CrossCountry Trains

[bikepacker]

X country trains between Notts, Bham and Cheltenham do not require a bike reservation. They are made up of a 3 car unit. Only from Bham or Cheltenham is it advisable to get a reservation as this is a Voyager Train. Because you can reserve a seat on this you can do a bike res on East Coast website.

Before you do however. Check seperate ticket prices between Notts and Bham or Cheltenham (Notts to Bham trains usually go on to Cardiff) and Bham or Cheltenham to Exeter. You may find you save yourself some money as through ticketing is often more expensive.

This was told to me by a X country train manager and confirmed by their customer services. Voyager Trains are now equipped to take 3 bikes but only 2 of these are reservable. So technically there is always one space for turn up and go. I used this to get an earlier train back from Derby to Bham after the Fell Club AGM a few weeks back.

[Polar Bear]

The new Voyager bike space is absolute sh!te.   They've moved it from one end of the train to the middle.  Previously you could hang four bikes and probably stack another couple in there.   Now it is impossible to put more than three in, and, only regular bikes.   No tandems and probably lots of problems for some bents.   They have to hang too.

The other problem now is that you have to fight with foot passengers getting in / out which previously you didn't have to, or at least was a minimal issue as you were at one end rather than smack bang in the middle.   

I made my views very clear indeed to Cross Country staff last time i used one of their nightmare trains.

[MSeries]

yeah cheers, I can see it on that website, but Mr Nesbitt claims you can do it on XC website, but i don't think you can, and i was just wondering if he knew specifically, but it doesn't matter.

I wasn't claiming that at all. I said you can do it on East Coast trains website. Maybe I should have said for most train companies trains, XC included.

East Coast don't levy a booking fee nor a fee for posting the tickets nor one for collection at a machine.

[robgul]

To get back to the original request/need - Nott - Exeter.

I suggest you look at two separate tickets - Nott - Brum New Street and Brum New Street - Exeter (2 trains!)

I'm pretty sure as suggested up thread that the Nott-Brum train is not a problem for bikes ... I've certainly done it without booking, they're the local 3 or 4 carriage trains.

Brum - Exeter is one of the long-distance trains and now limited to just two reserved bike spaces.

Just phone East Coast  on 08457 225 225 and a Geordie will be very helpful (they used to answer the phone "proud to speaking to you from the north of England") and book your tickets - painless.

Rob

[MSeries]

Just phone East Coast  on 08457 225 225 and a Geordie will be very helpful (they used to answer the phone "proud to speaking to you from the north of England") and book your tickets - painless.

That's a good suggestion. Once, when I was working in Sheffield I wanted to book a ticket to Berwick Upon Tweed from Leeds. I think in those days the websites didn't do on line bookings are maybe not for bikes. So I checked out the prices on line and trotted down to Sheffield Midland station one lunchtime to book. To my dissappointment after queing for 15 mins behind some Blades fan booking his away games for the next three months, I found they couldn't match the price I'd seen on line. So I stepped outside and called GNER Telesales, a lovely Geordie lass sold me the ticket at the price I was expecting. It was great I didn't have to use my 'telephone voice'

[Euan Uzami]

I wasn't claiming that at all. I said you can do it on East Coast trains website. Maybe I should have said for most train companies trains, XC included.

East Coast don't levy a booking fee nor a fee for posting the tickets nor one for collection at a machine.

yes sorry, you didn't, you said

"You can buy tickets and book seats and bike places on most train companies using the East Coast website, XC included. "

but I read it as

"You can buy tickets and book seats and bike places on most train companies' websites, XC included. "

[Euan Uzami]

To get back to the original request/need - Nott - Exeter.

I suggest you look at two separate tickets - Nott - Brum New Street and Brum New Street - Exeter (2 trains!)

I'm pretty sure as suggested up thread that the Nott-Brum train is not a problem for bikes ... I've certainly done it without booking, they're the local 3 or 4 carriage trains.

Brum - Exeter is one of the long-distance trains and now limited to just two reserved bike spaces.

Just phone East Coast  on 08457 225 225 and a Geordie will be very helpful (they used to answer the phone "proud to speaking to you from the north of England") and book your tickets - painless.

Rob

ah - is that right...might be a bit easier to get through to than the chinese...not being racist or owt but it really is difficult with them. The way they start with "may I know..." you know you're in for an exasperating time while on the phone to them.

[Euan Uzami]

To get back to the original request/need - Nott - Exeter.

I suggest you look at two separate tickets - Nott - Brum New Street and Brum New Street - Exeter (2 trains!)

I'm pretty sure as suggested up thread that the Nott-Brum train is not a problem for bikes ... I've certainly done it without booking, they're the local 3 or 4 carriage trains.

Brum - Exeter is one of the long-distance trains and now limited to just two reserved bike spaces.

Just phone East Coast  on 08457 225 225 and a Geordie will be very helpful (they used to answer the phone "proud to speaking to you from the north of England") and book your tickets - painless.

Rob

that is a good suggestion, that worked!  very helpful geordie

[Greenbank]

They all talk to the same central ticketing system (or to each other's ticketing/reservation systems).

I've booked all of my train tickets, including bike reservations, (for Audaxes and holidays) through GNER/NEEC/East Coast (it's changed hands a few times...) regardless of who operates the actual trains and never had a problem with any of the bookings.

Upcoming problems if you want to book tickets on the 29th or 30th of May (that's booking time, not actual travelling time).


   Advance Ticket and Reservation Information > East Coast


It also confirms my suspicions about a central reservation system:-

"
This is to allow vital upgrade work to the national reservation system in response to growing customer demand and will affect all Train Operators and retail channels, not just East Coast.
"

[gordon taylor]

I wonder if the upgrade will allow sensible bike booking across all operators who demand it?

Fingers crossed...