In message <umeqo0$3h89i$1@dont-email.me>, at 15:16:16 on Tue, 26 Dec
2023, Chris Holmes <chrispvholmes@gmail.com> remarked:
>Chris Holmes <chrispvholmes@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Sam Wilson <ukr@dummy.wislons.fastmail.co.uk> wrote:
>>> Chris Holmes <chrispvholmes@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hi All,
>>>>
>>>> I Just bought a “cheap” ticket to go up to Market Harborough from
>>>> Leatherhead (South of London) on 22nd December. I wanted something not tied
>>>> to a particular train…
>>>>
>>>> Online said “No”
>>>>
>>>> Ticket office man “No”
>>>>
>>>> Ticket machine “Yes”
>>>>
>>>> I am hoping to set off between 3:30 and 6:00 in the afternoon, does anyone
>>>> know if that would be ok on this Super Off Peak (or where I could check
>>>> online)?
>>>>
>>>> Also, is it possible to reserve a seat online for the St Pancras - Market
>>>> Harborough leg?
>>>
>>> You got a ticket machine to sell you a ticket for 22 Dec? Is this a new
>>> feature? I haven’t needed to buy a ticket for future travel recently (and
>>> most the of the future tickets I buy need things like cycle reservations)
>>> but knowing I could do it at the station without visiting the ticket office
>>> would be an interesting option.
>>>
>>> Sam
>>
>> Southern ticket machines have for some years (if not since introduction of
>> the “modern” machines had a “button” “Tickets for future travel”.

>>But the only way I was able to get a seat reservation was to go to a
>>station (it took the guy about 15 minutes! (i’m not sure the
>>original guy I tried to buy a ticket from would ever have figured it
>>out)).
>>
>> I suppose it may also be possible to do seat & cycle reservations on the
>> phone.
>
>Now on the train.
>
>EMR had suspended the after 18 whatever it was rule and so I could have got
>the 18:05. but I couldn’t get a seat reservation.

It's a bit early to start making plans, but I note that next year
there's no restriction for that fare on Monday 23rd December (until the
New Year). Could have been the same this year.

>Im on the 19:05 and there are quite a few unreserved seats, so I think
>another time I will get on the earlier train and see if I can find one, and
>if not, get off and wait for “my” train.

When I was in Scotland earlier this year, I was unable to book
reservations on an Avanti from Glasgow back down south, and the ticket
office person wasn't sure why not. Our best guess was that the system
blocks out a certain number of seats for potential last-minute
travellers. Hull Trains used to (may still) have a whole carriage of
unreservable seats on the ECML, for example.

Anyway, I did manage to book some seats the next day, but only from
Edinburgh (to Birmingham), so we took a local train over there, but much
to our surprise they turned out to be in a Standard carriage (we had FC
tickets). It appears human error is alive and well, and living in the
Glasgow Travel Centre. You have to show them the tickets before they'll
make a seat-only booking.

Once aboard, I went and talked to the steward in FC, and he obviously
had a list of which seats were reserved, between where; but it was
pretty fully booked. He said if we waited in until the train had left
Haymarket (apparently for reservations purposes it counts the same as
Waverley) if there were unclaimed reservations we could have them. Which
we did.

>Still, St Pancras isn’t a bad place to while away a couple of hours.
>

--
Roland Perry

On 27/12/2023 06:11, Roland Perry wrote:
> In message <umeqo0$3h89i$1@dont-email.me>, at 15:16:16 on Tue, 26 Dec
> 2023, Chris Holmes <chrispvholmes@gmail.com> remarked:
>> Chris Holmes <chrispvholmes@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Sam Wilson <ukr@dummy.wislons.fastmail.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> Chris Holmes <chrispvholmes@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi All,
>>>>>
>>>>> I Just bought a “cheap” ticket to go up to Market Harborough from
>>>>> Leatherhead (South of London) on 22nd December. I wanted something
>>>>> not tied
>>>>> to a particular train…
>>>>>
>>>>> Online said “No”
>>>>>
>>>>> Ticket office man “No”
>>>>>
>>>>> Ticket machine “Yes”
>>>>>
>>>>> I am hoping to set off between 3:30 and 6:00 in the afternoon, does
>>>>> anyone
>>>>> know if that would be ok on this Super Off Peak (or where I could
>>>>> check
>>>>> online)?
>>>>>
>>>>> Also, is it possible to reserve a seat online for the St Pancras -
>>>>> Market
>>>>> Harborough leg?
>>>>
>>>> You got a ticket machine to sell you a ticket for 22 Dec?  Is this a
>>>> new
>>>> feature?  I haven’t needed to buy a ticket for future travel
>>>> recently (and
>>>> most the of the future tickets I buy need things like cycle
>>>> reservations)
>>>> but knowing I could do it at the station without visiting the ticket
>>>> office
>>>> would be an interesting option.
>>>>
>>>> Sam
>>>
>>> Southern ticket machines have for some years (if not since
>>> introduction of
>>> the “modern” machines had a “button” “Tickets for future travel”.
>
>>> But the  only way I was able to get a seat reservation was to go to a
>>> station (it  took the guy about 15 minutes! (i’m not sure the
>>> original guy I tried to  buy a ticket from would ever have figured it
>>> out)).
>>>
>>> I suppose it may also be possible to do seat & cycle reservations on the
>>> phone.
>>
>> Now on the train.
>>
>> EMR had suspended the after 18 whatever it was rule and so I could
>> have got
>> the 18:05. but I couldn’t get a seat reservation.
>
> It's a bit early to start making plans, but I note that next year
> there's no restriction for that fare on Monday 23rd December (until the
> New Year). Could have been the same this year.

