Rail passengers are being asked to limit themselves to a single “appropriate size” suitcase when traveling this Christmas to reduce overcrowding.
Great Western Railway has urged customers to stop carrying “oversized” suitcases that “block aisles, exits and seats”.
It comes amid the announcement that London’s Paddington station will be closed over the festive period from December 27 to 29 for planned engineering works, raising fears that more passengers will have to adjust to fewer services.
Instead, long-distance trains to Bristol, Devon and Cornwall will run from Euston, mirroring a special service that ran in November for separate works.
The guidelines state that railway companies can limit passenger luggage to three pieces of luggage according to the travel conditions of the national railways.
Travel operators may charge fees for placing bags on seats, for carrying more than three pieces on board, or for transporting luggage over one meter in any dimension.
However, rail companies say they do not regularly issue fines for this and that the threats are a tactic to deter passengers from bad behavior.
Great Western Railway has urged its customers to stop carrying “oversized” suitcases that “block aisles, exits and seats.”
It comes amid the announcement that London Paddington station will be closed over the festive period from December 27 to 29 for planned engineering works.
The guidelines state that railway companies can restrict passengers to three pieces of luggage under the National Rail Conditions of Travel (archive)
As for overcrowded services, rail companies say the threat of a fine was a way of using “humour” to stop selfish passengers taking up space.
The operator has been under increasing pressure recently after terrible weather caused train delays and cancellations, most recently with no services between Plymouth and Penzance on December 8 due to Storm Darragh.
Most railway staff are not required to work on Sundays, which means that railway companies are forced to rely on willing volunteers.
When not enough volunteers show up, companies are forced to cancel trains, often at short notice.
A GWR spokesperson said: “We are seeing more and more people struggling on station stairs and trying to board trains with oversized, unwieldy luggage, which can then block aisles, exits and seats.”
“Instead, we ask that you consider bringing a standard-sized suitcase that fits comfortably in the trunk of a car and can be stored in the luggage racks at the end of the carriage or, better yet, a couple of pieces of cabin-style luggage. which can be stored in overhead luggage racks or under the seats.
“There is plenty of space on board our trains for suitably sized luggage and we are all about offering help and guidance to customers.”