Sligo to Dublin Train - Seating Advice please?

carazeb

Hi, I need to travel on the Sligo to Dublin train shortly and would appreciate some advice on the seating layout for this service. The last couple of times I've used this service, I've reserved seats online that were individual rows of 2 seats (ie not table seats where you're directly facing other seats), but have always ended up with table seats, so the layout on their online seat selector is clearly wrong. I find this a very uncomfortable seating arrangement for such a long journey. Can anyone tell me which carriages on this route are used for unreserved seats, as I think i might be better not reserving a seat and trying one of those carriages this time? Thanks

BlackandGreen

Never encountered this issue myself. Also just checked the sligo booking and its showing the same carriages.


The tables are marked clearly in the middle of the carriage.
Only the ends of each carriage are single seats.



I presume this is what you see?

carazeb

BlackandGreen wrote: »

Never encountered this issue myself. Also just checked the sligo booking and its showing the same carriages.


The tables are marked clearly in the middle of the carriage.
Only the ends of each carriage are single seats.



I presume this is what you see?

Yes, that was my understanding of it too. However, I travelled on this route (return) a year ago, and also about 6 months prior to that. On 3 out of 4 journeys where I had booked individual rows of seats (2nd row from back/front of carriage), the seat numbers I had booked turned out to be table seats in the middle of the carriage. On the 4th journey, they were using what I presume were commuter carriages with no seat reservations displayed. So essentially, I didn't get the seats that I was hoping to get on any of the journeys. I wouldn't mind so much if it was a shorter journey, but for a trip that length I would prefer the individual rows of seats.

Jem72

I've not had this issue but if you want to be sure, avoid the end cars as they have a more complex layout. So pick car B or C on a 4 car train, B or F on a 7 car train. There will be another middle car on a 7 car train but it may not 100% reliably be a middle car.

Then once you've got your middle car, pick seats within a row or two of either end of the car and that will definitely not be a table seat.

Alternatively, you can just do as everyone else does on Sligo trains and entirely ignore the seat you've booked.

BlackandGreen

Jem72 wrote: »

I've not had this issue but if you want to be sure, avoid the end cars as they have a more complex layout. So pick car B or C on a 4 car train, B or F on a 7 car train. There will be another middle car on a 7 car train but it may not 100% reliably be a middle car.

Then once you've got your middle car, pick seats within a row or two of either end of the car and that will definitely not be a table seat.

Alternatively, you can just do as everyone else does on Sligo trains and entirely ignore the seat you've booked.

Here's what I find way easier.
Find the car that has the bike rack. Book a seat opposite the bike rack. You're guarantee'd to be in single seats there. Also, nobody opposite you. And the car itself is much easier to find on the platform as the doors are blue.

Addle

I’ve booked seat that didn’t exist because bike rack was in their place!

BlackandGreen

Addle wrote: »

I’ve booked seat that didn’t exist because bike rack was in their place!

I think this is just a case of misreading the carriage letters and numbers.

carazeb

Thanks for the above asvice, I'm planning on booking soon so will have a look at the suggested carriages & seats

Addle

BlackandGreen wrote: »

I think this is just a case of misreading the carriage letters and numbers.

You think wrong.