BIKES and TRAINS

[gbs]

To my dismay this is not easy/certain if travelling London to Hull. Some operators offer a small number of bike spaces but do not offer reservations. What happens if there is surplus demand? In your experience are the train conductors reasonable or do they take a jobsworth attitude? If I layout for a railticket but subsequently find that the bike is banned I would expect a refund but only after a lot of effort. I now understand why so many people opt for the car.

If anyone has a strategy for deaing with this uncertainty please advise.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Book it on Hull trains, get on at the start at Kings Cross, get off at the end at Hull.

 

[StuAff]

Hull Trains most definitely offer reservations for bike spaces, as do LNER. You generally have to use the operator's own website.

 

[a.twiddler]

The worst part about it is the uncertainty. I've not travelled that route, but the catch -22 is that even if an operator offers bike reservations, if there's no space when you try to get on, you'll have to wait for the next one and hope there's space. That doesn't help when you have to make a connection somewhere along the route. Then there's the issue of "but you don't have a reservation, sir!" As @Ming the Merciless suggests, you know where you are if you board at the train's starting point rather than an intermediate station. An open ticket with an operator who doesn't do bike reservations gives you more flexibility. Try to travel at off peak times. If a train is quiet you might be able to cram your bike on even if the official spaces are taken. It's the luck of the draw whether you get a jobsworth or someone more accommodating in charge of the train.

If you are a regular bike/train traveller you might find yourself going down the Brompton route. Not ideal if you want to go mountain biking at your destination but I've tried train travel with a Brompton and it takes away all that stress and uncertainty. It's just luggage when folded.
If we had a (much more bike friendly) national standard among operators instead of the fragmented system we now have, at least we'd know what to expect. It helps if you're a natural blagger but it shouldn't be such a trial to just be a passenger with a bike.

It helps to be aware of the possible drawbacks and what could go wrong but you can dwell too much on the doom and gloom of things. I don't take a bike on a train that often but when I have, apart from minor hiccups it has worked out OK. It's a good feeling when it all comes together.
Once you have travelled a route a few times, you might find it less daunting.

 

[scragend]

Hull Trains most definitely offer reservations for bike spaces, as do LNER. You generally have to use the operator's own website.

I always book through Transpennine Express (because they do Nectar points); they will do bike reservations for any operator where they are available. You can also reserve a bike space by tweeting the operator.

The Azumas have the awful bike wardrobes and on LNER they are generally locked and opened up specifically to put a reserved bike in, so in theory there shouldn't be more bikes than reservations on those. The difficulty you might find is having someone to open it again when you want to get off!

 

[StuAff]

I always book through Transpennine Express (because they do Nectar points); they will do bike reservations for any operator where they are available. You can also reserve a bike space by tweeting the operator.

The Azumas have the awful bike wardrobes and on LNER they are generally locked and opened up specifically to put a reserved bike in, so in theory there shouldn't be more bikes than reservations on those. The difficulty you might find is having someone to open it again when you want to get off!

Agreed the Azuma bike space is badly designed, but I've not had a problem getting bikes off and on, they haven't been locked.

 

[bobzmyunkle]

You can now book bike space when using the Trainline - only used it for a relatively simple journey so far. You will need to pick up the tickets from a station as there theoretically has to be a physical ticket attached to the bike. Second sentence true until someone says otherwise.

 

[scragend]

Agreed the Azuma bike space is badly designed, but I've not had a problem getting bikes off and on, they haven't been locked.

I've used them three times - twice on LNER, once on Hull Trains. The Hull Trains one was unlocked, but both times on LNER the platform staff unlocked it so I could put the bike on and then locked it again afterwards. And both times (most recently yesterday) there was no one around to open it when I got off and I had to collar a randomly passing-by member of staff with a T-key to open it for me.

 

[scragend]

You can now book bike space when using the Trainline - only used it for a relatively simple journey so far. You will need to pick up the tickets from a station as there theoretically has to be a physical ticket attached to the bike. Second sentence true until someone says otherwise.

Theoretically true, yes. But I've never seen anyone do it; I used to but gave up because no one seems bothered. Staff never check it, they just ask "have you got a reservation?" and if you say yes, they're happy.

Even so I'm not sure it actually has to be a "proper" printed ticket. I've booked bike spaces via Twitter separately from the train ticket itself - they send you a screenshot of the booking which I've printed off at home and attached to the bike.

 

[bobzmyunkle]

Theoretically true, yes. But I've never seen anyone do it; I used to but gave up because no one seems bothered. Staff never check it, they just ask "have you got a reservation?" and if you say yes, they're happy.

Yes, I meant the bit about picking up tickets from a station. I've only booked through Trainline once and picked up my tickets from the station. I can't remember if that was the only option they gave me - i.e. they assumed I needed a physical ticket for the bike. I might just be confused in my old age.

 

[scragend]

Yes, I meant the bit about picking up tickets from a station. I've only booked through Trainline once and picked up my tickets from the station. I can't remember if that was the only option they gave me - i.e. they assumed I needed a physical ticket for the bike. I might just be confused in my old age.

That's an interesting point actually - I don't know if adding a bike reservation makes the booking only fulfillable by paper ticket rather than e-ticket. Some journeys aren't available as e-tickets anyway, even without a bike, but I don't know if one that ordinarily would be then becomes not, if a bike is added.

 

[Drago]

Folder. Problem solved.

 

[T4tomo]

That's an interesting point actually - I don't know if adding a bike reservation makes the booking only fulfillable by paper ticket rather than e-ticket. Some journeys aren't available as e-tickets anyway, even without a bike, but I don't know if one that ordinarily would be then becomes not, if a bike is added.

I'm not 100% sure as I wasn't the "admin" on it, but we have to collect our tickets (with bike reservations) at a station , but that also further embellished by use of "two-together" rail cards, which apparently have to be presented when collecting ??

 

[scragend]

I thought I'd try a dummy booking to find out.

I put in King's Cross to Hull on 15th May on Hull Trains for one adult, no bike, and was offered an e-ticket. I went back and added a bike reservation but changed nothing else and the e-ticket option disappeared.

 

[mjr]

I'm not 100% sure as I wasn't the "admin" on it, but we have to collect our tickets (with bike reservations) at a station , but that also further embellished by use of "two-together" rail cards, which apparently have to be presented when collecting ??

It won't be the rail card because you can collect from machine, which doesn't check rail cards.

Trainline is problematic, booking fees, easy to apply invalid rail cards and tickets vanishing from purchase history, to name but three often reported.