New Intercity Express Trains

[Richard Fairhurst]

Word on the street (the tracks?) is that the new five-coach trains on GWR will only have two bike spaces per train.

There is another compartment (a "bike and bulk room") capable of taking two bikes, but it will reportedly be used for a catering trolley.

This is a massively retrograde step: the HST and Adelante trains that they're replacing usually have six spaces. Even when the five-coach trains are coupled up to form a ten-coach train, it will still be fewer spaces than before.

How can we get the second bike & bulk room reallocated before the trains go into service in a couple of months' time? Anyone from Cycling UK's campaigns department reading here?

[jgurney]

I certainly think promoting better cycle-on-train facilities should be a priority for CUK.

[simonineaston]

I can't tell you how mad reading news like this makes me... !! At a time when even the most dim-witted observer can work out that some pretty serious action is needed, in terms of climate change and moving towards integrated transport... and the final irritation is the gloomy fact that hearing about info. at this late stage means any objection is being made waaaaay to late - they're would have specified the rolling stock literally years ago, probably.
I feel like giving up - not that I actually do much, except cycle about!

[Rob Archer]

I understood that all new trains were supposed to have a minimum of 4 cycle spaces? How is a family of 4 supposed to travel with their bikes without travelling separately?

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my GT-S7275R using hovercraft full of eels.

[bikepacker]

GWR Adelante trains on the Cotswold line are now only taking a maximum of 3 bikes per train. Even though they have space for 3 bikes at each end of the 5 carriage train.

[The utility cyclist]

3 long distance journeys this year I've gone by car instead of train due to booking issues (sipposed no spaces (which.turned out to be false) For the time being I'm done with trains, just too much aggro.

[horizon]

I presume quite a few members of this forum know about the following one (and indeed have posted on there):

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php

I'm wondering if there are any links/discussions which mught move us on.

And there are links here:

https://www.gwr.com/about-us/our-busine ... rs-charter

[bovlomov]

On the Adelantes the bikes hang by their front wheels. I was always disappointed to see one, as I knew I'd have to get the panniers off the bike - unlike the IC125s, where I could just roll it in and off, fully laden.

Apart from that, the carriages are rather cramped. And, from what I've heard, the crews don't like them. Shame the 125s are coming to the end of their lives.

[mjr]

I asked on the Cyclenation Forum and got a reply from two people at CUK (we have some sort of collaboration agreement AIUI) summarised as "In short, these comments from GWR staff don't tally with what we're hearing formally from GWR. We're keeping this on our radar though."

The detail suggests that each non-driving car accepts 2 modules, (I've been told 14 on a 9-car, so I expect 6 on a 5-car) and these can be train manager, catering trolley, toilet or convertible bike/luggage ones. "as yet no 'final' arrangements known" but surely there's going to be more than one bike/luggage rack module out of 6? I guess we'll find out next month whether the "formally" or the "staff" view is true.