We’ve run a few stories recently about bikes on trains, mainly because of the woefully poor bike storage that now features on high-speed trains rolled out by GWR and LNER.
> Bikes on trains – let us know your experiences, good and bad
But we’ve also written about the new bike carriages, aimed at the tourist market, that are coming to ScotRail’s West Highland Line services next year.
> ScotRail unveils forthcoming West Highland Line carriages with space for 20 bikes
If you travel on a train with your bike, you will know it’s a bit of a lottery; even if you’ve booked a space for it, there’s no guarantee you will get on board the train with it if other people have got there first, or if the space is filled with suitcases.
We’d like to hear about your experience – good or bad – of travelling by train in the UK or abroad with your bike, so please share your stories in the comments below.
It would be helpful if you could mention where you were travelling to and from, the name of the rail operator, and whether you were travelling as part of your commute, or for leisure.
Among issues we would love to get your views on are cycle parking at stations, the ease of getting your bike on and off the train (and storing it once on board) and your experience of whether the reservation system works – we’re aware that often, you have to book the bike separately after you have bought your ticket for travel.
Also, if you’ve reserved a space for your bike and a seat for yourself, how does that work for you? Is your seat at the other end of the train?
It goes without saying, but please don’t be shy in coming forward, and don’t hold back. The more stories we get from you in the comments the better, and may help make a difference.
Over to you.
34 thoughts on “Bikes on trains – let us know your experiences, good and bad”
With a normal bike in the UK,
With a normal bike in the UK, not so bad. Been on the transpennine expressquite a few times now from Manchester to Hull, booked bike on, a label was tied to where I had to put the bike, worked fine. On one occassion a guy was sat right in the middle of the fold down seats and removed to move a couple of seats across to let me get my bike in but I just walked down the train to the next carriage. Bike space shouldn’t conflict with person space.
Tandem. Different matter. It takes up less space than two normal bikes but Northern Rail have refused to let me take it a couple of times, even pre-booked. But they are a useless train service.
Now lets transport ourselves to a completely different universe (Holland). Pure bliss! My wife broke on the last day of our trip on the tandem so we got the train back to Rotterdam. Two train journeys. Every thing was amazing. Bike lifts to every platform, tons of bike space on the train, conductors were so helpful, no-one had a problem with us doing it. Absolute amazing. Naturally, we wheeled the bike out of the station straight onto a dedicated bike lane from the center of Rotterdam which took us all the way back to the ferry.
Worst .
Worst .
1. Getting off the Virgin East coast (@Stevenage) at 11pm and nobody to open up the baggage carriage door and the platform guard whilstling the train to leave so bike on its way to Kings Cross, me screaming at the clearly deaf/ignorant person from 75yards away “get my effing bike, off the effing train” after three previous attempts to grab their attention failed.
2. Doncaster platform, train an hour late so already 10:30, Donny is cold even during the summer but it was flipping freezing. No-one from Virgin on platform indicating which end for the bikes, get told it’s the other end as its pulled in so a sprint down the platform shouting at people to get out the way. Virgin women from 1st class with her bloody airline steward type hat telling me to hurry up getting my bike in the carriage, I said “excuse me, it’s you who were an hour late and I’m making my bike secure, you’ll wait until I’ve finished sorting that”. I sat in first class as a protest as I was bloody annoyed and cold and it was minus something by time I started the 5 mile ride back from the end station which topped it all off.
3. Being told (at Hull Paragon) that I couldn’t put my bike into the virtually empty storage lockers of a national express type coach that was put on as the bridge over the river was damaged and the track wasn’t meeting up. Standing arguing about how I’ve a contract to get me to my destination (Doncaster) and that there’s a ton of space to put my bike in. Refused again so said I was getting a taxi to get my connection and they’d get the bill which would be £30 and I was going to call the police for obstructing me from boarding a public transport vehicle, the driver of the coach was fine, it was the a-hole railway jobsworth!
