Which nations rail service is the best, and why?

[simonhill]

Steve, are you saying all Flix buses worldwide take bikes, no question, for free?

I was impressed with the Korean buses. The few times I took one, I made the point of saying is the bike OK? They always looked a bit bewildered and said of course. Only stipulation is you self load, which I prefer anyway. How are Flix better?

In support of your assertion re UK trains, I can't remember if I said it upthread, but I am happy on my local train C2C. Also on other local services. Just took bike seamlessly, from C2C onto tube and on to Gatwick. Walked across platform or large lifts. Couldn't do that in a lot of countries. Long distance may well be different, but local is often very good.

[Slowtwitch]

BlaBla bus services in Spain and France take bikes with no pre booking (for free) and they are very cheap.

[mjr]

TBH I am rather disappointed, after all the threads on CTC about trains and how difficult it all is, I was rather hoping people would be coming forwards and saying, you should go to XYZ country, the trains there are so bike friendly, its amazing, this is what we should be aiming for, the gold standard.

OK, to be clearer: Go to Belgium. Most trains there are so bike friendly, it's amazing, having a whole carriage of level-boarding bike space is what we should be aiming for, the gold standard. The Netherlands is better than the UK but nowhere near what you'd expect. France and Germany regional services are good. I think Denmark is probably good but I've never tried it outside the Copenhagen region.

You know what I have a sneaking suspicion that the British train service might be one of the best in the world for cyclists. Not perfect for sure, but there dont seem to many doing much better.

We may have one of the best but that is mainly because so many are so naff that the UK's patchy mix lifts it off the bottom. Several do much better, though.

In support of your assertion re UK trains, I can't remember if I said it upthread, but I am happy on my local train C2C. Also on other local services. Just took bike seamlessly, from C2C onto tube and on to Gatwick. Walked across platform or large lifts. Couldn't do that in a lot of countries. Long distance may well be different, but local is often very good.

Go on then: how many bike spaces per train? Any time restrictions?

I think generally UK local services around London seem good only because bikes aren't banned because the love of Driver-Only Operated trains means they couldn't enforce one anyway.

[simonhill]

mjr wrote:

Go on then: how many bike spaces per train? Any time restrictions?

C2C London Fenchurch St, Tilbury, Southend, Shoeburyness Line.

Time restriction for few hours into (am) and out of London (pm). Check timetable for details.

2 or 3 official bike spaces per 4 car set and usually 8 or 12 car trains, so 2 or 3 times 2 or 3.

Off peak trains run 4 times an hour. Much more frequently in peak.

Some just load their bike into the door area. Doesn't seem to be problem for a stop or two. I've never seen all the bike spaces full, in fact normally empty.

A lack of platform and on board staff does mean there is virtually no control. Fine by me.

Only used Belgian trains once, the Brussels metro. It was time limited and I had to wait before I could use it to exit the city.

I presume every Belgian train have this whole carriage walk on bike facility?

In my fairly (world)wide experience most services that allow bikes are time limited. Sometimes only weekends and holidays. I'd love it if they were all as good as C2C.

If you want to take a bike on a Japanese train you have to rinko it first.

[mjr]

Only used Belgian trains once, the Brussels metro. It was time limited and I had to wait before I could use it to exit the city.

Yeah, the metro is not Belgian trains. It's run by STIB, their equivalent of TfL. I didn't know you could take bikes on it at all.

I presume every Belgian train have this whole carriage walk on bike facility?

No, sadly not yet. The AM08 (2008), M6 (2002) and M7 (2020) had it from new, while the M5 (1984) had it added in a renovation from 2008 and the AM80 (1980) in 2009. The AR41 (2000) diesels have a similar space but are high floor.

There are still some bad ones in use, especially on peak-hour extra "P" trains and cross-border services, such as AM86 (1986 - not sure whether they have any or not), AM96 (1996 - vertical hangers) and I10 and I11 (both 1987 - a few bike spaces per set since renovation but still high floor with steps up), but they're either phasing out or might be fixed in a renovation.

