Why is there not more cycle storage on trains?

[661-Pete]

That's nothing new - I date from the days of the old compartment rolling stock when you couldn't even walk along the carriage, let alone get to a toilet. If you've a problem, bring a nappy!

Toilets? The 'disabled' on the 377 - that strange contraption, you know, with the semicircular sliding door - now that's worth a documentary in itself! So many people can't figure out how to open or close the door (the doors often keep opening of their own accord anyway) - or having entered and shut themselves in they don't know how to lock the door. Result: another passenger comes along and, thinking the toilet vacant, opens the door and walks in .... . And I - sitting on the jump seat so as to keep an eye on the bike - have to be an audience to all this!

 

[ianrauk]

That's nothing new - I date from the days of the old compartment rolling stock when you couldn't even walk along the carriage, let alone get to a toilet. If you've a problem, bring a nappy!

Toilets? The 'disabled' on the 377 - that strange contraption, you know, with the semicircular sliding door - now that's worth a documentary in itself! So many people can't figure out how to open or close the door (the doors often keep opening of their own accord anyway) - or having entered and shut themselves in they don't know how to lock the door. Result: another passenger comes along and, thinking the toilet vacant, opens the door and walks in .... . And I - sitting on the jump seat so as to keep an eye on the bike - have to be an audience to all this!

Have seen this a lot....

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

Toilets? The 'disabled' on the 377 - that strange contraption, you know, with the semicircular sliding door - now that's worth a documentary in itself! So many people can't figure out how to open or close the door (the doors often keep opening of their own accord anyway) - or having entered and shut themselves in they don't know how to lock the door. Result: another passenger comes along and, thinking the toilet vacant, opens the door and walks in .... . And I - sitting on the jump seat so as to keep an eye on the bike - have to be an audience to all this!

I personally hate the way, sitting there with my bike, I'm treated like some kind of glorified toilet attendant.

"Is anyone in there?"
"How long have they been in there?"
"How do you open it?"
"How do you lock it?"
"How do you close it?"

et cetera.

 

[hackbike 666]

This is Southern you're talking about. They have no interest about the paying public (much like Connex before- same managers, same sh*t) Travel on any train and you will find inadequate bike storage. Yet still they bring in older stock with even LESS room for bikes. They have no idea (read interest) about integrated travel. I hate Southern, I really do. Chris Birchill talks the talk but is ultimately useless (unless you are a Southern stakeholder).

Bill

I don't think it's the managers...I think it's called PRIVATISATION.

Then again the 455's and the 315's (Early 1980's built trains) were built with no bike spaces...

 

[661-Pete]

It's trains rather like this one that ply along our 'local' line (non-electrified) in rural France (three trains a day). Don't recall having been in one, but they must have cycle space seeing as there's a prominent 'bike' symbol on one of the doors - despite this being a small single-car unit not much bigger than a bus! The French evidently do things better than us....

 

[Ticktockmy]

It's trains rather like this one that ply along our 'local' line (non-electrified) in rural France (three trains a day). Don't recall having been in one, but they must have cycle space seeing as there's a prominent 'bike' symbol on one of the doors - despite this being a small single-car unit not much bigger than a bus! The French evidently do things better than us....

Intersting thing I notice is the coupling looks the same a s the Southern trains,maybe we should get a few here in Souther England

 

[al78]

My commute to work is about 33 miles - 8 on the bike and about 25 on the train. What really P's me off is the lack of storage for bikes. I use the local "Northern Line" service because it's only a short "hop" on the train and isn't really worth the hassle of storing and retrieving the bike from the guards van on the wonderous East Coast servce (note the sarcasm here!!). On a four carriage train (holding est 250 people) there is official storage for 2 bikes!!!! That is unless some dilbert with a pushchar has decide to block the nice open space with pushchairs!!!

If we're really supposed to be promoting bicyle use in this country would it really be that difficult to put a set of "lifting seats" and wheel slots in each carriage. The official spaces would then at least rise to 8 (and unofficially 16 as we cyclists tend to at least double up). A step in the right direction by anyones standard!!