4. Booking train journeys, it was fine until a few years ago, you could book a space with your ticket, nice and easy, then the feature was removed from the website (Virgin/east coast) and not put on the new Beta site either.
So, you have to book your ticket not knowing if there’s a space for your bike, I did ring Virgin CS once, it was based in India, call tok 40 minutes, never again i thought! Have been going to local train station, no-one knows how to book a bike reservation except that one person who not on the booths, so you have to wait for the one person who does, website crashes repeatedly so you’re there 15 minutes and more with people huffing behind you. Too often comes up with no spaces at all despite you knowing that in the last XX years there’s ALWAYS been spaces available cos it’s a midweek, mid morning train going away from London, and sure enough when you eventually ring East Coast or cycle the 5 miles to the nearest East Coast office (there’s no direct tel.line to that office) there’s spaces. Except on day of travel cos someone hasn’t done their job the overhead lines get ripped off by a train, trains are cancelled the following morning, the train is rammed, guard is angsty cos the baggage cariage is ‘full’ despite actually being more than half empty and I can put the bike against some other very solid object so the bike won’t move barring a crash, oh yeah and sitting on the floor only room cos the train manager is too precious about 1st class!
Good things. Sheffield to Brid train on Northern line earlier this year. Got a normal comfortable seat right (as opposed to a fold.flip down) right next to my bike on the carriage, big gap to roll bike through into the compartment, Just perfect, but a complete one off in 20 years of bike by train.
off peak ‘crossrail’ trains (to Brighton I think they terminate) are okay, you can pretty much put your bike where you like in the vestibules (even 1st class) without much agg because the trains are maybe a quarter to half full.
here’s my best part of a bike with train bit ever, all too short and a one off.
Travelling mainly off-peak in
Travelling mainly off-peak in the UK, but limited to LNER on the east coast, Cross Country and Northern, my experience has generally been good, but I always book in advance. Not tried the new trains on LNER (Azuma) or GWR yet, but the bike ‘cupboards’ don’t look encouraging, especially at a time when the popularity of cycling is growing. Blame the centralised procurement by DfT, and the requirement (?) to increase the number of seats, but how that type of provision saw the light of day needs investigation. Looks like the train operators had no choice, but at least LNER have said that they’ll review the arrangement.
On the East Coast route into Kings Cross, the best bike space that I’ve used is on the electric long distance services, locomotive and 9 coaches (soon to be withdrawn and replaced by the new Azuma) where there is a traditional ‘guards van’ type space with sturdy D hoops, where the bike can be wheeled in and kept horizontal. Plenty of room for around 5 bikes, and panniers if you choose to leave them there.
If you can’t get the train crew attention when you’re standing on the platform, trying to get into a locked area for your bike, open an adjacent passenger vehicle door and wait, this will get you noticed, along with shouting of course!
On local services, the guards/conductors are generally understanding, as long as you’re not standing in an aisle or right in front of a door.
I book at my local station, York, where the booking office staff are very knowledgeable and helpful. Booking a group of say 4 and sometimes needing to travel on separate trains can be a challenge, but stick with it.
I’ve had a mixture of
I’ve had a mixture of experiences. Travelling from Southampton central to Chichester on Southern trains is easy, the carriages are more ‘open plan’ and it’s never been an issue getting the bikes on and off. Travelling from Winchester to Woking, and London Waterloo, with South western railways is normally okay too. They usually have a couple of carriages with up to 6 dedicated spaces and as long as you’re careful about when you travel, there’s usually no problems. I’ve done a cross country train to Birmingham, from Winchester, and from Oxford to Winchester, and these were on one of the old Virgin ’tilting trains’ they have the hanger / cupboard type of arrangement, which was fine on the Oxford journey, but idiots had used them to store their luggage on the Birmingham trip. Fortunately I pre empted the brainless bell ends, and brought a wheeled, hard, bike case with me. The bike was semi dismantled and packed in the case, and the ‘cased’ bike, fitted in the luggage holding compartments, that the lazy bastards should have used for their cases, but couldn’t be arsed to walk them down the platform / wheel them down the carriage, to the other end of the carriage. I’ve also used Greater Anglia to get me from London Liverpool Street, to Norwich, and they use the good old fashioned DVT type trains ( used to be known as intercity 225s because the top speeds were 225 Km/h or about 140 mph ). These are great, as they have dedicated ‘guard vans’ and there’s no issues with getting bikes on and off. I’ve used the new style GWR trains, and I’ve probably been lucky but I’ve been with sensible other cyclists, who have helped things by sorting their bikes out so that they fitted nicely.
