There seems to be no thought put into this...

[simongt]

First time I travelled by train using my bike back in '67, we stowed ours in that most useful piece of rolling stock - the guards van; no problem, loads of room for our three bikes plus room for lots of various freight parcels.

 

[LCpl Boiled Egg]

We don't pay to put bikes on trains. We get what we pay for.

Well, if you're saying that, we don't actually pay for a seat. How much more should we pay?

 

[Drago]

We don't pay for shotaces etc, but theres usually ample stowage.

 

[Badger_Boom]

I am too, but just so long as any government does so accepts that it can't be done on a shoestring like British Fail had to.

I was under the impression that was deliberately done to make privatisation look attractive.

 

[mjr]

I've got a vague memory of having to buy a ticket for my bike in the late 70s, and then there being a change that meant bikes went free. But I could be suffering from false memory syndrome.

No, paid bike tickets were a thing until CTC campaigned to get rid of them, apparently failing to realise it moved bikes into the "freeloading annoyances" category.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Rail revenue has plummeted 40% or so since beginning of pandemic. If they hadn’t made taking your bike such a pain in the arse I’m sure they wouldn’t have plummeted quite so much. I rarely ever think about taking bike on train now unless planning a long distance tour.