Enough is enough

Barry Doe is absolutely right to criticise Arriva’s Advance booking system ( RAIL 827).

Arriva should bear in mind that the passenger almost always has a choice. It may take longer and will involve changing trains, but there is an alternative. My choice is, admittedly, quite a simple one, but it is available to others.

I regularly travel from Stockport to Birmingham. After being turfed out of my ‘available’ seat at Stoke, and on another trip seeing a family of four made to move from their ‘available’ seats, I decided enough is enough.

I now catch a Virgin train to Crewe, and then a London Midland train to Birmingham. Yes, it takes longer, but I know that once seated I am not going to be moved.

I am annoyed, but not surprised, to learn that Arriva is now adopting this system on its Northern franchise.

I believe that when it took over Northern, it promised to staff stations for longer, but this has so far failed to happen at my local station, which is staffed from about 0630 until 1300.

I note that Greater Anglia is now allowing bookings up to ten minutes before departure, but without seat reservations - in my opinion, a good idea.

So come on Arriva: have a rethink (unfortunately senior management never admit they get things wrong) and stop this unfair system. Roger Wragg, Poynton