How can Train Travel be made better for families with young children

[jttf]

Hi,

I've got a meeting arranged with some important people at LNER and GWR about how to make train travel better for parents.

Here are some of our suggestions so far:

1. Assisted boarding for those travelling with very young children.
2. Being able to book the exact seat (i.e. table/near toilet etc).
3. Dedicated pram space (that can be booked in advance)
4. Dedicated seats for mums breastfeeding
5. Level boarding

Please let me know if you have any more thoughts,

JTTF

Agree with visible staff to move those sitting in others’ booked seats - and who are prepared to do it!

exact seat booking that won’t be cancelled or changed to facing the other way last minute.

Trolley service of drinks like their used to be.

Clean working toilets.

Not sure about family carriages as it might end up with a presumption of all families cramming in there - they’d have to be plentiful if they existed. Maybe having specific coaches for those who want to be rowdy as frankly I don’t want to hear it when I’m alone either!

I don’t agree with reserved seats for un5s travelling free - they haven’t paid for a seat and it takes it away from others on a crowded train. They’d have to be a fee for this.

Clean spacious toilets with lots of hot water and soap.

Pram space

Ditch number 4.

Parents should be able to feed their children anywhere. Introducing designated breastfeeding seats just makes it seem like it’s ‘wrong’ to feed anywhere else, which it obviously isn’t.

A family coach sounds a good idea, as does a booking system that automatically doesn’t seat young families in the quiet coach. I echo what others have said about toilets, not enough space in them to change a baby.

Some common sense needed at times - a guard insisted I folded my pram when the luggage space was clearly empty and I was only going one stop.

Kings Cross - having to stand in the crowds waiting for the platform to be announced and the mad rush to get all the way to the platform (usually the other end of the train too).
We used to go first class and used the lounge which probably pissed off the people with no children, but otherwise there is nowhere to go at KX while you’re waiting.

Encourage people to travel in the day, we’ve always managed to find reasonably priced tickets in advance, I’d never pay £200 as has been suggested here.

Plenty of sockets for phones and other devices and decent WiFi.

Shorter announcements on trains. I don’t need a full listing of the drinks menu after every station. Quite a lot of people like to sleep on the train, but it is annoying if these unnecessary announcements wake up young children.

@jttf so how did the meeting go?

The main things for me would be clean toilets and some support if you find your booked seats have been sat in. I find getting to your seat, worrying if it will be free, unreasonably stressful.

Train travel itself is already brilliant for families IMO, except for the filthy toilets on some lines.

The same things everyone want;

• on time
• clean
• reasonable price
• toilets, also clean

They need to get the basics right.

A bit late but I would love to be able to check in luggage and collect it on arrival on long journeys. I've done this on long train journeys abroad and it makes it less stressful especially when you are travelling with kids.

I’m taking my fifteen month old on his first long journey soon. Three and a half hours with two changes.

I’ve booked first class but obvs it’s just one seat. I’m stressing because even though I requested aisle, half of the legs have allocated me window.

No idea how i’ll manage to lug pram, toddler, and luggage through quick platform changes, or wrangle him on my lap if I have to put the pram down, or manage with wriggly toddler if we’re crammed next to strangers (cough Covid cough).

I’m sure none of this is a big deal but he was born into lockdown and I’ve not really had to do this stuff before.

Re itroduce the smoking carriage.

Really missed that after a 4 hr journey with 2 toddlers.

Or install a creche carriage.

Lost count of the times we've found our reserved seats were in the quiet coach.

@unlimiteddilutingjuice

This might be a bit controversial but it would be amazing if you could reserve seats for any under fives travelling for free. The biggest frustration I had travelling with two under the age of five is that I would only be able to reserve a seat for myself. This was fine if the train wasn't crowded. But often all the surrounding seats would be taken, making my reserved seat useless. So then we would all have to troop to the unreserved carriage with all our stuff. Or sit on the floor between carriages, getting in everyone's way. I get that the kids were for travelling for free and not entitled to a seat. But perhaps there could be a middle ground. Maybe pay a smaller fee for a reservation without a ticket?

Children under 5 do travel for free but surely it’s on the understanding they don’t need a seat. Which in my mind is ridiculous as of course the child needs a seat. I’ve always paid for a seat for my children, right from baby stage, so I could guarantee a reserved seat next to me. It tends to work out cheaper with a Family and Friends Railcard than paying for one adult ticket.

I think doing away with “free” which isn’t fit for purpose would be good but at the same time making all travel cheaper. Also making it really clear what the cost of travel is.

It's the cost. It's ridiculously expensive.

DHs family live 350 miles away from us. We're in the North of England they are in Dundee. We have 4 children.

There was no way we were ever going to be able to go visit by train. I just googled return tickets for us, from Sheffield to Dundee. We want to go on Monday, come back Friday. It says it will be £1,335.60.

I mean, seriously?

We will drive.

Do you wonder that we drove every time we went?

I agree it’s the basics. Trains on time. Toilets that are working and clean. Last minute platform changes are really difficult if you’ve got your buggy folded ready to board.