Reservation compulsory

Why do Avanti West Coast advertise all their trains as "reservation compulsory"?

We know this is not enforced. The staff don't enforce. If going between Wigan, Warrington and Crewe there is no alternative and demanding a reservation would be absurd. 

Though in my experience Wigan and Warrington have much lower levels of boarding/alighting than Preston, even Crewe and Wolverhampton don't have that much. Preston and Birmingham do. (I have no experience of the Edinburgh/Blackpool to Euston train beyond Birmingham, as if I am going from Preston to Euston I will get the express which calls at Wigan and Warrington then is non-stop to London.)

Side note - why doesn't the express call at Crewe? This could be a convenience to me as I could use this to connect to/from the South Wales to Manchester service. (Though these days I go to Birmingham anyway to use the M&S and Wasabi at New Street.) For a brief period during the pandemic it did. I guess Preston  (or further north) to Newport/Cardiff is not a common journey and no special provision is made for it. It seems impossible on Megabus and requires arrival/departure at Preston at ridiculous times of the morning on National Express. At least the train does allow for travel at civilised times.

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