I’ll get on a train to do a
I’ll get on a train to do a longer station to home, sometimes home to a station ride (depends which way the wind is blowing) or sometimes a loop from a station.
Northern rail, had no trouble getting bike on, I travel after 9am but the old trains are a shed and the new trains have no bike storage that’s progress. The other problem is they cancel quite a few trains from the Lake District. Also quite a lot of the service where you used to just have one train no longer run so you need 2 or 3 changes now.
Tans Pennine express, use to love their trains but the last time I tried to use one I had just given up on a ride as I was cold and wet and just suffered a puncture which didn’t help my commitment to finish. The forecast failed as well from a light shower to heavy drizzle for over 2 hours. So when I asked for the next train which was a Trans Pennine I would not be able to get on as I had not given them 24 hours’ notice. How I do that when I didn’t know I was getting the train 30 mins earlier I don’t know.
Virgin West coast, I generally like them BUT and it is a big BUT
On the plus side, nice trains fast and smooth. Nice staff, and the first 2 seat by the bike area are permanently reserved for cyclist. And you can get a second breakfast and brew on the way to the ride or refill your reserves on the way home.
I commute all the time on GWR
I commute all the time on GWR trains and nowadays the staff seem to be friendly and helpful towards cyclists. The actual provision for bikes can let them down, depending on which stock they’re using but the crucial factor is how many other bikes need to get on the trains as it can get quite crowded.
I shall cut and paste what I
I shall cut and paste what I wrote on the LiveBlog + extra.
I cycle/rail commuted for several years on the Reading-Guildford line. The 3 carriage 166s were excellent, with space for 2 normal size bikes in their own area and large seperate luggage spaces, handy as this line ran on to Gatwick. Unfortunately most of them went to the South West area (Bristol, grr, carpeted and warmer in the proper cold too) leaving many 3 carriage 165s, with no provision, but with a bit of niceness to the generally friendly staff many bicycle could be place in the vestibule area. (unless outrageously busy, when I would wait for the next service) The 2 carriage 165s fairly recently had a weird bicycle area added with space for 4 bicycles and luggage above, down one side, but you have to get past passengers on seats and through a narrow gap to get into and out of the vestibule area. Better than nothing mind.
Occasionally I used the trains on the Farnbourgh Main line, big fast electric South West Train jobs. The 3 wheel wrecker racks by the toilet are alright, like the ones Alan Sherman linked to (in the liveblog), but I preferred the 3 fold up seat bit, next to the old style toilet, which sometimes needed a bit of cooperation with fellow passengers. Used similar trains on Southern too.
I have gotten on alright with the hooks on the Virgin Voyagers, with 2 inch mtb tyres. Bike swings a lot mind.
I loved the old HST guards van on GWR, space for maybe 6 bicycles. And a bit of peace of mind. I think I used the Virgin ones before the stinky voyagers.
I have booked onto GWR and Back in the day Virgin, but I’m much more of a turn up and go traveller. See if there is a space and always prepared to wait.
My favorite was once using an East Anglian service, their version of the HST, I think, where the opposite end to the driven unit had maybe 10 proper “bike rack” sheffield stands that I could even lock my bike to. No booking requirement either.
