Ever been not allowed on a train with a bike?

[Hill Wimp]

South eastern don't allow non-folding bikes on commuter services full stop.. I don't want 2 bikes though

As a daily commuter and one who used to take my bike on the train up until a few weeks ago thats not quite true. On SE so you can take your bike so long as the train arrives in London before 7am and after 10am and away from London is after 7pm only.

 

[Tim Hall]

Booked the tandem from Bingham to Kings Cross. First leg was a teeny train to Grantham. Tandem wedged in vestibule. Guard had no problem with it, even though it was in the way. "I'll hurdle it".

Grantham, put bike in the right place, put Mrs. Hall on the train when it arrived. Platform staff didn't appear to open the doors to the van. Driver wouldn't and told me he was going, as he was running late. A bout of unparliamentary language followed, mostly from me. I got the next train an hour later. Nobbers.

 

[_aD]

In my experience on SWT the guards are very apologetic if you have to cram your bike and self in, when there's not much room. The guards have also been helpful pointing to the coach with most bike room etc. DId I just praise SWT's bicycle handling?

Time for the doghouse.

 

[Banjo]

i asked the question as I havent done much bike on trains stuff and plan to at least try and use them a bit more. Problem is thjat at the end of a long days ride I am a bit lacking in tact and diplomacy to be able to handle any nonsense from jobsworths.

On the whole it sounds like not too many problems occur .

 

[srw]

Never. We've even taken a large bike* through the barriers onto the Metropolitan line at Kings Cross.

[edit]
Our experience is almost entirely in the South-East, and frequently (deliberately) from unmanned stations. By the time you've got a large bike to Marylebone or Waterloo it's too late. On the other hand we've seen bikes turned away at Inverness when there was a very large luggage space free in the carriage.

*yes - that one. By promising we'd dismantle it if necessary once past the barriers.

 

[classic33]

Having gone through the company head office & getting written clearance to take it on the train. I rolled up at Manchester Picadilly & was allowed to place the Brox on the designated train, to Huddersfield. Short ride home from there. Guard comes down & tells me to get it off his train. Show him the letter & he's adamant that the train is going no-where whilst its on board.
Station manager called to get it off the train, confirms that the bike has been booked to travel on that service.
Ended up having to remove the Brox & cycle home instead. More fun in some ways, but a let down by the train company.

 

[Tim Hall]

Never. We've even taken a large bike* through the barriers onto the Metropolitan line at Kings Cross.

[edit]
Our experience is almost entirely in the South-East, and frequently (deliberately) from unmanned stations. By the time you've got a large bike to Marylebone or Waterloo it's too late. On the other hand we've seen bikes turned away at Inverness when there was a very large luggage space free in the carriage.

*yes - that one. By promising we'd dismantle it if necessary once past the barriers.

Years ago, when we had our first Large Bike (Super Galaxy Twin), we were on a train at Three Bridges, waiting for it to move off. The guard wandered down the platform and peered in. In my head I had a prepared speech about passenger rights, conditions of carriage, Magna Carta and all points west, as I was sure we were going to get turfed off.

"Ooh" said the guard. "I've got one of them. Good, aren't they."

 

[srw]

My experience on commuter trains - I've also taken a solo Galaxy on the underground at only just after 7pm - is that a cheerful demeanor, not taking the mickey by travelling at the busiest times, and chutzpah get you a long way. I'm not experienced with long-distance trains - but several well-known members regularly travel from exotic parts of the kingdom to London for Friday Nights with no problem.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

are u sure, iv done it lots,
seaford,
brighton
margate
ashford

and a few other lines

i always thought it was ok, im gonna be paranoid now when i next go down south

South Eastern and Southern are not the same companies and have different policies. Southern's most recent policy change is outlined below...

 

[chriss2.0]

thanks

 

[robjh]

Central Trains are notorious for not allowing bikes, as well as having the worst bike provision on trains I have ever come across. I was refused entry last year by a Hitler wannabee employee at Thetford station last year, on a train that looked (from peering through the window) to be less than half full. To cap it all I only wanted to travel one stop (to Ely), and I'd have happily stood with the bike in a doorway for the 20 odd minute ride. Typical crappy old Britain I guess - Thetford, in a forest that is home to some of the best off road cycling in the country, and a train company that positively discourages cyclists.

Central Trains stopped operating in 2007, and their operations were largely taken over by CrossCountry and East Midlands trains. I wonder if your problem at Thetford was with East Midlands - the orange ones? Without wishing to get too train-spotterish, they operate class 158 units which have the sh*test cycle facilities known to UK railways, a long thin cupboard that is a sod to manoeuver a bike into and can mostly only fit one (though it is theoretically for 2).
Over in the Midlands I regularly travelled with Central trains and CrossCountry with no problems - this sounds like a local difficulty, but still one for us all to be aware of.

 

[fimm]

I think I've only failed to get my road bike onto a train once and to be fair there were quite a lot of bikes on it already.
The worst one I ever heard of was a woman with a small child in a child seat who was refused access to a nearly empty (Scotrail) train because there were already two bikes on it. If it was the rolling stock I think it was, you can easily get a third bike in the bike space.

 

[chriss2.0]

Central Trains stopped operating in 2007, and their operations were largely taken over by CrossCountry and East Midlands trains. I wonder if your problem at Thetford was with East Midlands - the orange ones? Without wishing to get too train-spotterish, they operate class 158 units which have the sh*test cycle facilities known to UK railways, a long thin cupboard that is a sod to manoeuver a bike into and can mostly only fit one (though it is theoretically for 2).
Over in the Midlands I regularly travelled with Central trains and CrossCountry with no problems - this sounds like a local difficulty, but still one for us all to be aware of.

hmm, so why is the train from London to Edinburgh still called the grand central line.
(not trying to be funny, just genuinely curious)

ps. i like trains too

 

[robjh]

hmm, so why is the train from London to Edinburgh still called the grand central line.
(not trying to be funny, just genuinely curious)

ps. i like trains too

Grand Central is a different company - nothing to do with the old Central Trains, which were based around the Midlands but at times worked out as far as East Anglia and Wales.

 

[chriss2.0]

ahhh ok, cool. thanks