Mariella Frostrup, the presenter and journalist, has voiced her unhappiness with a recent Great Western Railway (GWR) journey from Devon to London. Despite holding a first-class ticket, Mariella found herself sitting on the floor near the toilet for the two-hour trip from Tiverton Parkway to Paddington.
The 61 year old was returning to the capital after a wellness retreat in Devon and had treated herself to a first-class ticket. However, she ended up without a seat and took to social media to express her frustration.
On X, previously known as Twitter, she posted: “New lows for @GWRHelp A first class advance ticket buys you a seat on floor outside the toilet in a train where it’s standing room from front to rear… I’m getting back in my car! “.
Despite having an advanced first-class ticket, Mariella found herself without a seat. An hour and a half into her journey, she shared another photo of herself working on the floor.
Alongside a picture of her laptop balanced on her bag and herself kneeling on a newspaper, Mariella wrote: “Is photo proof @gwrhelp that I’ve just sat on the floor from Tiverton Parkway to Paddington DESPITE holding a first class ticket? “, reports Devon Live.
“I’ve just been told (after queuing at your Padd tix office for 15 mins) that I need to write and request compensation! Could you make it any harder? “.
Mariella’s posts sparked a flurry of comments from fellow travellers. One individual pointed out: “When you travel by coach or plane you get allocated a seat. For short urban journeys it’s fine not to get allocated a seat. For longer intercity journeys it’s one of the scandals and cons about the modern British Railway that you pay a premium and aren’t even guaranteed a seat.”
A second commenter argued: “The compensation should be automatic. They know the info and should be expected to pay”. A third person chimed in: “Probably cheaper to drive, fuel and park than the cost of the ticket.”
In response, a Great Western Railway spokesperson apologised for the customer’s experience, stating: “We are really sorry to hear of the customer’s experience. If you have reserved a seat but are not able to sit down, you are entitled to compensation and we will follow this up.”