This mornings 05:53 Plymouth - London Paddington had a 409 Buffet Car so didn't have a full kitchen meaning no Pullman Breakfast Service...

That had to the day I decided to go all the way down to Plymouth on 1C32 and 1C99 Overnight to catch said Pullman Train for a slap up breakfast... GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have yet to excuse themselves

Oh dear... I sense trouble on the line ahead...

Welcome to the forum. I hope your first post was Tongue in Cheek and set to provoke a reaction...

In all seriousness, I recall someone on this forum saying that a member of staff made them move to their reserved seat (and threw someone who was in said reserved seat out of it)... Tried a quick search but can't find the exact post or I would have quoted it here...

I wish you the best of luck with your new job. As others have said, although I will be a little more realistic, You are going to need it if you have this attitude... Trying to 'enforce' these things is going to make a misery of your day... There is this dreadful term called a "power trip" where someone in a position of authority uses said authority to feel superior to others... It is not a good thing and won't lead to happy employment... Of the RPIs^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) I've encountered I'd say 0% try this sort of tactic...

Without telling you how to do your job; I am going to instead suggest you converse your efforts to those who knowingly sit in First Class and say "We'll move if / when challenged." Or those who hog the toilets to dodge the fare when someone with a medical condition is stood outside getting increasingly red faced with pain from waiting... Or those who pretend they've made an honest mistake when passengers have seen them claim this "mistake" several times over...

Maybe after that you should try and build a rapport with your regular passengers... They are probably fed up with some of the chancers as above and would willingly provide you details of where/when to find them

Back to tongue in cheek... If you decide to go down the road of trying to enforce silly things then here is a list you can write me up for in advance...

• Soiling the railway. I use the train toilets... ALOT... I spill my drinks... ALOT...
• Existing in the wrong class of accommodation from that held on the ticket... I like to visit the Buffet Car for my complimentary drinks... I often use the toilets which sometimes are only available in Standard Class... Finally I occasionally sit with my friends in Standard Class when I hold a First Class ticket... Occasionally I've been moved back to First Class and told my friends can join me...
• Using any article to reproduce sound... It helps to talk to staff when ordering drinks in the Buffet Car or asking for an additional ticket etc etc
• Using the wrong train for a "Booked train only" ticket... Bristol - Newcastle on a train with no working toilets? Not happening!
• Sat in an Aisle Seat when reservation is for a Window Seat? Also not happening!

Finally... Can you please advise me what I should do if my Advance Ticket states Coach * Seat *** and how/where I should sit?

I would have thought FGW^▸ (First Great Western) must have a procedure for this. Phones do get stolen or suffer catastrophic failures. Hardly something the user is responsible for in most cases.

Do you know if you have an 8 Character Booking Reference code? I vaguely remember booking an MTICKET by mistake or something very similar and thought I would try and collect it using the booking reference issued and card used... Didn't expect the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) to print the darn thing... So as a very last resort you could give that a try. I have absolutely no idea if it will work - I just vaguely remember doing something like this a couple years ago.

Completely off topic but congratulations on 1,000 posts

That's difficult to answer if I'm honest. I think I just accept that the fares are going to go up regardless of what happens.

In respect of the TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) paying more ^ for more officers; It could be considered that if a higher presence reduced the amount of Antisocial Behaviour incidents, Increased passenger numbers by giving an impression of a "much safer railway", reduced the bill of repairs from criminal damage, reduces the likelihood of the "chancer" fare evaders and so on and so fourth...

Then throw into the mix that more officers meant less strain on NHS resources, less strain on Network Rail from the likes of Cable Theft etc...

It's a tricky one to get a good balance. I am loathed to say this, but if that is the case then sadly it's for the TOC to decide whether it wants to put profits before passenger welfare.

Similar to what other posters have said, It would work as well as Quiet Carriages and First Class on late evening services... I.e. A waste of time.

Having said that, the perhaps more logical and far easier to implement solution is having more BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) on trains themselves and at known crime hotspots. In Spain on Renfe Cercan^as Services (Local Trains) the trains always have some travelling Security Guards (Certainly true for all of the trains I've used). I remember my first journey being quite intimidated by it; but also felt reassured that anyone thinking of causing trouble would be thinking again...

