You wait patiently, starting at the board, as other anxious passengers crowd around you. Then suddenly, your platform number appears – and it’s time to run.
We can’t be the only ones who have found themselves sprinting through a station, hoping to grab one of the few seats on a busy commuter train.
More often that not, you end up covered in sweat, standing all the way home.
But now, a travel expert has revealed a handy way to work out which carriages have the most available seats – and we bet you had no idea about it.
Chelsea Dickenson, who goes by Cheap Holiday Expert online, posts tons of tips and tricks to save money and make travelling that little bit easier.
In a recent video titled ‘I Bet You Didn’t Know This Train Tip’, Chelsea told viewers about a feature of the electronic platform signs that will help you find a quieter cabin.
In the video, Chelsea stands in Manchester Piccadilly station, pointing at one of the sign that often appears at the top of each platform, listing the stops the train will be making.
Under the list of destinations, there’s a symbol indicating a train.
‘You see that little drawing of a train, that actually gives you loads of information about how busy each of the carriages are,’ explains Chelsea.
‘So the more coloured in it is, the more busy and full it is, the more booked seats there are.
‘And therefore, if you do not have a seat booked, you are best heading to the ones that are not filled in at all.’
How are we only just finding out about this?!
‘There’s also a different colour which shows you which ones are first class’, says Chelsea, highlighting that those carriages are written on the board against an orange background.
Chelsea added that she ‘always’ looks at the board when she doesn’t have a reserved seat’ in the hopes of finding some space.
It is worth pointing out that this only shows you were the reserved seats are – rather than how many people have boarded a particular carriage – but Chelsea notes that ‘it’s a good indicator on where to head’ and is ‘a good tool to have in your arsenal’.
She also added that while seasoned travellers might already know where the unreserved carriages on certain train companies are (they tend to be the same on every train) this tip can show you which of the other carriages might still have space too.
Viewers seem to be divided into two camps: those who have known about this for years, and others who were just finding out.
‘Thank you. I never knew that!’ wrote one commenter on TikTok.
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While over on Instagram, a follower said: ‘I didn’t know that, will be looking out for these when I’m travelling around.’ And another added: ‘I can’t believe I didn’t know this?! Great tip.’
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