I'm wondering what a perch seat is on Great Western Railway. I am having trouble finding 2 seats together on their site in first class. How do you get the single seat airline seats? It might give me one of those and then another seat in a different area of the train. Very frustrating. This is for a trip in September. I may be looking at the wrong seat map. Is the train that goes from Paddington to Penzance a "Class80x - 5 coach Intercity Express Train (IET)?
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7990 posts
I’m sure there will be others who have advice for getting the seat arrangement you want. As for the “perch,” my guess is it’s a spring-loaded seat that’s normally folded up against the wall of the train, maybe near the door vestibule, and it can be swung down for a perch, just the bottom part to sit on. No back, and not facing the same direction as all the other seats. Kind-of like what flight attendants sit on while a plane is taking off or landing, before they get up and spend the rest of the flight on their feet. Im guessing it’s OK for a short journey, but not a longer train ride.
Posted by
Freedonia
16408 posts
What actual date are you trying to find?
GWR doesn't let you choose your exact seat. But here is a guide they put out about seat reservations:
https://www.gwr.com/your-tickets/seat-reservations
You don't want a perch seat for a long journey.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5466 posts
The direct trains from London to Penzance are usually 9 coach IETs now (although 10 coach ones are sometimes scheduled and in extremis 5).
The seat plan for first class shows the mixture of seats. For two together these are mainly 2 facing over a table. When booking you will get one of these or possibly reservations on a table for 4.
Posted by
Lake District, England
8132 posts
Yes,
The Paddington to Penzance trains are IET's- Class 80x trains.
Perch seats as stated by Cyn are not reservable, only meant for short term use when the train is busy in standard class and then only on the commuter services. Many operators have them, not just GWR.
Of course seats are reservable on long distance services, and the referenced page is out of date anyway as it talks about now withdrawn social distancing.