Aviatrix

This may seem like a very bizarre thread... but what I saw at Liverpool Street last night struck me as rather bizarre, and I'm curious to know what others think, especially the regular UK train travellers among you.

Background... at the moment there are no direct trains from Liverpool Street to places beyond Shenfield after 2230 (due to engineering work). Anyone trying to get home after that time gets taken on a long and circuitous journey involving a bus ride from Billericay.

Last night, due to a flight delay, I was in danger of missing that last train home at 2230. I got off the Circle Line at 2225. Running as fast as I could with my 20kg wheelie and 10kg backpack I made it to the platform at 2228. I got on the train using the first door - which happened to take me into a First Class coach.

As I was standing by the door catching my breath I saw several other people running through the gate. All of them, without exception, continued running past the three First Class coaches and then all jostled and pushed to get into the nearest Standard Class one.

Were they being stupid (my husband's reaction when I told him!), or was I breaking some written or unwritten rule by boarding at the wrong end and walking through those empty First Class coaches?

It's a trivial point... but I'm intrigued!

Jenbel

I don't walk through first class unless I need to board a train right NOW. But if I was running, I'd get on first class to make sure I got the train.

From my reaction, I think it is frowned on being in first class, but I haven't really thought about it until you asked. It is easier walking along the platform than up the train, so it's hard to know if the fact I can't recall ever boarding through first is because of a desire to avoid first or because it's easier to walk along the platform until you find your carriage.

mad_rich

If I know which carriage I want, and know that I have time, I would much rather walk/ run along the platform than fight my way through the train. Not to spare the First Class passengers from the horrors of having to see me, but because it's quicker and easier.

sdorling

It's pretty common on FGW on the Paddington-Reading route for late comers to either board at the back of the train (where First Class usually is), or to stand in the doorways by First Class as it's the closest part to the ticket machines at Reading station.

I suppose etiquette would dictate you board a carriage for which you are ticketed but assuming those that don't have a first class ticket don't linger in the carriage uneccessarily and are simply passing through for the first few mins of the journey having arrived late I don't see an issue.

antichef

I agree.

On Sunday I boarded the opposite way to the OP. On the Aberdeen-London run, boarded at a minor stop. My carriage was at the very front - but the stop is literally one minute to pick up four or five people heading south.

The conductor asked me to board ASAP, and I then had a long schlep through a dozen carriages. My seat was row 1, as usual, with my back to the driver

Aviatrix

That was more or less the situation I was in. In theory I guess I could have made it to the standard class carriages further down the platform, but I was too exhausted to run any further. The others probably weren't as exhausted as I was, but I'm still surprised that they ALL kept running rather than get on the train at the first opportunity.

JRGAY

On the East Coast line into KX the mass "steerage" march down to the front of the train starts around 10 minutes before arriving.
Someone once jibed as "the daily Jarrow march" - please don't flame....

At peak times the lines stretch through to the second coach, a morass of unsettled bodies swaying to and fro, scary sometimes as you never know which briefcase or shoulder bag is going to get you next.

Quite funny seeing people furtively shove a used (gratis) newspaper into their bag from one of the first class seats that's already been vacated on the way past.

Often wondered if someone one day will put itching powder (or worse) in one, but that's another topic

Oxon Flyer

Didn't realise that East Coast used their HST-ER-600's on this route.

Christopher

If you're at risk of missing the train if you don't jump on board, then get into whichever carriage is nearer, I'd say. It would be an extremely disagreeable first-class passenger who could object to this.

However, if there's no time pressure, then it's clearly easier, and quicker, to walk along the platform than fight your way through the train. The exception to this might be, I suppose, a situation where it was raining heavily and the platform had no covering.

exilencfc

I can't see a problem with it provided you don't then help yourself to a first class seat.

It's certainly something i've seen a lot, and it's far preferably to missing the train. But as has been said up thread, it is far quicker to walk along the platform so that's what I do if i'm not in a rush.

HIDDY

I suspect you'd soon be told by the station staff to stop faffing about and get on the flippin' train by using the nearest door.

Barnaby100

When an east coast comes into kings cross 1st is at the front. The guards physically stop 2nd walking into 1st in order to get to the front of the train ready for when it stops.

ajax

Same here.

Jimmie76

It happens on every train (HST) I've taken out of Paddington people who are late for the train board in 1st and then walk through the carriages. More often than not at least one of them usually more will just plonk themselves in a seat and wait to get turfed out by the train manager. One bloke sat down in the seat next to me despite there being two seats the other side of the table about 8 mins before we were due to leave. I was more than a tiny bit put out by this and very relieved when the Train Manager appeared about 15 mins after we had left and spoke to this bloke. He claimed that he had been running to catch the train, was only going as far as Reading and had just sat down in the first available seat.

Train Manager says he'd walked the length of the train from the outside, and had noted what seats were occupied in 1st. He then said that the bloke had an incorrect ticket for his journey and offered to sell him an upgrade to a 1st Anytime Single for the trip to Reading or he could just buy a new Standard Anytime and move now back into Standard.

He decided to move to Standard, Train Manager then apologised to me for having to have had this bloke next to me for so long and said that he had been tied up further back on the train with someone else.

JRGAY

Experiences differ, maybe the remnants of the full English sometimes distract.