There is also something very strange about taking ones full size bicycle on the not-deep sections of the London Underground, only when it’s very quiet though.
I do find that being polite, generally nice and smiling to the guard, often helps. Asking permission if you are not meant to be using the service often works, it is their train.
My biggest tip would be to always have a good book (small paperback for lightness) or something interesting to do. If you don’t the trains will be messed up and the time you spend waiting will drag on for an eternity.
And now it is winter, a little extra warmth is never a bad thing to have in the bag, train stations are very cold and desolate places. And never sit on those metal benches, they will suck all the warmth from you.
ktache wrote:
yes the InterCity trains are those ones, technically you are supposed to have a reservation,and even the station arrivals board shows which trains require a cycling reservation, but the staff are pragmatic about it if there is space, which usually there is, theyll let you use it.
Weirdly though reservations are pretty much irrelevant at the moment because Greater Anglia cant guarantee anymore which train will run on which service, because the problem is those trains,and all their regional ones as well, are all being replaced by shiny new trains, not that many of the new ones are working, but they are getting rid of the old ones anyway.
the new ones from the publicity look to have far less cycling capacity/space, certainly less than the Intercity trains were capable of, its a shared space zone that is supposed to support 6 bikes, 3 either side of the main corridor through the train and secured with an extendable chord/bungee type thing, though I cant see more than 4 road bikes fitting in it, but that space could just as easily end up full of luggage or push chairs or people just choosing to sit there as the trains again were designed on the fit as many people as you can in philosophy, so space for everything else is limited, but until they get into service properly wont know quite how well they work, theres one of the new ones periodically running on the Cambridge-Norwich line but bicycles arent allowed on the peak services which tend to be the ones it runs on.
but anyone doing the Dunwich Dynamo next year might well need to start thinking of alternate arrangements for getting back to London with bike instead of relying on the train in future.
Northern Rail, for all their
Northern Rail, for all their numerous faults, are pretty good with bikes. Generally no restictions, the stock is old enough to have proper metal bike storage racks and there’s no booking.
In theory, its two bikes per train, in practice I’ve seen 6+ crammed on in the past and the guards are usually fairly amenable.
Virgin I’ve only used a few times and ther’es a few hoops to jump through with regards to booking and the fact that you could end up sitting at the other end of the train from your bike (which then needs careful planning for getting off if it’s not at the final destination of the train) but usually they’re OK.
It’s the other passengers that are present the worst problems, putting their massive suitcases in bike areas or just standing in vestibules (even when seats are available) or you get on the train and some fuckwit is sitting in the fold-down seats in the bike area and refuses to move.
crazy-legs wrote:
+1 on Northern Rail.
– I’ve turned up many’s a time at the station – myself and three kids. That was two bikes plus a tandem. Never a problem.
– I’ve turned up with a cargo tricycle. Never a problem.
– I’ve seen a penny-farthing filling the “bike space” – and nobody batted an eyelid about the other two bikes in the vestibule (?).
– I regularly see on trains with”capacity for two bicycles” … 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or probably more bikes.
– No pre-booking possible, or necessary.
More important – Northern staff have, over 20 years, been (almost!) unfailingly extraordinarily friendly, cooperative, courteous, and more than willing to find SOME way of squeezing me in, with my bike.
There’s one wee exception – and Lord knows, I ain’t complaining, given the train stock they’re running. If I turn up expecting a place for my bike on the busiest commuter trains from Cross Gates into Leeds, the staff on the train will very apologetically say … “No way, sir. Not this train, please!” And given years and years of friendly service? Ain’t a problem.
As for other operators I’ve used/had to use? Cross Country, LNER, Trans Pennine Trains – a pox on their policies, processes, provision, and service. I reserve a particular resentment against Trans Pennine Trains. Sh!ts.
Was a Cambridge station at
Was a Cambridge station at the start of the week, their bridge between platforms has a ramp for pushing bikes up and down.