Have you considered a folding bike? Some of them give a reasonable ride even for long distances (saw one on the Etape Caledonia for example).

 

[BrumJim]

Intersting thing I notice is the coupling looks the same a s the Southern trains,maybe we should get a few here in Souther England

Wouldn't fit under bridges or through tunnels.

Looks like an X73500 series. Bike storage looks like this:
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/fr/diesel/dmu/X73500/cab+interior/X73500_5.jpg

 

[GrumpyGregry]

*I think Southern are planning to remove toilets from their Portsmouth to Brighton service, to get more seats in. That shows you where they're coming from.

I'll give Southern a good kicking when they deserve it, but in this instance they don't. They are not removing toilets, they are redeploying stock that never had toilets in the first place. And they are putting in cycle/wheelchair spaces. Wheelchair spaces they are legally obliged to provide. All in order to increase capacity because that is what their fare paying passengers on that route have been complaining about. They have done the homework, they have consulted and now people are willfully misinterpreting the results. Possibly you advocate for toilet provision on Brighton & Hove or Portmouth buses? Somehow I doubt it.

Southern bashing does get a bit "What have the Romans ever done for us?" at times. imo people's memories of slam door stock and guard vans are sepia tinted nostagia for the non-existent good old days.

and as others have said; why not get a folding bike?

 

[Inertia]

I did the Hadrians Wall ride last week so got my first experience of train travel.

In the main it was ok except for our last train. We got on it and put our bikes on and got a nice seat with a table and started examining maps. It broke down before we left the station so we had to lug the bikes up two flights of steps to get to another one, which already had 4 bikes on it. Our bikes with all our luggage on filled the corridor so we had to get up and take our bikes on and off the train when the other cyclist left. We had the train driver grumbling about £100 being lost for every minute delay.

Apart from that it was great

 

[g00se]

I used to travel by train in the days of slam-doors and big guard's vans. There was room for all the cyclists who used the service and much more besides. In defence of the train companies, it does make sense to maximize the seating because everyone travelling by train is one less motorist. Losing the guards van allowed an extra carriage for passengers. (Who could take a Brompton if they wanted to cycle from the station.)

Well, National Express trains are cr4p but one benefit of all the old decrepit rolling stock is that my trains are still of the old 'slam-doors and big guards vans' type. I fear when the next franchise holder eventually upgrades the stock and I can no longer take the bike into London at rush-hour.

 

[g00se]

National Express East Anglia into Liverpool Street. Again folding bikes only during peak times. At all other times the only place to leave a bike is in the doorway so again need to keep an eye on the platforms.

Are you allowed to take a full size bike from Southend to Shenfield at rush-hour (these rush-hour restrictions tend to be into the terminus only)? If so - and your ticket allows, get off at Shenfield and jump on the london-bound express from Norwich. There's a guards van and no restrictions (neither full size nor time of day).

You're supposed to book but no one does (certainly from the start at Norwich) - though it might be an idea to make sure they know to open the van.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Guards van's on the old slam door stock on peak hours London-Brighton and/or London-Arun Valley services got so cramped in the noughties I bought a Brompton to avoid using them.

 

[SquareDaff]

Have you considered a folding bike? Some of them give a reasonable ride even for long distances (saw one on the Etape Caledonia for example).

Not really. I may be old fashioned but I've always been dubious about bikes that fold in half in case they do it at an inopportune time!! Plus, totally from a vanity point of view, I don't really want to be in my cycle gear, peddling like holy hell down a dual carriageway sat in an upright position my mother would be proud off

 

[Jezston]

I recall a story someone posted here once about bikes on a train that made me laugh lots. I shall attempt to repeat it here, badly.

He was standing on a busy train in his lycra gear by his bike parked in the slot where there are also three folding seats. Some woman kept looking at him and whispering agitatedly to her boyfriend. Obviously she was annoyed she was having to stand when his bike was taking up 'their' seats. After a while, the boyfriend went up to him and asked "is that your bike?". His response? "No".