a british train operator may force passengers to have a seat

Virgin Trains, the train operator owned by Sir Richard Branson, says it doesn't want to continue selling 'standing tickets' to passengers.

Under Virgin's plans, all passengers will be allocated a seat when they purchase their tickets, and tickets will become unavailable once all the seats have been filled, similar to purchasing a ticket on an airline.

Under British law, rail operators are forced to keep selling tickets until the train departs, even if the train is completely full. This means that passengers are eventually forced to stand.

Virgin says its new plans will allow train operators to run like "normal businesses", however would require a change in the law before they come into effect.

Virgin's plans have been announced after the British government opened a review into the way rail services are operated, and invited current operators to suggest ways to make the system better for passengers.

Under current legislation, train operators have to bid to operate entire networks, which means they are forced to operate routes which don't make money.

Under Virgin's long list of plans, trains will operate similarly to airlines and ferry services. These plans will allow operators to charge more for tickets on busier journeys, and choose which routes they serve.

However, these plans have come under fire by rail unions, who say allowing operators to pick the routes they serve would lead to "total chaos".

"What Virgin are proposing is a de-regulated free for all where private train operators slug it out on the most lucrative routes on a slot-by-slot basis. It would lead to total chaos with passengers trapped in a transport nightmare of escalating fares where prices rise by the minute according to availability.", says the head of the UK transport union.

Above: One of Virgin's brand new 'Azuma' trains.

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