Sure, You mentioned that all 1st Class season ticket holders affected are to be contacted and various options given. Concluding with "all of which seem fair"

Forgive me if I've taken that too literally; but that suggests you know what these various options are... Can you elaborate as to what they are?

Thanks

Could you elaborate on that please?

I'm at a loss as to why some of these trains between 09:00 - 20:00 for arguments sake don't have First Class seating, yet trains at 00:00 - 05:00 are advertised as having First Class.

Playing devils advocate, I strongly doubt that will be at all policed in any way. Looking at the amount of Gatecrashers in First Class on late night services in Essex... It just doesn't make sense.

Throw into that the various staff on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and SWT^▸ (South West Trains) services who openly say "don't buy First Class tickets for trains X, Y and Z late at night as it's not checked. Just offer to pay if it's checked."

Considering the amount of posters saying "Buy before you board" I find such advise dangerous and distasteful... You can't win

The only real different between tickets 2 and 3 (apart from 3 being slightly bolder text gained by using a fixed printer rather than a portable battery powered one) is the restriction code information.

If you look carefully at ticket 3 to the right of "Validity" it will show a restriction code. In this case W4. You can then go to http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/W4 for details of these usage restrictions.

Ticket 2 doesn't have this and just says "See restrictions" which isn't at all that helpful.

Ticket 3 the railcard codes are bigger font size in addition. They used to be the size of ticket 2 but changed some time ago.

Technically no, but local acceptance is in place. Having used the ticket via Westbury on the 15:55 to connect with the 16:23 for Penzance countless times in the last 10 years. I've also used the ticket via Bristol in the same time frame without issue. Only one action where the Guard on a SWT^▸ (South West Trains) service initially had reservations but then accepted it when he saw Any Permitted printed on the ticket.

I think that is because it is considered as BNM points out, the service between Frome and Taunton is poor considering the distance and the 2 towns being in the same county. I can name several additional journeys possible via Bristol and via Westbury.

It pains me to say this. But this is probably one of the rare examples where common sense prevails and for that I am thankful.

Ticket 1) New Ticket Design issued by Frome TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine)

Ticket 2) Ticket issued by an Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains)

Ticket 3) Issued at a Ticket Office



I don't like the new layout either. A TM^‡(resolve) nearly said it was a Standard Class ticket until doing a double take on the passenger presenting the ticket and the price of the ticket (having himself sold it several times before) and off the record responded "What a bluddy awful design..."

I can't help but think that some of those cases on the Penman Sedgwick website should never have escalated as far as they did.

I counted 3 cases that were the result of TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) being out of order but the case was still brought before or Court or withdrawn at a very late stage. I also thought the case of the drunken man picking up a receipt instead of his ticket was amusing. Taking the wording on face value, an easy mistake to make and one I've done myself before now whilst fully sober.

Whilst I don't condone using a failed TVM as an excuse for deliberate fare evasion... I'm not sure I like the idea of a "baseless allegation" (using that that term very loosely) being brought before court, causing considerable distress to a person who actually hasn't done anything wrong. (Again to reiterate I am taking the events on face value)

Lack of diversionary routes and increased traffic on other routes escalated the disruption.

Thoughts to those involved.

Now I've eaten all the Cheese and Onion or Cheese and Tomato Toasties

Infact the last 6 HST^▸ (High Speed Train) Journeys I've made there has been no vegetarian hot food... No shortage of Egg and Cress Sandwiches however... If they make a sudden disappearance I'm not sorry

Thank you both.

I had always misunderstood that for 2 reasons.

1) The "Pathed As" always showed which trains on the GreaterAnglia Norwich services were EMUs^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) vs. Class 90+Mk3

2) The Weymouth Wizard train shows as being "Pathed as" a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) Service instead of the timings of Class 150 etc. The timings I believe are almost identical to when this is run by a unit.

Hope that clears up the logic I was using. Thanks for the correction however