Spent a few years exploring
Spent a few years exploring the Highlands by bike and on foot with Scotrail.
There are some phenomenal routes available to anyone with some imagination who can read a map and a train timetable.
Am absolutely delighted that Scotrail have recognised this, on the West Coast line at least and incorporated more bike spaces in carriages.
My worst experiences have been with bus replacement services has always been a battle to get the bike on a rail replacement bus…
IanEdward wrote:
Big thumbs up for Scotrail. Quite a few other cyclists on one journey recently with a replacement bus service – the staff were friendly and helpful and assisted us moving bikes onto the buses.
If you book your bike on and
If you book your bike on and then find the space is filled with someone’s luggage, has anyone simply moved the luggage out of the way and put their bike in? What reaction would that get?
alchemilla wrote:
I was sitting on one of the fold up seats in the cycle section on a Northen train ~ there were NO other seats. Bloke with bike got on train ~ TOLD me to move, I stood up, he put bike in bike space and sat in seat next to bike. NO seats for me then. C##t.
Nemesis wrote:
Sounds like he lacked charm. However, he can not know about the occupancy rate of the rest of the train – he won’t have ambled through it’s entire length wheeling his bike down the aisle prospecting for a seat. All he knows is some bod is sat in the cycle space. Maybe that is his daily experience. Doesn’t make up for a lack of manners.
I haven’t done such yet
I haven’t done such yet couldn’t see such being a problem.
Overnight Ukrainian train from Kiev to Odessa. Long haul sleeper cabins. 4 berth. 15 quid.
Like my mate said, get a good sleep skipping cities during night and it’s cheaper than the hotels/ apartments.
Hence almost. Apartments clean, clear, poshy. Start around 20 quid (10 each). But if wanting to travel with bike and do big leaps quick I can’t see why they wouldn’t let you book whole room. 60quid. 30 each if traveling a pair of pairs. Plenty of room. Too cramped if 4 up though.
Another friend doesn’t bring his bike on train because it’s expensive yet our payment of earnings is different and there’s way cheaper than London. Huh? 60quid and it’s a bus seat. Far? Nooooo, just over the bridge.
Although best luck booking tickets.. I’ve never met a cashier that spoke nor understood English.
Local trains here are easy. Walk bike on, stay with bike or a couple of metres away while bike rests alone. Duration.. Not long. Max near 1.5 hours. Usually around half hour or less.
Most of my bike/train
Most of my bike/train journeys are trans trans pennine, either with Northern Rail or Transpennine Express from Manchester to either Sheffield or Leeds.
+1 for Northern, their rolling stock may be old and the services are all stoppers (slow) but never had an issue getting on with a bike.
TPX to Sheffield was generally okay, usually got a reservation booking in advance, and got away with chancing it at other times.
Given up trying to take my bike to Leeds on TPX rush hour ,even with a reservation you will find the fold up seats in the bike area occupied with surly commuters. Even worse on the return trip, it’s packed to the rafters until Huddersfield. No hope of getting a bike on.
Actually, one bad experience
Actually, one bad experience on Scotrail was a train jammed full of drunk Celtic fans heading to Inverness. They should lay on a special teain for them, old cattle trucks would do….
We mostly choose to ride our
We mostly choose to ride our bikes, I wonder how hard it must be for people who have to use wheelchairs and pushchairs.
BadgerBeaver wrote:
Seems to vary a lot depending on which staff are on duty.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jul/17/comedian-humiliated-as-guard-disputes-use-of-trains-disabled-space
In an incident that left GWR staff “collectively horrified”, the train guard also announced to passengers that Davis was causing problems that were delaying the train.
Davis, 47, who was born in Canada, and who tours throughout the world but mostly in the UK, was travelling from Plymouth to London on the 11am service on Sunday when the incident took place. The dispute was captured on film by her partner, Kevin Bolden, using his mobile phone.
