Cycles and Trains...easy?

[Underdog1964]

Hi,

Do you have to book your cycle for a train or do you just pop on and store it in the cycle hold?



Just wondering because I have never taken a cycle on a train before. My plan for this Saturday is to bike it to York from Wakefield via the trans pennine trail and then catch the train back to Wakefield.

If this is a stress free situation then I shall cycle to more cities and train back.


Just don't want to find that few trains don't have the capacity to store cycles or that they get filled quickly. What happens if your board a train and there is no space left?

 

[mcshroom]

As with anything on the railways it seems, the answer is not simple. It depends on which operators you are travelling with. A decent guide is given in this leaflet.

I would guess that Wakefield to York would be either East Coast or Northern Rail. East coast insist on reservations (you can get them for free but you do need to book them in advance) but they do have a large bicycle bay in the dummy power car. Northern are pretty laid back about bikes in general. There is no reservation system, and although technically there are only two places for bikes on the trains, usually they are very amenable to more bikes being carried.

If the bike spaces are full then technically you can be refused travel so you would have to wait for the next train. I haven't met that problem yet though

 

[Underdog1964]

Thanks.

Apprently the train service will be Cross Country, which according to their website only holds up to cyclists. Which sounds kind of pathetic.

The website recommends booking otherwise its a first come first serve policy. I don't want to book in advance and be stuck to a time. I prefer open tickets.

Wish I took more notice on how often the cycle compartment got full.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Hi,

Do you have to book your cycle for a train or do you just pop on and store it in the cycle hold?



Just wondering because I have never taken a cycle on a train before. My plan for this Saturday is to bike it to York from Wakefield via the trans pennine trail and then catch the train back to Wakefield.

If this is a stress free situation then I shall cycle to more cities and train back.


Just don't want to find that few trains don't have the capacity to store cycles or that they get filled quickly. What happens if your board a train and there is no space left?

Transpennine express to Leeds, then East Coast trains to Wakefield, But I would guess that it would be easier to cycle to Wakefield from Leeds.
Transpennie have room for 2 bikes, and should be booked, but I guess you can take the risk and hope you are the only one who want to travel with the bike.

East coast trains require a booking for a bike to be made.

 

[Soltydog]

York to Leeds - Transpennine or northern, regular service no need to book
Leeds to wakefield - Northern run trains to Doncaster & sheffield that call at Wakefield, prob 3 trains an hour, no need to book in advance

 

[andym]

The website recommends booking otherwise its a first come first serve policy. I don't want to book in advance and be stuck to a time. I prefer open tickets.

There's your answer then: you can book in advance which is more hassle and less flexible but means that in principle your place is secure, or you can turn up on the day and run the risk that the bike spaces are taken.

if it helps, the www.eastcoast.co.uk website will let you book bike spaces as well as tickets,