Bikes on Virgin Trains.

[Alan Frame]

At some point in the future I hope to use the train to take some of the strain and move me and my bike from Brum to Glasgow.

I intend to use the trainline.com to get the best price but I'm a bit confused about reserving a space for my bike.

If I get the best priced tickets I understand I then have to ring a number to reserve a bike space. But what happens if there are no bike spaces left, because there's no point going if I can't take my bike !

Does anyone have any experience of Virgin Trains and bikes to help with this question, or any more general experiences ?

Thank you in anticipation.

 

[bikepacker]

If you want to book a train and bike space online you need to do it on either London Midland or East Coast websites

http://tickets.londonmidland.com/lm/en/JourneyPlanning/MixingDeck
http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/

Both of these will book trains by any other operator and will also give you the option of reserving your bike space.

 

[mcshroom]

Yep don't use the trainline.

Use one of the companies that use the 'flightdeck' system (Chiltern, Southern, London Midland, East Coast, Red Spotted Hanky) and there is an option on the screen after choosing your ticket for bicycle space.

 

[Alan Frame]

Thank you both for those very informative replies, just what I was looking for.

Never having taken my bike on a train before, will I also need to remove [up to] four panniers and a bar bag and camping equipment before leaving the bike in transit and will I need/am I allowed to lock it ?

The trainline did seem to have some good prices though, £33 return Brum to Glasgow, if flexible about when you travel. That was on VirginTrains, but when I checked on the Virgin website itself they didn't seem anywhere near as cheap as that. I need to be able to book with a combination of the best price allied to certainty that my bike can also travel with me.

Thanks again.

 

[Spinney]

I used virgin a few years ago to go from Carlisle to Lancaster. Booked tickets and bikes on line. Tickets arrived, but no paperwork about the bike. Several phone calls all got the response 'don't worry, the guard will have you on his list'.

On the day, got into conversation with a Virgin staff member on the station while waiting for the train. He said that sometimes more people turn up with bikes than spaces available (not difficult when they only allow 2 per train!), and in that case no-one would get their bike on without a ticket. He recommended booking the bike on at a station, so you have a ticket for the bike as well as for yourself. This would have been easy for me as I lived near a virgin-run station.

We got the bikes on OK, although in spite of supposedly 'being on the list' the guard had allowed a large party to dump (and I mean dump, not stack) their luggage in the bike space.

On the other hand, I'm sure lots of folks on cyclechat have taken their bikes on trains with no problems at all.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Virgin...

Get your reservation and get there early. Some train crews (Glasgow) ime just let bikes on first come first served regardless of their lack of a reservation and will try to bump you. Once owner of said bike has disappeared into the bowels of the train you're in trouble. I had to make a huge fuss, insisted the train manager got involved. I felt bad about 'targetting' a fellow cyclist, and he felt very angry at my attitude but I had a reservation and he didn't. I think his anger won the day for me as the train staff's approach harden when he got stroppy.

On another occasion I've had to manhandle other people's luggage out of the bike space to get my bike in, and on another despite having been at the station and by the bike compartment with fifteen mins to spare the guard was not to be found and the train very nearly left without me and my bike.

I found my bike would not fit in the space allowed on a Glasgow London service with its luggage on, and given the bike compartment is accessible at intermediate stations, and having had stuff nicked off a bike on an old non-Virgin 125 train, I remove everything important from my bike.

 

[Bodhbh]

Never having taken my bike on a train before, will I also need to remove [up to] four panniers and a bar bag and camping equipment before leaving the bike in transit and will I need/am I allowed to lock it ?.

From memory the on Virgin Trains you hang your bike up by the front wheel. Several bikes hang next to eatch other and you probably need to remove the panniers or you'll block the space for other people. There's normally space to put the panniers under or around the bikes tho.

You are not allowed to lock bikes, but I've noticed people doing it before. Not very social however, if someone needs to move your bike to get there's out. I normally just sit near the bike anyhow as I'd rather sit near that than someone on the train

/edit regarding what Greg says, I've found Virgin to be far the most jobsworth about taking bikes on trains. Get there early and in position on the platform. Ask a member of the Virgin platform staff where you need to be, so there's no last minute running up and down the platform as the train's pulling in. I can kinda understand their position as they generally need someone in place unlock the carrige for you.