Davis, who was returning from a comedy performance, was told to move from the unreserved space after a young mother asked to use it for a pram.
The bike advert on Stratford
The bike advert on Stratford station (Olympic stop) said bikes must be put on the train 5 minutes before departure.
Not sure I can cycle that fast but willing to try
I’ve not taken my bike on the
I’ve not taken my bike on the train for years, but, back in the late 80s and early 90s, I used to catch the train from Preston to Kirkconnell in Dumfries & Galloway, with the tent on the rack and full panniers and ride back to home through Glentrool forest and back through the Lakes over a few days. In those halcyon days you didn’t need to book the bike on. You simply put it in the carriage at the rear, usually full of mail bags. We just locked them to the side of the carriage. Sometimes we even stayed in the carriage with the bikes, the rail guards were great then. No jobsworths. No cost to take the bikes either. Happy days.
TranPennine Express recently
TranPennine Express recently (very quietly) changed their 24hr in advance booking policy to 10 minutes in advance.
To my mind, this is the worst of all worlds. You still need to get there 10 mins in advance and book the bike on (so no using the automated ticket machines, you have to queue up to see a person at the desk which isn’t always possible) and I’m not sure the bike booking updates “live” – in other words it’s possible for someone to get on at a station one or two before yours with a bike, you turn up, reserve your spot and the system says “yes, crack on” and then you get on and there’s already bikes in the space.
I hate doing “ride out, train back” options now. Too much pressure constantly watch checking to see if you’ll make the pre-booked train, problems if that gets cancelled or is already full of bikes (booked or not)
Train out, ride back is more reliable, especially if you can start from an origin station rather than trying to board half way along the train’s journey when it may already be rammed.
Had no problems when cycling
Had no problems when cycling lejog and getting bikes down to Penzance and back from Thurso. All pre-booked which did mean other cyclists were denied a space as typically we took 2 if 3 spaces available.
Worst thing was changing trains in Perth another cyclist had locked their bike to mine and the train… bit of stress trying to get off the train then.
So far, no real corkers, I
So far, no real corkers, I don’t often use the train any longer,
when at Uni I took the Trans penine a couple times, everytime was back to sheffield from the peaks, somewhere, with a muddy bike and muddy kit, no questions not even a glance from staff.
when taking southern into london, again never had any issues no qualms about a full size bike and thats during rush, admittedly against the flow. but still,
then when there was a fire by the tracks and a canceled service north to coventry had to ride 15 miles from centre of london to outskirts and catch a train bout 5 hours after the one I was booked onto, no questions, just flung the bike on and got to coventry.
It’s stupid that the rules,
It’s stupid that the rules, booking method and quality of provision varies so wildly from one train operator to another. There should be a national standard.
Jobsworths and over-crowding
Jobsworths and over-crowding are my memories also:
1. Virgin train from Stoke to Macclesfield – Evans were offering £100 trade in on any bike you took to store, as my then 3 year olds bike needed an upgrade it was a prime opportunity. Arrived at Stoke station to be told they couldn’t reserve a bike spot as the system had been down all day. Stood on the platform and Mr Jobsworth came up and asked for my reservation, told him of his own company’s problems and that I’d just hop on. He decided otherwise. This was despite (and i have photos) someone next to me carrying a 5ft stuffed bear, I asked whether the bear had a ticket.
I had a multi tool with me (knowing the Evans mechanics could be hit and miss) so quickly took the front wheel off and asked another passenger if he’d take it on for me which he did. I got on with the frame and the other wheel, guard is physically trying to drag me off for boarding with a bike, told him i didn’t have a bike, i had a bike frame and a wheel. Threats of British Transport Police and i told him to crack on!