I checked at the time and it was indeed the same this year: no
restriction from 23 December. The OP was travelling on 22 December.
23-24 would have been unrestricted anyway, being a weekend.

On Tue, 26 Dec 2023 15:16:16 -0000 (UTC), Chris Holmes
<chrispvholmes@gmail.com> wrote:

>Chris Holmes <chrispvholmes@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Sam Wilson <ukr@dummy.wislons.fastmail.co.uk> wrote:
>>> Chris Holmes <chrispvholmes@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hi All,
>>>>
>>>> I Just bought a “cheap” ticket to go up to Market Harborough from
>>>> Leatherhead (South of London) on 22nd December. I wanted something not tied
>>>> to a particular train…
>>>>
>>>> Online said “No”
>>>>
>>>> Ticket office man “No”
>>>>
>>>> Ticket machine “Yes”
>>>>
>>>> I am hoping to set off between 3:30 and 6:00 in the afternoon, does anyone
>>>> know if that would be ok on this Super Off Peak (or where I could check
>>>> online)?
>>>>
>>>> Also, is it possible to reserve a seat online for the St Pancras - Market
>>>> Harborough leg?
>>>
>>> You got a ticket machine to sell you a ticket for 22 Dec? Is this a new
>>> feature? I haven’t needed to buy a ticket for future travel recently (and
>>> most the of the future tickets I buy need things like cycle reservations)
>>> but knowing I could do it at the station without visiting the ticket office
>>> would be an interesting option.
>>>
>>> Sam
>>
>> Southern ticket machines have for some years (if not since introduction of
>> the “modern” machines had a “button” “Tickets for future travel”. But the
>> only way I was able to get a seat reservation was to go to a station (it
>> took the guy about 15 minutes! (i’m not sure the original guy I tried to
>> buy a ticket from would ever have figured it out)).
>>
>> I suppose it may also be possible to do seat & cycle reservations on the
>> phone.
>>
>
>Now on the train.
>
>EMR had suspended the after 18 whatever it was rule and so I could have got
>the 18:05. but I couldn’t get a seat reservation.
>
>Im on the 19:05 and there are quite a few unreserved seats, so I think
>another time I will get on the earlier train and see if I can find one, and
>if not, get off and wait for “my” train.
>
>Still, St Pancras isn’t a bad place to while away a couple of hours.

I certainly agree with the last part.

Chris Holmes <chrispvholmes@gmail.com> wrote:
> Sam Wilson <ukr@dummy.wislons.fastmail.co.uk> wrote:
>> Chris Holmes <chrispvholmes@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> I Just bought a “cheap” ticket to go up to Market Harborough from
>>> Leatherhead (South of London) on 22nd December. I wanted something not tied
>>> to a particular train…
>>>
>>> Online said “No”
>>>
>>> Ticket office man “No”
>>>
>>> Ticket machine “Yes”
>>>
>>>
>>> I am hoping to set off between 3:30 and 6:00 in the afternoon, does anyone
>>> know if that would be ok on this Super Off Peak (or where I could check
>>> online)?
>>>
>>> Also, is it possible to reserve a seat online for the St Pancras - Market
>>> Harborough leg?
>>
>> You got a ticket machine to sell you a ticket for 22 Dec? Is this a new
>> feature? I haven’t needed to buy a ticket for future travel recently (and
>> most the of the future tickets I buy need things like cycle reservations)
>> but knowing I could do it at the station without visiting the ticket office
>> would be an interesting option.
>>
>> Sam
>>
>
>
> Southern ticket machines have for some years (if not since introduction of
> the “modern” machines had a “button” “Tickets for future travel”. But the
> only way I was able to get a seat reservation was to go to a station (it
> took the guy about 15 minutes! (i’m not sure the original guy I tried to
> buy a ticket from would ever have figured it out)).
>
> I suppose it may also be possible to do seat & cycle reservations on the
> phone.
>
>

Now on the train.

EMR had suspended the after 18 whatever it was rule and so I could have got
the 18:05. but I couldn’t get a seat reservation.

Im on the 19:05 and there are quite a few unreserved seats, so I think
another time I will get on the earlier train and see if I can find one, and
if not, get off and wait for “my” train.

Still, St Pancras isn’t a bad place to while away a couple of hours.