APT-P Seat Reservation

The InterCity APT consists of 14 vehicles - 12 passenger coaches and two power cars. There are two identical sections made up of six passenger coaches formed either side of the power cars. Each of these sections contains 72 First and 152 Second Class seats plus 43 seats in the Dining Car and there is a choice of restaurant/buffet service in each section.

M	L	K	J	H	G
			DINING CAR			POWER CAR

	F	E	D	C	B	A
POWER CAR			DINING CAR

Reservation Procedure

To ensure passenger comfort accommodation is limited to the number of seats available and intending customers should be encouraged to reserve seats in advance in the normal manner. In event of unreserved seats being available these will be allocated to passengers shortly before train departure by the issue of Boarding Passes. The total accommodation available for reservation is allocated between Glasgow Central, London Euston and Preston with a portion of the Glasgow and London allocations being made available for sale at Motherwell and Watford respectively. At other stations and agencies, seat reservation requirements to be dealt with by Glasgow Central, Euston and Preston in the normal way.

It is essential that the actual destination of the passenger, (Glasgow, London or Preston) is established at the time of booking and that the seat is reserved in the appropriate allocation. If for example a seat is required at Glasgow for the journey from Glasgow to Preston and all seats in that allocation are already booked, Preston should be asked to release a seat in their allocation for that journey. NOTE if this is not available and a Glasgow to London seat is booked for a Glasgow to Preston journey a Telex message must be passed to Preston advising them that the seat is now allocated to them for reservation on the Preston to London portion of the journey.

Labels for seats reserved at other than the starting station must be despatched to that starting station by APT service on date of travel minus 2 e.g. date of travel Wednesday, despatch of labels Monday.
NOTE As APT service only runs Mondays to Fridays, - Mondays and Tuesdays labels to be dispatched the previous Friday.
Should labels not be available at Terminal Station by scheduled time full details of seats reserved will be requested by Telex.

Details of further seats sold after despatch of labels must be advised to the Terminal station by Telex. Such reservations may continue until 1700 on day prior to date of travel for morning services and until 1000 on the day of travel for afternoon services. When making these reservations the label portion of the ticket/s MUST be detached from the pad AT THE TIME OF BOOKING and details of the reservation transmitted by Telex to the labelling station without delay.

On receipt of the Telex message at the Terminal station, staff must chart the reservation, complete a 'D' label and file it with the other labels for the train concerned.

At the respective final cut-off times i.e. 1700 on the previous day or 1000 for same day travel, a Telex message must be transmitted to the Terminal station indicating details of any seats remaining unsold.

At the Terminal (labelling) station any seats remaining unreserved when chart is dispatched for labelling should be noted and made available for sale up to ONE HOUR before booked departure time of the train. (For train departing before 1000 the late booking facility will cease at close of booking the previous day). Arrangements must be made for the labels of such late bookings to be affixed to the seats prior to passengers boarding train.

Boarding Pass Procedure

Any seats remaining unsold after final cut-off time at the Terminal station to be made available to passengers without reservations by issue of Boarding Passes. The Boarding Passes do not identify a particular seat but show - Date, Train, Class (Smoker or Non-Smoker) and Coach - the date to be inserted by means of a 'Season Ticket' date stamp and in the case of Motherwell, Preston and Watford the Train details also to be inserted by hand stamp. Passengers to be advised to select a seat of their choice from those unreserved in the Coach indicated.

The number of seats unsold at stage above to be identified from the seat reservation chart and the Telex message from the other stations involved and entered in the 'Available' box on the Boarding Pass Control Plan. The requisite number of Boarding Passes then to be prepared according to anticipated demand. As each Boarding Pass is issued an accurate record i.e. 5 Bar Gate Check, should be made in space provided on the Pass Plan. Immediately on departure of the train the gate-check is to be tallied and the number issued entered in the appropriate box on the Plan. By deducting the 'Number Issued' from the 'Number Available' the 'Remaining' box can be completed. These figures then to form the basis of an immediate Telex message to the next station concerned. A copy of the 'Boarding Pass Control Plan' and a specimen Telex message is shown in the Appendix.

On receipt of the message the station concerned should then complete the 'Available' boxes in his Boarding Pass Plan and follow procedure above.
The final intermediate station to Telex destination station number of passengers who will alight at destination.

Appendix

Boarding Pass Control Plan

Example Telex Message from Glasgow for Motherwell

"0700 GLASGOW TO LONDON. MONDAY 12 MAY 1980
NUMBER OF SEATS AVAILABLE

COACH       END TO END      TO PRESTON      FROM PRESTON
A               13              4               6
B                0              5               1
C                8                               
D    Etc.

Seat Allocation

NOTE In the event of the Glasgow or London allocations for journeys to or from Preston becoming exhausted Preston should be requested to release seat/s from their allocation. Seats in the 'End to End' accommodation MUST NOT be used for journeys to or from Preston unless ALL 'Intermediate' accommodation has been sold. If any 'End to End' seats are utilised for 'Intermediate' bookings, Preston should be advised in order that they can have opportunity to book seats for the other vacant leg of the journey.

Seat Reservation Charts