Reservation call for trains

Rail passengers should not be allowed to board long-distance trains without a reservation, according to Virgin Group.

The firm, which jointly operates trains on the West Coast Main Line under the Virgin Trains brand, said intercity services should use the Eurostar model of requiring customers to book a ticket and a seat for a particular train.

Operators are often obliged to accept walk-up fares, meaning they have no control over the number of people getting on a particular train unless it is deemed unsafe.