Even with those duds still in circulation, I suspect Belgium may have the highest average bicycle capacity per train of any country's railway.

[simonhill]

I s'pose another point is cost.

All the local ones I use in the UK are free. Likewise most 'commuter' or local services abroad. Mainly only long distance ones that you pay for.

Not sure why they don't charge in the UK for the walk on, but I'm glad they don't.

[gbnz]

Not sure about other nations trains. But I'd forgotten how cr.....ours are, when you want to travel with a bike.

As an IT literate individual, have used computers since '85, have travelled with the bike on a train on a fair number of occasions, but not at all routinely in the past 9-10 years. I'd forgotten that in the internet age, the only practical way to travel with a bike, is to travel to a train station and reserve a bike in person, effectively losing most of the cheap price deals by doing so, or spend hours on hold on a phone line, due to online services preventing bikes effectively being reserved

This from all these train companies who pretend that they think "cycling is green" and boast about how you can travel with your bike FOC on a train, because we're so green"

After 1.5 hr's trying to book a bike on a train, online, I've simply bought a ticket. Will have to chuck it and cycle the 30 miles, if the bike can't be put on the train

[mjr]

I'd forgotten that in the internet age, the only practical way to travel with a bike, is to travel to a train station and reserve a bike in person, effectively losing most of the cheap price deals by doing so, or spend hours on hold on a phone line, due to online services preventing bikes effectively being reserved

What did you try to do and how? Which website(s) did you use? Did you look at any of the tips on how to do it on this forum?

I've not had problems booking a bike online but my local line doesn't require (or allow) booking bikes and it's been a while.

[gbnz]

Which website(s) did you use? Did you look at any of the tips on how to do it on this forum?

Tried Trainline, LNER, Cross Country, Transpennine Express. They all had software running, effectively preventing a bike being booked on - buying a ticket would have been a 2-3 minute process, they all required extensive holds on phone lines and so.

I'll have a review of tips on the forum, but it wasn't an issue in the end. Cycled the quick 8 miles to the station first thing and within 2 minutes had the bike booked on a train, another minute to verify the bike carriage. While I haven't had the bike on a train on a regular basis inn years, it was a useful reminder of how great the local station staff are

[Slowtwitch]

Portuguese railways are pretty decent, and cheap. But in a small country, obviously the bit a lot of links

[atoz]

A poster has submitted this....

"You know what I have a sneaking suspicion that the British train service might be one of the best in the world for cyclists. Not perfect for sure, but there dont seem to many doing much better."

Maybe in a parallel universe- otherwise, in your dreams.

[Steve X]

Maybe in a parallel universe- otherwise, in your dreams.

So enlighten us, Which nations rail service is the best, and why?

[atoz]

Maybe in a parallel universe- otherwise, in your dreams.

So enlighten us, Which nations rail service is the best, and why?

No clue, but it sure isn't ours, which was my point..

[Jdsk]

Maybe in a parallel universe- otherwise, in your dreams.

So enlighten us, Which nations rail service is the best, and why?

No clue, but it sure isn't ours, which was my point..

I think that requires that you know at least one that's better...

Jonathan

[simonhill]

Portuguese railways are pretty decent, and cheap. But in a small country, obviously the bit a lot of links

Not bad, but not always great. I took a train up and down the Duoro valley. They told me I couldn't even buy my ticket in advance as you have to be checked on the the train by the guard. They only have 2 spaces and if there is one for you, he lets you on and sells you a ticket. Bike free. One way in small compartment t'other hanging. These were regular trains, not high speed ones, which I don't know about.

This had me getting to the start point station fairly early to make sure I got a place. As it was, no problem as midweek and out of season.

Later, I met a local who when coming back from the Camino in a group of 3 they couldn't travel together.

The line that runs along the Algarve is better, with a free for all on a large guards van type area. Although I've heard they are upgrading that line so maybe it'll change to the 2 per train system. This would be a shame as it helps to get tourists out of their cars and onto bikes.