A touch of declassification on the railways? Why it might not work

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I’m having a lovely time on my Avanti to Manchester with two fully booked trains cancelled on either side of this one,” my dear friend Martyn reported on Thursday. “Still, I managed to fight off my fellow commuters for this spot on the floor in an aisle.”

Avanti West Coast, and more particularly its passengers, are having a tough December. The train operator’s duty is to connect London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland.

The nine-day overtime ban by train drivers in support of their demands for a no-strings pay rise caused dozens of cancellations, with one day wiped out entirely by a strike. Immediately afterwards, Avanti West Coast cut some scheduled trains to try to run a more resilient service.

As Martyn can testify, that strategy hasn’t proved foolproof.

You might understand, then, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham – who is also the chair of the Rail North Committee – demanding a short-term solution to overcrowding.

He has asked for all Avanti trains to run with first class and standard premium “declassified” until the performance improves.

Just to explain about the class structure on Avanti West Coast: first class comes with a service of meals and drinks (yes, including refreshments stronger than tea or coffee). Standard premium means comfier seats – up to first-class levels – but without the attentive service. Bring your own bottle, if you like.

Declassification enables all standard class passengers to sit anywhere. I have experienced it a few times on some extremely packed trains when services are disrupted.

Mr Burnham says: “This is one of the most important times of the year for many families and businesses, all of whom are being let down by this deteriorating rail service without an end in sight.

“This cannot be allowed to continue. That is why we have written to the government to ask for them to conduct a critical review of Avanti as a matter of priority.

“Given the critical importance of this service at this time of year, it is also vital that all seats on Avanti West Coast services are made available for use.”

The Greater Manchester mayor is an outstanding campaigner for public transport in his area. As I am an avowedly standard-class person, you might expect me to be wholly in favour of this move.

Perhaps I should get out more, but on Southeastern I seek out the recently and permanently declassified first-class areas for their comfier seats and power supplies.

Yet I have a few concerns.

First, “full and standing” trains are still relatively rare on Avanti West Coast services, in my experience. On any train where there is a seat in standard class for all us cheapsters, the railway would simply be forgoing revenue.

Even temporarily, egalitarianism would cost millions – adding to the terrifying deficit being run by the railways, and currently (but for how long?) being bailed out by the taxpayer.

Next, the reason first and standard premium exist is because there is a demand for them. Companies (which I imagine pay for most first-class tickets) want their people to arrive in good shape. And in either of the superior classes, passengers have room to relax or work – for which they will pay a premium.

In the olden days, I was annoyed at seeing so many empty first-class seats roll by when the London train pulled in at Crewe or Preston. But on 35 of its trains, Avanti West Coast has converted coach G to standard, adding an extra 86 seats, to match supply with demand. And, as with the airlines, smart pricing means that many leisure passengers are tempted to upgrade, creating extra space in standard class.

With industrial relations between train operators and Aslef, the drivers’ union, so toxic, passengers can expect a rough ride into the new year and beyond. But I am not convinced that allowing me – or Martyn – to spread out in a posh seat provides the answer to deep-seated issues.