2. Arriva Shrewsbury to Gobowen (I think):
Crowds of people going on their Easter holidays and barely able to fit through the doors let alone get at bike space (reserved). Push chairs, suitcases, pissed up Chavs everywhere. Had my son (also riding) with me and there was a toilet next to the door so managed to put a bike in the toilet and my son passed the other forward. A chav pushed past my son and the doors started to close which caused me a small heart attack. Again station staff were more bothered about abusing paying customers than the health and safety nightmare of their trains!
UK trains are so shite. We
UK trains are so shite. We do more journeys on Swiss trains than we do on UK trains. On Swiss SBB CFF FFS trains there is loads of room for bikes. They have a dedicated carriage for bikes usually on each train. And as the Swiss are so efficient, they also have each platform divided into sectors, and put on the information board which sector the first class, second class, buffet carriage and bike store will stop when the train arrives. So no running up and down the platform with the bike frantically getting on the correct carriage. You simply stand in, say, sector A, and wait for the correct carriage to stop in front of you. Genius. And the trains are clean, quiet and the inter city trains are double decker too. Awesome transport service, it really puts the UK to shame.
AND the Swiss post buses have cycle racks on the back of each bus too. And cycles are allowed without pre booking on cable cars, on small cable cars too there are external racks for those wishing to catch the gondola up and ride back down. And the cable car operators, rail staff and bus drivers are all friendly and helpful, and will stop the cable cars so cyclists can get their bikes loaded. Hence almost all of our foreign holidays are in Switzerland.
https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/auto-velo/on-the-move-by-bike.html
A while ago I boarded an
A while ago I boarded an empty train on which another fellow commuter had taken his bike. As it was 1 minute before the end of the evening ‘no bikes’ period, the staff were telling him he had to remove his bike from the train.
I offered to buy his wheels from him for the duration of his journey, so that he wouldn’t be bringing a bike aboard. But the train staff were having none of it, and called the police to have him removed.
Bear in mind that the train was empty…
flobble wrote:
Surely by the time the police arrived it would have been past the prohibted no bike period?
But typical jobsworth given the circumstances.
CyclingInBeastMode wrote:
Those bike prohibition times, on UK trains at least,generally link to specific timetabled trains though, it’s not just a random clock time,if the train was leaving after that time theres no restriction on taking the bike on board beforehand,so i can only think this case for the staff to consider calling the police to remove the bike, the train was due to depart 1min before the prohibition time ended,as in it’s the last train timetabled blocked for bike carriage in that period, and is precisely timed so close, because it’s a busy station with multiple trains departing all the time
Its similar to the on peak/off peak cutover on tickets and why when you buy a specific cheap advance,you cant get on any old train that happens to go the same way and has space
Worst experience was Hatfield
Worst experience was Hatfield station where some staff would not let me take a bicycle northbound. Even though there was very few people on board (most of the passengers on the 17:44 got off there).
Resulting solution? Switching to a folding bike I’d already left there in the morning. Which obviously takes time and means leaving your better bike there.
My anecdotes from when I
My anecdotes from when I lived in the UK. This was all a long time ago so some details are fuzzy.
1. We had just returned from touring in the Netherlands. We came back by ferry so we must have been in Harwich? There was 3 or 4 of us, all with bikes and luggage and I had a Burley Nomad trailer. We couldn’t find out where the bike carriage would be so we had to spot it as the train pulled in and run to it. The train is only supposed to be in the station for 120 seconds i think – certainly not long. The trailer has to be disconnected to get on the train so I have to run with the bike in one hand and the trailer in the other. Running down a crowded platform with a bike and trailer is awkward shall we say.
Got to the carriage. The others had just about got themselves on. The guard is shouting for us to hurry up. I shoved the trailer on and someone takes it from me. I grab my bike, haul that in, along with me. The doors closed. Missed the bike. Got my leg. I always thought train doors would be like lifts – if something is stuck they would open again. Not the case.
The train departs with my leg stuck outside the train. My companions are hauling on the door to try and open it. I am trying not to fall over (and perhaps out if they get the door open). Train stops about 10s after it has started and doors open. I retrieve my leg. Doors close and off we go again.
