Plans for trains to have dedicated carriages for bicycles
and sports equipment are currently being discussed in Scotland as a way to
alleviate seasonal cramming and space issues. During the summer
months trains servicing popular cycling routes are absolutely packed with
passengers and so the idea of introducing a bike carriage, similar to the old
guard van, seems a sensible one.
I have often fancied taking my bicycle on the train one way
and cycling back so I thought I would find out how easy it is to do this
locally. A quick bit of research suggests it pays to plan
ahead. There are only two spaces for bikes on most trains which means you
should reserve them. There is no charge, you simply book it when you
purchase your ticket which you can do online. However, you must make a
reservation on a GWR train and you can’t travel at peak times, unless you have
a folding bike. GWR states pre-booking needs to happen two hours before travel,
so if you pitch up hoping to get the next train then you may be in for a bit of
a wait. This is the same if you are travelling with Virgin Trains.
While trains to Wales with operator Arriva recommend booking they are clearly a
bit more relaxed about it and Cross Country sounds by far the cycling
friendliest. Cross Country will let you reserve your bike space by
tweeting them or using facebook messenger and promises to respond within 30
minutes. Its website has a detailed page dedicated to helping cyclists
with everything from parking your bike securely to hire points at
stations.
It is slightly harder if you intend to travel with a tandem
as some trains won’t accept them at all and others classify it as two bike
spaces. Ideally, if you are regularly going by train the message is to
use a folding bike, then you can travel at peak times and you can also use a
replacement bus if you are unlucky enough to need too.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with our local train
operators bicycle policies, although I have not used them so I can’t truly say
if they are just as good in practice, I am now able to plan my first
bicycle-train adventure.
- @lindatodd74
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