Bikes on trains in the UK

FYI, bike reservation tickets can be collected from TfL machines

Anyone used the new Merseyrail trains and can comment on bike provision?
https://www.londonreconnections.com/2023/new-merseyrail-train-runs-135km-on-battery-liverpoolbusiness/

Anyone used the new Merseyrail trains

No.

dbr

FYI, bike reservation tickets can be collected from TfL machines

pretty sure I have had experiences where that didn't work - a hell of a job to sort.
Outside London also recently had a failure to print out the reserved bike tickets.
Both instances were with West Coast - first time Virgin, second Avanti.
These days I tend to book the whole thing at a station ticket office so I have everything in my mitts and last thing I knew this couldn't be a TFL station.
Once through the hoops, West Coast and a bike are a great way to travel though.

Squaredisk in reply to @damitamit

Maybe use the Avanti app, it has cycle reservation option, I use it for other companies not just their network. Might make refund tricky, but they all do their best to screw you on that anyway.

Avanti to their credit are very good on refunds these days - at least via web page.
All very easy - over Christmas I got half a fare back because of a +30 mins delay, and not too long before that 100 per cent back as over an hour. The process is very easy and they give you a quick decision and then pay to BACS if that is what you want - none of that old "rail voucher" nonsense. I would always pay for tickets with them using a credit card, plus take digital pics of tickets pre travel so you definitely have them. They need pics of them.

• at least via web page.
  

Yeah the one issue I had recently with them was visiting the Avanti ticket desk in person and they simply said that online refunds had to be done online and they couldn't do anything to help 🙃

Yeah the one issue I had recently with them was visiting the Avanti ticket desk in person and they simply said that online refunds had to be done online and they couldn't do anything to help 🙃

My last tickets were bought at the ticket desk at euston due to my doubts about the bike booking system (see other thread) but I paid with a credit card and got the refund sorted online to my bank. Meant that my journey plus loaded bike London to the north cost me just a tenner. In truth I don't mind much if my trips with them are a bit delayed - 50 per cent or 100 per cent back is a result. I don't do trips where their screw-up could cause issues with a connecting train from another company as on an economy ticket I could totally lose that second ticket. I cycle to my destination at the other end.

South Western seem to say bike booking not compulsory but also that it is compulsory.
Want to get 2 people and 2 bikes to/from Poole this weekend (Sun/Mon). Anyone know what hoops we need to jump through to actually book something? Or can we ignore their nonsense?

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IIRC the train to Poole is a tiny little diesel chugger, booking may well be necessary

To update people on merseyrail trains . You can travel anytime but peak about 5pm can be a problem on longer distances . Their is no charge for bikes.

It’s a smaller regional SW train, so no need to book. But it’s the usual “there is only x space so the train guard reserves the right to blar blar”. Ie you’ll be fine so long as you’re not travelling peak time during the Poole regatta.

Generally speaking, in the UK it’s the formal mainline long distance trains you need to book, smaller regional commuter trains are casual with the usual disclaimer.

If you'd ever come to a TNRC ride you'd know about bikes on trains, @hippy!

Pretty sure I did one once. There'll be a photo of you lot at Roydon.

Anyway, I think I'll drive. It's quicker, cheaper and I'm less likely to mess up my series because of some inconsistent train site/rules.

Trains from London to Poole are proper big electric commuter trains.

The NR website is shite at summarising cycle policies. It’s always best to find the page on the train company’s website.

I'm taking a tandem on Crossrail and Thameslink on Friday evening, changing at Farringdon.

It doesn't say I can't take a tandem on either line's bike carriage conditions. I'm pretty sure Crossrail will be fine but I don't know Thameslink well.

Anyone have any experience, recommendations, or just like to wish me luck?

I wish you luck frank! Friday evening would be busy no?

Should be fine I'd say.

Fridays tend to be quieter these days, with home working.

Just avoid 4pm to 6pm if you can.

Same - but haven't gone from Farringdon with mine (St Pancras instead). People at the gates have been ok and, other than a funny look, just let me through off-peak. After 7pm is strictly speaking the off-peak when you are allowed to take non-folded bikes.

Thanks guys, that's reassuring.
It'll be after 8 when we get to Farringdon so I'm expecting that things should be getting quieter by then.
Crossrail will be after 7 and going into town so should be ok then I think.

You'll be fine on the ThamesLink at that time and the trains are pretty spacious.

Thanks, that's reassuring!

done tandem on Thameslink loads of times. just take it down the escalator.

I actually think that Crosstail will be more tricky.

It has got busy pretty quickly.

But, I think there is big variation in crowding between different carriages and the services are super frequent so you can just try different bits of the platform if needed.

Thanks, that's great to know.

I'm fairly comfortable with crossrail as it's my local station.

I'll find out tonight!

It all worked fine - thanks everyone for the info and advice

Lift was out of order at West Ealing so another passenger helped me carry the tandem down. The staff offered assistance at our destination, but I said it was ok.

On Crossrail it's best to go for the gap between the carriages as there is more space and fewer vertical poles there.

The lifts at Farringdon worked well.

The bike space on Thameslink is plenty big enough for a tandem

Had to go down two flights of stairs at Baldock, but got help from other riders for most of it, at both ends [thanks Xavier, Tim and others if you ever read this!]

Coming back, my stoker had a bleeding knee, from a pedal scratch. It wasn't deep but was bleeding a bit. Four Japanese women were sitting next to us on Crossrail and spotted it, and offered him dressings. When they realised he was blind, they asked if they could attend to it. One pulled out some iodine and cleaned it, and applied a dressing!