Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)

[Pendodave]

Haha!
I'm pleased that you have such a high opinion of drivers .
Although, we always swap over at Preston, so they're not really pleased to see you, they're keen to get a cup of tea!
Seriously (1) it is not the driver's job to deal with bikes, so please always chat to the TM to remind him that you have loaded a bike and where you want to get off.
Seriously (2) As railway and cyclist, I sometimes find that cyclists are not as helpful to themselves as they might be, or have unrealistic expectations. This may make me come across as a 5th columnist, but I try very hard to be even handed.

I quite often do the hop from Wigan to Warrington, & back later in the day.

Heading north is always reassuring if the driver indicates they are at least amenable to opening the door for us. The platform staff &/or the train manager may encounter a last minute issue that has delayed their arrival to the relevant end of the train - I have had the train manager appear & the driver stick their head out of the cab to check before the platform staff have got there.

Heading south I will usually head down to coach C to speak to the train manager but a few times recently the train has been so busy, combined with it only being a 10 minute hop, that it wasnt practical. The platform staff are usually good at phoning ahead so I've not ended up with an unexpected trip all the way to London (the train I usually get doesn't stop after Warrington).

You may not have the answer to this but...

One concern for me with the new layout is that, up to now, the Avanti Pendelinos have been the only trains that I know of that officially take Tandems (counting them as 2 bikes), even though I've not found problems taking them on other train services in the North West (I even managed to get my Circe Helios vertical enough on a Voyager on the North Wales lines to keep a particularly strict train manager happy). A tandem would only work if you ignored the racks & just used the current "pile them in" method, especially if there were other bikes too. And the rack potentially reduce the space for the current method.

I share your concern about tandems. I genuinely doubt that the thought even crossed their minds. Perhaps cuk could lobby in an official capacity?

[Sweep]

look forward to reports from any folk who use these "new improved" pendos.
Myself prob won't be encountering one for a while.

[Bun]

My first post here although I've been a long time lurker. Completed the Mercian Way (Route 45) yesterday in reverse from Chester to Salisbury. Got the train back and arrived home yesterday evening. I'll be honest, I've never liked the hassle of getting bikes on and off trains. The last time I did it was four years ago.......nothing has changed!

The 1st offering was from Salisbury to Bristol with Great Western at £3 a pop (bike reservation). Bike space full of luggage, passengers refused to move it, no conducter available.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/photos/share/W ... wfH1JTEL6I

The 2nd offering was from Bristol to Birmingham with Cross Country (free bike reservation). That's not a bike space!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/photos/share/K ... UCWYKNGimj

The 3rd from Birmingham to Warrington with Avanti West Coast (free bike reservation). Nice space but over reserved. One cyclist turned away.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/photos/share/Q ... gTpdV2p8vN

Am I expecting too much?

Thanks for your time and for reading through my gripe

[Nearholmer]

Complete lottery as to whether the train company you need to use is good, bad or indifferent regarding bikes, with GWR being the pits IMO.

Good ones that I know?

Thameslink (brilliant)
London North Western
West Midlands
South Western

[MrsHJ]

Nice route and I get the train stress- I have it a lot even when travelling in countries that are a lot better at this stuff than the uk. Switzerland I’m talking about you!

Not great but at least you managed to get on them all (phew). The middle one- what was the problem with unloading and hanging your bike- were there logistic issues? I get this train line (cross country) a lot and whilst I think the access is cruddy the spaces are quite well used. I find I usually have to unload my bike to get in and off trains unless they are nice modern ones with level access (I had a nightmare in France last year in one with very tricky access) so I take my panniers off and pop them in a luggage rack or something.

[Bun]

That's right, when trying to get on that train a couple of mothers had their push chairs in each bike space, kids still in them eating doughnuts while they were sat in the carriage further down the train (beats me ) The conductor came and made them move their prams plus kids (scowls in our direction) so we could get the bikes in. You're right, I couldn't fit the bike in because of quite the long chainstays it has. I did take the panniers off and hang it up a short time later as I realised if the mothers came to get off the train before we did they wouldn't be able to get the prams past us. It's was just one enormous faff!!

[Sweep]

Update on my latest experience - with Avanti West Coast.

After a previous terrible experience where Avanti screwed up the bike booking and did nothing to sort things, and even took months to reply to my complaint, I took the precaution of making a mega round trip to book my ticket Preston to London in person at a ticket office.

