02.02.18
Caledonian Sleeper pushes ahead with contentious cabin-sharing ban
Caledonian Sleeper plans to introduce a controversial new ban on strangers sharing carriages once it brings in its £100m new fleet in October.
Initially, the company had intended to bring in the policy this month, but a spokesperson confirmed they would be pushing it back towards the end of the year.
It means that if two passengers are strangers they will no longer be able to share sleeper cabins, and single passengers will instead have to purchase a ticket for their own cabin.
The change is expected to mean that fares for people travelling alone will nearly double from around £85 to as much as £140.
There were also plans to stop passengers who are travelling together from using railcards to book shared carriages.
However, the operator, Serco, says this has also been postponed and claimed that the new pricing structure for passengers sharing without a railcard would be cheaper than the current system with a discount.
Iain Baxter, Serco’s marketing director at Caledonian Sleeper, said: “Once introduced, our new trains fares structure will result in the removal of the ability to share accommodation with a stranger in Standard Class.
“Originally, we were intending to cease offering these fares in February but now that we have a confirmed date of October for the introduction of the new trains (on our Lowland routes) we are able to reinstate existing fares until the new trains are running. Use of railcards will also remain unchanged prior to this date.”
Caledonian Sleeper’s new fleet arrived in the UK earlier this month, with the first of its 75 carriages beginning testing just outside of Glasgow.
The operator says these will be the first new sleeper trains introduced in the UK for 35 years. They are being constructed by CAF in Spain at a cost of over £100m, partly funded by a £60m capital grant from the Scottish Government.
Top image: Caledonian Sleeper
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