Booking cycle reservations on Virgin Trains

[F70100]

I used Virgin East Coast between Peterborough and Doncaster earlier this week. The train was going to Leeds but I don't know if the service terminated there. There were 5 bike spaces in the guards van with one already occupied when I put my bike on. The bike spaces were conventional bike rack type hoops with a horizontal bar and webbing strap to fasten on with. I left my panniers on and the guard seemed quite happy with that although that might have been because the train had been held to wait for connecting services, including the one I used from Bury St Edmunds.

It was the first time I had used a Virgin train and the stand out feature was the helpful staff.

[Sweep]

Another truly appalling expedience booking a bike.

Short version, put ticket for me into the basket to hold it, took two calls to india with long waits to get a booking code, as per usual machine refused to recognise it, several more calls to try to sort it with clearly unempowered indian staff who felt so useless that two hung up on me. Was later transferred to customer services but a message said they were not taking calls and the call was dropped/hung up.

I still don't have the bike ticket to accompany the ticket for me but have been assured that it is on the system.

Hopefully can sort it tomorrow, will report back.

It's for a journey from london to the north west. I am seriously now considering just cycling back and making a hedge sleeping adventure of it. I do not need this shoot. This forum is I think publicly searchable by search engines so it may help damn Virgin's reputation.

I pity the poor staff who, as several have pointed out, including me, are very helpful if you actually manage to get your bike onto the station platform.

[mercalia]

Another truly appalling expedience booking a bike.

Short version, put ticket for me into the basket to hold it, took two calls to india with long waits to get a booking code, as per usual machine refused to recognise it, several more calls to try to sort it with clearly unempowered indian staff who felt so useless that two hung up on me. Was later transferred to customer services but a message said they were not taking calls and the call was dropped/hung up.

I still don't have the bike ticket to accompany the ticket for me but have been assured that it is on the system.

Hopefully can sort it tomorrow, will report back.

It's for a journey from london to the north west. I am seriously now considering just cycling back and making a hedge sleeping adventure of it. I do not need this shoot. This forum is I think publicly searchable by search engines so it may help damn Virgin's reputation.

I pity the poor staff who, as several have pointed out, including me, are very helpful if you actually manage to get your bike onto the station platform.

west coast virgin? is it possible to cycle east to an east coast line station, rather than cycle all the way home?

[Sweep]

Maybe mercalia. I quite often go via the east coast line.

But i'm mean and like special offers.

There is currently a special promo on virgin west coast.

Eg £11 london to preston, maybe £18 to glasgow.

BUT they are only available via the west coast web site. With no integrated bike booking.

If you go to other better bike friendly booking engines, the special offers are not available.

Spose i could gamble on east coast having an offer to get me back.

The journey is some weeks/months hence.

Kinda tempted by a bivvying return - have already done some of the route bivvying.

[bikepacker]

I regularly book on Virgin West Coast trains and get bike reservations without any problem. I don't understand why you needed to talk to someone in India. There are plenty of booking sites that will allow you to reserve you bike online as you book your ticket. There are even some mentioned in this thread.

[RickH]

I regularly book on Virgin West Coast trains and get bike reservations without any problem. I don't understand why you needed to talk to someone in India. There are plenty of booking sites that will allow you to reserve you bike online as you book your ticket. There are even some mentioned in this thread.

Yes, I'm not sure I've ever booked an advance ticket for Virgin West Coast travel with a bike using their website. And you can also get all the same prices over the counter from any station ticket office - it can be run by any rail company - they all sell the same tickets - the only thing you may miss out on is any loyalty bonuses that are sometimes possible by booking through the company's site. I've bought Advance rate tickets for travel with a bike at the local station (run by Northern) at 2 days notice (£10 single Preston to Glasgow). I note here that I've had an email in the last few days that Advance fares are now available up to 1 hour before departure (presumably subject to availability).

For short hops on the West Coast line (usually Wigan to/from Warrington or Crewe) I've almost never had trouble getting a "walk on" bike reservation (even close enough timewise that the train was already pulling into the station by the time I'd walked from the ticket counter to the platform) & I've been doing a return journey on that route at least once, & sometimes 2 or 3 times, most weeks for the last 3 years.

Ironically the hardest way to make a bike reservation seems to be to use the Virgin West Coast website!

[Sweep]

I regularly book on Virgin West Coast trains and get bike reservations without any problem. I don't understand why you needed to talk to someone in India. There are plenty of booking sites that will allow you to reserve you bike online as you book your ticket. There are even some mentioned in this thread.

Bikepacker, i suggest you reread my post. See bit on special offers/promos. I am quite aware of the fact that several other web sites run by other companies make bike booking a doddle. And that you can buy tickets for you and your bike on virgin west coast on them. But often NOT special offers. Try it, suck and see, if you don't believe me.

[Sweep]

Rick h, with regard to getting tickets at the local station, advice on that/practicality of sorting it at my local station depends on who is on duty. I cannot risk a "walk on" affair with the bike on this trip as it could easily screw up the entire journey, including return. On this journey, all bike spaces are often taken, and the staff on the station/train are, quite properly, careful about checking reservations.

[Sweep]

Severely edited update. Won't bore folk with the full story but may later.

Day began well when a kind person at my local train station managed to extract my bike booking for the first trip.

Encouraged by this I proceeded to book the return trip.

Oh my oh my.

Hours on the phone, given codes that didn't work, then told that no bike reservations were available any more for my booked train, then a "manager" said he would "co-ordinate" (a favourite word at Virgin apparently - but no such thing exists in Virgin) a solution and got back to me to tell me that if I went to a ticket office 200 miles away I would get my ticket.

Eventually bent the ear of a UK person on a line not meant for bike booking.

