New train passenger bugbear as schools reserve WHOLE CARRIAGES in rush hour
FROM playing music out loud to putting your feet on the seats – travelling by train in the UK can be an infuriating experience.
But I’ve found a new frustrating trend – reserved carriages for school groups.
As someone who regularly commutes to London by train, I already have the daily battle of finding a seat, especially one with a table.
But I’ve noticed a recent surge in entire carriages being booked by teachers ahead of taking entire classes into London for the day.
According to Southeastern: “If your group is at least 30 people, we can look into reserving a carriage for you, although it may not always be possible during busier periods.
“Reserved carriages will generally be at the rear of a train, and will be marked with labels in the windows and on the doors stating that the carriage is reserved for your group.
“There isn’t a charge for reserving a carriage.”
While this may sound grumpy at first – after all, who wants to try and find 30 seats for school kids – my complaint comes with both the timing and space.
My train is regularly a four-carriage train until later in the journey.
Not only that, but as a commuter train, seats cannot be reserved until other train operators, so most seats are find-as-you-get-on.
So with a whole carriage taken up by a school, it ends up making these other busy carriages already a lot more chaotic.
A poor train conductor had the awkward task of kicking everyone already sitting in the carriage before the reserved time out onto the platform as they waited for an attachment
Not only that, but many of them are being booked for the morning commute, often around 9am.
In my opinion, there should be blocked out times to allow weary office-dwellers their last chance of respite before having to be stuck staring at a computer for nine hours.
At least there is one upside – I know which carriage to actively avoid unless I want to be subjected to streams of TikTok videos being played out loud next to me.
However, the Sun’s Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire backs reserved carriages.
She said: “As a school mum who has been on a lot of class trips in recent years, I think this decision by the train company to reserve an entire carriage for the kids is genius.
“Herding a group of children on and off transport through London – one of the world’s busiest cities – is a nightmare.
“Will you get them all in one carriage? Will one get left behind? Will they all get seats?
“Will the ‘other’ members of the public get annoyed with the exceptionally loud noise that accompanies 30-plus kids on a day out?
“This allows them to make sure all of the children travel safely, while causing minimal issues for other passengers.
“It’s so smart, I’m considering suggesting it to my child’s school next time that I accompany them on a trip.”
A train company recently launched adult-only carriages.
And here’s a converted train carriage you can spend the night in.