 

[Will1962]

There are two types of trains that Virgin use, Pendolino and Super Voyager. You can see the layout here: http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/assets/pdf/global/seating-plan.pdf

You can put your bike directly on to a Super Voyager via the normal passenger door (bike hangs up by it's front wheel). On the Pendolino trains, you have to get a guard to unlock the door to the compartment. If you are on a Pendolino then make sure you tell the guard that you have a bike and where you are getting off, so that he can unlock the door for you.

Will

 

[bikepacker]

Can't understand why you get a cheaper price on Trainline than other sites, they are all linked to the same computer booking system. In my experience London Midland site is the easiest to navigate to find the cheapest tickets and book a bike reservation. I have used them many times to book B'ham to Scotland on Virgin and never had a problem.

 

[Ticktockmy]

I never had a problem with taking my bike up north from Euston, I just phone Virgin booking line, they will check to see if there are bike spaces available or when bike spaces are next available, then book both for you. Also they will be able to tell you if there better deals available for the route you want. Coming back down if I have not been sure of my day and time of travel I go to the ticket office and ask when the next bike spaces are available, Book my tickets to match. Some weekends Virgin do a deal that you can travel in First class for a extra fee, well worth it if the Standard class section of the train is going to be fully booked.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Virgin...

On another occasion I've had to manhandle other people's luggage out of the bike space to get my bike in, and on another despite having been at the station and by the bike compartment with fifteen mins to spare the guard was not to be found and the train very nearly left without me and my bike.

I found my bike would not fit in the space allowed on a Glasgow London service with its luggage on, and given the bike compartment is accessible at intermediate stations, and having had stuff nicked off a bike on an old non-Virgin 125 train, I remove everything important from my bike.

The Night Sleeper from Inverness/London is a pain in the arse, as every time I have used it, you get into the the guards/luggage area only to find the numpties have loaded boxes of fish bound for London so blocking the cycle racks. then you have to get the staff back to move it so you can get the bikes aboard. Some staff just don,t think. and when they come back to move it they moan and grumble about it. and yet every night they have this problem, just never learn.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I've encountered the fish boxes at Inverness once or twice. To be fair they didn't get in the way of the bike, but it did smell a bit funny at Euston.

 

[Alan Frame]

Thank you all so much for the useful information, folks !

I think I'm gradually getting my head round this and have even managed to replicate the trainline.com prices on Virgin Trains' website....must have been having a bad day yesterday as for some reason I made the former cheaper than the latter and presume I was not comparing like for like.

When the time comes to book, I think I will get times, dates and prices off the net and then visit a Virgin Trains station to actually make the purchase. That way I will hopefully get some sort of documentation to prove that my bike has a reserved space on the train too.
Having staff refuse to allow my bike on board is my worst fear, but can't say I relish the prospect of taking all the luggage off the bike as I do tend to subscribe to the kitchen sink school of bicycle packing.

 

[andym]

Never having taken my bike on a train before, will I also need to remove [up to] four panniers and a bar bag and camping equipment before leaving the bike in transit and will I need/am I allowed to lock it ?.

Check with the station staff which end of the platform you need to go to. Make sure you can take your panniers off quickly. When the train arrives take the panniers off and load the bike (or throw the panniers onto the train then load the bike whichever you prefer). Don't faff about trying tol oad a loaded bike.

Sit near your bike - you could probably put a lock round the back wheel but from what I remember of Virgin trains I don't think there's a way of locking it to the train (I wouldn't recommend doing it anyway)..

 

[bikepacker]

I always take my bike on to the train fully loaded it has wheels and easy to get on. I take the panniers off on the train if needed. Same for getting off, get to your bike well before the station, load the panniers and wheel the loaded bike from the train.

I know of instances where trains have left before all bags have been got off a train when attempting to get off the train unloaded. Just imagine the crush of people getting off and on at your station and you trying to battle you way through them fetching and carrying you gear seperately.

If you are catching the Virgin Glasgow at B'ham, most times bikes will be at the front on both the Pendalino or Super Voyager. In both cases you can wheel you loaded bike on, in the case of a Pendalino leave your panniers on the bike for the journey. On the Voyager you will have to take them off to hang up the bike but as I say, do this on the train.