Bikes on Trans Pennine Express (or not!)

[atoz]

It does seem rather strange that it's not a general DfT requirement for rolling stock that usually operates non-reservable services to have gangway connections so the passenger load can be balanced without the stupid sight of people running along the platforms between sections at station stops.

No not strange, just privatisation. A lot of people not talking to each other, and a government department that doesn't give a damm. And the only thing that unites thte train companies..is that they really don't want to be bothered with cyclists. Contrast this with BR in it's heyday- guard space on just about every train. When BR stopped taking parcels years later, the writing was on the wall, and the then new rolling stock had no guard space. They knew privatisation was coming, just not when. I know BR could be cheap and nasty, but at least you got an integrated service.

[Richard Fairhurst]

I strongly suspect the issue with TPE is the same as with their sister company GWR: new trains on which they have deliberately chosen to minimise cycle carriage.

The new GWR trains have four bike spaces per five-coach train, but GWR are only allowing bikes in two of them, saving the others for the imprecisely defined "luggage" (as long as that luggage doesn't have two large wheels, one presumes). This has been quietly slipped out over the last couple of months with very little notice. The result is that services which had six bike spaces a few months ago now only have two.

I've tried to raise this with Cycling UK, on the basis that CUK did a great job getting Eurostar's crazy restrictions rescinded and could have some influence here, but haven't managed to get any responses. Anyone here have any suggestions who/how I should contact?

[MikeF]

It does seem rather strange that it's not a general DfT requirement for rolling stock that usually operates non-reservable services to have gangway connections so the passenger load can be balanced without the stupid sight of people running along the platforms between sections at station stops.

No not strange, just privatisation. A lot of people not talking to each other, and a government department that doesn't give a damm. And the only thing that unites thte train companies..is that they really don't want to be bothered with cyclists. Contrast this with BR in it's heyday- guard space on just about every train. When BR stopped taking parcels years later, the writing was on the wall, and the then new rolling stock had no guard space. They knew privatisation was coming, just not when. I know BR could be cheap and nasty, but at least you got an integrated service.

+1
It's absurd that train companies have to have a cycle "policy". They don't have policies for non folding push chairs for example, which can also block doors and gangways, especially if there are many of them.

[craggie]

No space for bikes at all if you get one of the old carriages, according to this:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... rain-route

[jgurney]

This issue also getting discussed at: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=122245&start=75