14.10.13
McLoughlin ‘looking into’ ratio of first class seats
Looking into the mix of first class and standard tickets available would be “sensible”, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has said.
It comes as new research indicates that on average only 50% of first-class seats are occupied, whilst other carriages are overcrowded.
The Telegraph looked at intercity trains arriving at Paddington, Waterloo, Liverpool Street and King’s Cross between 8am and 9am on three consecutive weekdays. The trains had on average three first class and five standard class carriages.
Less than a fifth of the first-class carriages were full or nearly full, but in almost all cases passengers were standing in standard class.
McLoughlin said: “It is sensible to think about the mix of first and standard-class carriages on our railways and it is something we are looking into. It is right to ask the question of whether it could deliver a better passenger experience.
“Equally, it is important to be absolutely clear that it is not a solution to the serious capacity issues we face.”
Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus, said: “A balance needs to be achieved between the number of standard and first-class carriages a train has.
“It’s clear that where passengers are being squeezed into standard-class carriages while there are plenty of empty seats in first class, this balance is not being achieved.”
Chiltern Railways has scrapped all first-class carriages on its services, and instead runs business zones with thirty seats available per train for a £25 supplement. Commercial director Thomas Ableman said: “Companies and individuals just can’t afford first-class travel in this day and age.
“Our view was that first class was a remnant of the days when railways were organised on a class basis. Nowadays it’s not about aristocrats reading newspapers – it’s about making the best use of people’s time, so they can have Wi-Fi and tables for their laptops.”
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