Time to Scrap 1st Class Carriages on Trains?
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I personally never ever use them as 1st class is so expensive
And yesterday there was footage of yet another incident where some passengers seeking room for a breather on a packed train were turfed out by inspectors for not having the correct ticket, and this time a familiar faced 1st class customer stood up for the passengers
I know that the inspectors were just doing their jobs, but if the actual 1st class customers didn’t have a problem with it, is it really a problem?
I think some of the trains in Europe has no 1st class, because people do not use it. I think it is better to have all 2nd class and people have more place and they can sit down.
Which countries exactly? Serbia? Slovakia?
Portugal once had TGV trains but stopped and so, customers have to switch when they reach Catalunya (still called Spain - the country) to continue their route.
I agree. We def8nitely need more space for passengers on the uk services, so doing away with the empty 1st class sections is the logical thing to do
I have been on a number of trains that didn't have enough seats and loads of people had to stand because they had sold too many tickets for the train and not put enough carriages on. These trains would be from Glasgow to Inverness. I used to travel to Inverness as it is where my parents live and on a few occasions I had to stand for the whole journey. Now it wasn't as issue for me at the time as I was 18/19 but if there had been an elderly person then they should definitely have been allowed to sit in first class. As long as you aren't causing any issues then I don't see a problem with it. Just get rid of first class and put more carriages on.
It’s over cheeky of the train companies to over subscribe, but they do it as they know they get away with it. Definitely need the extra space for passengers who have paid for tickets
hspexy I understand that they need to make money as they are a business, but they also need to think of the customers as they are the reason they have a company and make a profit. I understand that unless you have a first class ticket then you shouldn't be in first class, but there wouldn't even be that issue if they just put on enough carriages.
MrsCraig I don’t think they’re able to simply add more carriages due to health and safety, especially if longer trains cannot fit stations, and they don’t have enough staff to man the trains for emergency situations. Also momentum of trains change the more weight you add to it, so there are further cost issues implicated. The only thing they can do is rejig the existing carriages they do have, so complete removal of 1st class sections seem logical.
I think that regardless of how busy a train is or how empty first class is you should only be there if you have a valid & correct ticket. Otherwise where do you draw the line, how do you decide who needs the seat more etc. You pay your ticket price and get a seat in the correct carriage. To me rules are important and the bending of them causes more trouble than sticking to them. I'm sure I'll be alone in this opinion!
No you are not alone. Otherwise all the 2nd class passengers would feel they have the right to amble along to 1st willy nilly. This would cause those who have paid more for the privilege to be quite miffed I would think. However, I do agree with ShellyAnn below, just have one class for all.
I know what you mean, but when you see empty, spacious 1st class sections on carriages and jam packed, and then compare it to the sardine packed passengers on the rest of the train, I don’t blame the individuals who just want to chance it - for people who travel on a daily basis, it must be a living hell. They need to scrap the 1st class sections if they’re not getting used
I think it is silly in this day and age to have first class on trains. Trains are too crowded at peak times.
I catch the train every day to and from work and it’s a frequent problem people going into 1st class because theres nowhere else to sit! I will say sometimes the driver will announce they have declassified 1st class but that only seems to be in extreme circumstances e.g the previous train was cancelled so everybody’s jumped on this one. I definitely think 1st class is a bit outdated and should be scrapped x
When I travel via train abroad, it's generally on second class and I'm okay with it. It's quiet, clean and organized. Probably not as spacious, cozy and posh but that's fine.
In the end, it's just a train ride so it's just a matter of a few hours to get to the destination. If it took me 8hrs or more then I'd want to go on 1st class or have a room for myself.
Yes it’s very stressful to travel on long journeys in crowded conditions. And to do it regularly would drive a lot of people insane. No wonder people can go crazy when they’re in these situations
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