Sorted. After hours and facing the prospect of trying to get refunds for two useless strictly non refundable tickets.

Not sure I can face this any more.

May just use Virgin's enforced web and call centre booking system for my periodic adventures where I take a long train ride one way and then cycle back home.

Virgin - you are a disgrace.

Yes, £11 each way London-Preston but I sure as hell earned the discount.

[atoz]

Hi all

I booked the ticket minus the bike reservation, and hired a bike at the local garage when arrived. Ancient Viscount with 5 gears and no clips or SPDs, but actually quite a speedy performer, more than good enough for what I had in mind. Much cheaper than having to book a reservation on a different journey and pay a whacking £100 plus extra as a result.

So essentially the type of cycle touring I used to do many years ago is now not possible.

Roll on a return to public ownership under good ol' Jez, should he get in soon. Power to the People!

[RickH]

It has been said before but I'd like to stress that, if you want to take your bike on Virgin Trains on cheap tickets, to minimise any stress you really need to make your bike reservation at the same time as the tickets.

Use an online service that will let you book the bike (i.e. not Virgin West Coast site). I don't know which one folk would recommend as I haven't done an online me + bike booking for a while. I used to mainly use East Coast to book online but I don't know if Virgin ownership has broken it.

Alternatively go to a station with a ticket office - it matters not a jot who runs the station. Some station staff can be better than others at knowing how to work the system which is probably a bigger decider if you have the choice. The ticket office option has the advantage that staff should be able to check bike spaces before you commit to the tickets. It is still worth checking online ticket prices beforehand so you know the likely best options - a train earlier/ later can make a significant difference as can choosing departure station if you have more than one within easy reach.

I've never tried any phone up option so can't comment on that scenario.

[Sweep]

On your point about any station Rick, I have been told by my local London one by a guy who seemed to know his stuff that that is not actually the case.

Although my local one can, if I get the right member of staff, extract the bike booking I have made via Virgin West Coast's dysfunctional call centre, I have been told that actual bookings of myself and bike cannot be done by them as it is run by TfL. I was told that I would have to go to an ATOC (assoc of train operating companies) one.

On the matter upthread about which East Coast trains have hangers and which have the more user friendly ones, I actually have some news. I got the following very clear response from East Coast.

@@@

Thank you for your correspondence received on 2 June 2017 regarding the different kinds of bicycle spaces we have on our services.

The reason for these differences is due to the type of train. On our diesel trains bikes are only able to be accommodated by hanging them as you described. However on our electric trains they are kept on more conventional storage racks.

For you to be able to tell whether a train is diesel or electric I would advise looking at the seating plan of the train when you book your tickets. The layout of these different trains mean that the electric trains have coaches P, K and H where the diesel services do not. Therefore to make sure you are getting on an electric service look out for trains where you are have the option to reserve seats in those coaches.

@@@

I would give the able person who took care to write this detailed response a namecheck, but in view of all the !!!! that is doubtless going to, quite rightly, fly at East Coast, I thought I had better not.

I assume from the other useful info that was posted upthread, the electric trains maybe tend to be the longer distance ones.

I must admit that when going to Leeds I have always favoured the ones terminating there - reduces stress getting the bike off. Ditto, on the return I have tended to favour ones starting there for similar reasons.

A change of system on my part maybe due.

anyway, some good news.

[pete75]

On your point about any station Rick, I have been told by my local London one by a guy who seemed to know his stuff that that is not actually the case.

Although my local one can, if I get the right member of staff, extract the bike booking I have made via Virgin West Coast's dysfunctional call centre, I have been told that actual bookings of myself and bike cannot be done by them as it is run by TfL. I was told that I would have to go to an ATOC (assoc of train operating companies) one.

On the matter upthread about which East Coast trains have hangers and which have the more user friendly ones, I actually have some news. I got the following very clear response from East Coast.

@@@

Thank you for your correspondence received on 2 June 2017 regarding the different kinds of bicycle spaces we have on our services.

The reason for these differences is due to the type of train. On our diesel trains bikes are only able to be accommodated by hanging them as you described. However on our electric trains they are kept on more conventional storage racks.

For you to be able to tell whether a train is diesel or electric I would advise looking at the seating plan of the train when you book your tickets. The layout of these different trains mean that the electric trains have coaches P, K and H where the diesel services do not. Therefore to make sure you are getting on an electric service look out for trains where you are have the option to reserve seats in those coaches.

@@@

I would give the able person who took care to write this detailed response a namecheck, but in view of all the !!!! that is doubtless going to, quite rightly, fly at East Coast, I thought I had better not.

I assume from the other useful info that was posted upthread, the electric trains maybe tend to be the longer distance ones.

I must admit that when going to Leeds I have always favoured the ones terminating there - reduces stress getting the bike off. Ditto, on the return I have tended to favour ones starting there for similar reasons.

A change of system on my part maybe due.

anyway, some good news.

Yes but you don't have to hang your bike up on the diesel trains. Every time we've put a couple of fully loaded tourers on a hanging hook train at Grantham station the person who unlocks the luggage compartment has said you won't get them on the hooks lean them against the side.

[Sweep]

how do you secure them?

Even if I could I might worry that the company wanted you to use their system to cover themselves.

And might move your bike to "rectify" the situation.

I don't want anyone touching my bike - especially if it's loaded.

[pete75]

how do you secure them?

Even if I could I might worry that the company wanted you to use their system to cover themselves.

And might move your bike to "rectify" the situation.

I don't want anyone touching my bike - especially if it's loaded.

All I can say is I've had no problems and have done it quite often - the last time at the end of June. They don't really need to be secured , the compartment is locked and there is no access from the train only at stations under the supervision of rail staff.