New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and discussion

[whole diary]

[Mark A]

I knew we could rely on you. The Beaufort scale of train carriage loading.

Mark

[froome]

Hmm - I think 'Rammed' = 110% plus....so full & standing

Got me thinking - load definitions

0 to less than 5% - "Fresh Air"
5% to less than 15% - "Light"
15% to less than 25% - "Quiet"
25% to less than 50% - "Comfy"
50% to less thsn 80% - "Busy"
80% to less than 95% - "Nesting / Nearly Every Seat Taken"
95% to less than 110% - "Full and Standing"
110% to less than 125% - "Rammed"
125% to less than 150% - "Stuffed"
Over 150% - "Stupid"

$64,000 - by a seat being occupied, are we counting bums, or bums and bags?

Are you including First Class seats in those figures. If so, anything above 80% could easily include full and standing in Second Class.

Which leads me to the question: At what point does a train manager decide to allow standard class passengers occupy first class seats?

[eightonedee]

The Beaufort scale of train carriage loading.

This could also have Beaufort-like descriptions of what to look for to avoid having to count seats (like the "white horses begin to appear on waves at sea" or "some trees lose branches" notes you used to see).

Suggestions - for "Busy" - "passengers begin asking anyone with bags on seat to move them or saying "is anyone sitting there"?

For "nesting/nearly every seat taken" - "Announcements made that there are still a few seats available at the front/back of the train"

For "full and standing" - "on-board train staff no longer walk along the train, anyone with a bicycle in a vestibule gets black looks from fellow passengers".

"Stuffed" - "Between Paddington and Reading".

[IndustryInsider]

Which leads me to the question: At what point does a train manager decide to allow standard class passengers occupy first class seats?

Hardly ever in these days of bargain advance first class fares.  First class occupancy, percentage of seats wise, is often the same or even more than standard class on many trains.