it way too stressful looking after a toddler in the quiet coach.

By the way, unless the Trainline have special discounts, I would always book via the train company's website for this reason. Normally you can choose your own seat. I'd still be tempted to go to the station and ask them to reissue the reservations - once you have the physical tickets I think the fact they were booked via the Trainline becomes irrelevant?

You are not in the quiet coach. What made you think you were?

It is a little sick joke of some online booking system that they will put you in the quiet coach if you have children. And not all sites let you pick your seats. I'm sure it will be fine. Nobody will say anything, they'll just huff and puff info their Daily Mail.

I thought Coach F was the quiet coach on Cross Country, even though I can see from the seat maps that it isn't.

It used to be the quiet coach on Cross Country, but I think they took them all out as they usually have 4/8 coach Voyagers. Here anyway.

Also, Train line charge you a booking fee which going direct through any train operator you wouldn't be charged for. Train line are a HUGE pain in the arse.

I think you mean typical toddler not typical boy!!

Also the booking system, regardless of which one you use, will always assume a ticket bought for a child is for a child between 5 & 15 as that is the required age for having a child ticket. They don't know you have an under 2

If it is the quiet coach, unless you are on a peak service there should be seats elsewhere. So just move to a non quiet coach.

I find the quiet coach always the most spacious as few can cope without jabbering into their brick phone for an hour or so. I do take earphones though as there is a sometimes a group chattering loud inanities at each other, and there is often some thicko who must just shout into the brick regardless.

I would echo the reccomendation to book seats using a different website as they let you pick your own seats.

It always baffles me that you can choose "I want the quiet coach" but you can't choose "I do not want the quiet coach".

You do sound very considerate - I hope your journey goes well.

And I agree with WackyWalrus that you mean typical toddler not typical boy.