2. We were travelling into London for the day via South West Trains. Normally we would take the Southampton line into Waterloo but I saw when I booked it that there was track works. An alternative route suggested on the web site was Eastleigh to somewhere I forget and up the Portsmouth line. Seemed reasonable and we allowed for the extra travel time which was less than half an hour I think. Getting into London went fine. That evening we go to Waterloo to get home again. As we try to get through the barriers with our bikes we are stopped and told there is track works and a replacment bus service and so we couldn’t take our bikes. I said we would go down the Portsmouth line and change and some place and go across to Eastleigh station. We were told it wasn’t a permitted route. I said we came up that way. We were told we shouldn’t have. I said it was suggested by the journey planner. I was told it was wrong. They wouldn’t let us through. By the time our discussion with the guard concluded we had missed the train.
We went and spent the night with a friend in London. Next day we go to Clapham Junction as it was closer than Waterloo and I thought we could get a train from there. They wouldn’t let us use the ticket from the day before, despite them denying us from getting on a train, so we had to buy more tickets. I forget the details of what happened next but we end up speaking to the manager of the station. They weren’t sure which train we should catch and couldn’t find anyone who knew. In the end, after they had spoken to many people, they decided what it should be. I forget where it was but they said when we get there we have to change but to ask the station staff there and they could tell us the next leg. Sadly the manager of Clapham Junction couldn’t work out which platform we should wait on. We went to three different paltforms at the behest of the manager before ending up on the right one (no lifts in those days so getting bikes up and down the stairs…). We get on the train and get off where we had been told. We asked the station staff. They said we shouldn’t have been sent to this station but some other one and then go down the Portsmouth line before changing towards Eastleigh.
I forget why we couldn’t go back to London and back out again – probably something about not doubling back on the ticket and we were about 90 minutes out of London by then – but they wouldn’t let us. It was buses from that station and they wouldn’t let us on with bikes. I asked what we were supposed to do but they had no ideas. Luckily we were fairly fit in those days so rather than spending another night away in some random town and being late for work the next day (and presumably buying another train ticket at the walk up rate for Monday morning) we decided to cycle. Problem was I didn’t have a map for this part of the country (and this was pre smart phone (for me at least)). I asked if they had a map we could have? Maybe they could photocopy one? They gave me a train route map. I pointed out they just said we couldn’t use the train network and I needed a road map. They didn’t have one. I asked if they couldn’t just do a Google journey planner and print that. No internet access apparently. Seems unlikely that one of the buses didn’t have a road atlas…
So we cycled home following the road signs (i.e. down the A roads). It was an experience I wouldn’t want to repeat. It was crossing the exits that was the worst. Luckily we didn’t encounter a motorway. The rail replacement buses came past us very regularly. We had already met the drivers briefly when we were asking to be let on the buses. They would wave as they went past. I think it was about 90km home.
3. We had been touring in Finland. A great country for bike touring BTW. Flew back to the UK. Landed at Heathrow. I don’t know if they still have the same rules but then you weren’t allowed to board the train with a bike at Heathrow but instead had to cycle one stop down the line and get on there. We had used some lovely bike paths in Finland and within Heathrow itself they weren’t bad. Normally in the UK I would have been very wary of using a bike path but all this (and the fact that I was tired and it was well after dark by then and wet) had lulled me into using them once we left the airport proper. Before long I spot a pile of gravel has been dumped on the bike path – no warning signs and it blended in well with the background so I spotted it late. I swerve off the path into the road (luckily no traffic). Sadly the trailer turned a bit slower and flipped over on the gravel pile.
Eventually we get to the station. Again no way of known where to stand to wait for the bike carriage so a mad rush with bike and trailer and many whistles blown. I knew we had returned to the UK.
This one is only tangently related to the train but if we could get on at Heathrow like important people were allowed…