All tickets including bike booking in my mitts before I paid.

Train was just over an hour late into Euston.

Entitles you to 100 per cent back and Avanti have just paid up with a payment straight to my bank account.

Was pleasantly surprised - I thought they would try to knock me back to the "half hour late" 50 per cent refund.

Took me a while to sort the online refund system but once I got stuck in, not too bad - very slick.

Best to apply online - you can get the dosh back to a credit card or bank.

Refunds kick in at 15 mins late - on arival the driver/train captain helpfully told us that we were over 15 minutes late cheeky sod - at least he didn't announce a false arrival time - have had this before with one train company.

so do apply for those refunds folk.

[Ciminera]

Never had an issue on trains. more recently I've been using trains in wales to take my 2 young kids and their bikes (and mine) to go places for rides. even on international day where the train was rammed full of football fans going to cardiff, they just helped the kids lift their bikes on and off which made my life easier, and we all just got on with it.

I've always helped anyone with any sort of large items or prams or trolleys or anything, and I've always found others more than happy to help when I've needed a hand.

[hufty]

Just got the Caledonian Sleeper down from Inverness to Preston then home on local trains. I can recommend the service, and there were four other cyclists on board. It was the cheapest ticket I could find (for the seat not a bunk) and meant I got a leisurely start and a full day's ride in.

Several good things about it:
The staff were really good - "Welcome aboard this Caledonian Sleeper service" rather than the usual hostile opener of "Oi you can't come on here without a bike reservation!"
The online booking process for bicycles works and it shows up on your ticket, unlike with Avanti.
You can open the door yourself from the inside at your destination you don't have to hope someone remembers to walk up the platform.

A couple of minor niggles:
There's an (unnecssary) strut between bike bays 3 and 4 which made it difficult for my drop handlebars to fit in. In the end I had to hang the bike back wheel high and even then it didn't really fit that well.
I would avoid booking the single seats if you've got legs and feet as most of the space where you might want to stretch your legs and put your feet is taken up by the metalwork for the seat in front. This isn't a problem on the double seat side of the carriage. Yes I moved.

[tenko]

I share your pain. The only good experience I have had (a few times) is on the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Inverness. Dedicated carriage for bikes. Genuine reservation.

However, not the same for the London to Fort William route where you have to physically move your bike off and back on to the train at 4am in Edinburgh.

[bikepacker]

In defence of the rail service.

It surprises me when I hear of these train stories because I have used them extensively as an aid to my cycle touring over the last 20 years, and only very rarely had a problem. In fact, most time it has been quite the opposite.

Due to having Covid a month earlier I was very much low on energy so I decided to use the train from my nearest station Worcestershire Parkway up to York for the rally. Here is how the train journey went:

Tickets were purchased online and bike reservations made afterwards at the station ticket office. There were no charges for bike reservations and after reading a previous post, I checked train company websites none appeared to want a fee.

My first train was slightly delayed because of cable theft and arrived in Birmingham where I changed 6 mins late. My York train was also delayed but a member of the station staff told me that my train would be busy and to board another train waiting at the next platform. He spoke to the train manager who confirmed it would be okay for the bike even though my reservation was for the other train. Result I arrived in York earlier that I would have.

On the return my train from York was on time and very quiet to my change station at Derby where I found my next train was cancelled due to impending rail strike. Again the station staff were great and made alternative suggestion the easiest being catch the next train to Birmingham and then a train to one of Worcester’s stations. Staff a Derby spoke to train manager who even helped my put the bike on the train. At Birmingham I was informed due to the strike Worcester trains were also cancelled. So I caught a cross-city train to Bromsgrove and had an enjoyable 24 mile ride to home. A result I was very happy with my journey even with a rail strike looming.

[simonhill]

This sounds more like "travelling with a touring bike on a train in the UK" than anything about The Mercian Way.

Time for a merge?

[Jdsk]

This sounds more like "travelling with a touring bike on a train in the UK" than anything about The Mercian Way.

Time for a merge?

Same thought.

Sharing this information is very valuable. Thanks, everybody. It will be easier to find if it's not split across multiple threads.

Jonathan

[bikepacker]

I was simply following up on previous posts which seamed to be more about knocking the railway system than The Mercian Way. If the mods wish to move my post to another similar topic they can go ahead and do so.

[simonhill]

Bikepacker, I was referring to the whole thread, not your post. Sorry if this wasn't clear from my post.