Arriva Cross-Country want to reduce bike spaces

[andygates]

CTC is urging members and supporters to take action to dissuade Arriva Cross Country (XC) from going ahead with proposals to reduce capacity for cycle carriage on their trains - and to contact MPs to press the Government to ensure that cycle-rail integration is enhanced not diminished.

Cross Country routes run between locations such as Aberdeen and Penzance and Manchester and Bournemouth, providing useful long distance links for touring cyclists.  They currently provide 4 cycle spaces on their 'Voyager' trains (admittedly on four poorly designed hanging brackets).  However they now intend to introduce a limit of just 2 cycles on all their trains, even though they are adding several 'High Speed Trains' (HSTs) to their fleet with space for 6 cycles in each guards van.

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[Deano]

Thanks for the link, Andy - I'll start composing an e-mail.

[David Martin]

Funnily enough I used one of these trains (the longest route) as a walk up, stick the bike on the rack, keep quiet and hope the guard doesn't notice after the previous NXEC had refused to allow me to blag my bike on board. I even got a classic 'more than my jobs worth' out of it..

..d

[Pedaldog.]

Tried to make a cycle booking today for a few weeks time going into and out of Manchester. was told only 2 bikes per train and all bookings were full for 48 hours that I would be okay to travel.

[David Martin]

This would really annoy me. I am travelling to York with my two oldest kids. Fortunately not via Cross Country.

If I was going Cross Country then we would be forced to travel on separate trains.

They are using the same rolling stock as Virgin and they have four bike spaces.

The solution is to carry a large black bag and turn the bike into a parcel. This can legitimately be carried without booking.

..d

[MSeries]

Grrrr, I'll need to use these XC jonnies to go to the PIE

[MSeries]

RUN

[David Martin]

Just sent an email to XC (cc CTC, MP and MSP stressing how bad it is for Scotland that they are proposing this) pointing out that if we go to visit my aunt in the west country then I can travel with one child on one train. The other two children (both pre teen) will have to travel on the next train, the following day, and get their bikes on and off the train themselves.

Bah!

..d

[LindaG]

I already e-mailed them about this and got the following, rather unsatisfactory, reply:

Thank you for your recent email about the carriage of cycles on our trains.

There seems to have been some misunderstanding over our cycle policy.  We have not reduced the number of reservable spaces for cycles on our Voyager trains.  We have however, taken the opportunity to review our policy as result of our Voyager refurbishment programme, so perhaps I can explain.  Since taking over the franchise we have maintained two reservable spaces for cycles, and this will continue under our operation.

On 15 April, CTC and SUSTRANS were provided a detailed briefing on the refurbishment programme for our Voyager train fleet, during which we set out clearly what changes were being made. These changes are necessary to deliver the increases in seating and luggage capacity stipulated by the Department for Transport (DfT) to accommodate current and future growth and to make our on-train catering operation more effective. The following alterations are being made:

·        the existing cycle storage area in coach F, the leading/trailing vehicle, will be replaced with accommodation and storage to deliver an at-seat catering service to customers throughout the train;
·        the on-board shop in coach D towards the centre of the train will be removed and replaced with a storage area for luggage and bicycles. In addition to the two reservable spaces for cycles, a third space will be available for customers attempting to travel without a cycle reservation. This area will be monitored by CCTV and will be more accessible to passengers (a complaint made about the cycle space when in coach F). It will also be closer to the centre of the train, which will help to reduce delays at stations.

The need for non-reservable space to offer greater flexibility was highlighted by cycling groups in the DfT's policy document. While there are currently two non-reservable spaces on Voyagers for cycles, it is not possible to continue this provision and deliver the necessary increase in luggage capacity which is now the priority for the majority of passengers.

The recent DfT announcement of 1300 extra carriages for Britain's railways included an option of six additional carriages for CrossCountry. These are expected to be Class 170 'Turbostar' units for use on route between Birmingham and Leicester. However, no additional carriages can be procured to increase the length of the Voyager trains or the size of the fleet.

From December, we will be introducing five High Speed Trains (HST) on our services between Plymouth and Edinburgh, each providing 550 seats as well as space for bicycles. These trains release an equivalent number of Voyagers, which will allow more multiple Voyager operation and with it, double the capacity on those trains for bicycles.

While we appreciate rail can assist with integrated transport and more environmentally friendly travel options, it cannot be seen alone as the solution to increasing social interest in 'green' travel plans. Britain's railways have seen unprecedented growth during the last decade and now carry over 1 billion passengers each year. This growth is expected to continue and places pressure on train operators to provide additional seating for passengers.

We continue to encourage customers wishing to travel on our services and take a cycle, to make use of a folding cycle that can be easily accommodated in the luggage storage and are carried free of charge and without the need for a reservation. In addition, we will continue to work closely with other train operators who manage the stations we serve, to encourage the wider availability of storage and racking facilities at each location. The use of station storage is becoming increasingly common, with many commuters retaining -cycles at each end and avoiding the need to take their cycle on the train.

I trust this information helps to explain the way in which we are able to serve cyclists and our policy regarding the carriage of cycles.

Yours sincerely

Richard Gibson
Head of Communications

[MSeries]

Interestingly the hang up racks on the Skipton to Leeds train was much worse than the one on the Virgin as was that I took to Berwick On Tweed a few years ago. I didn't use the hang up rack coming home from Skipton, it would have broken my mudguard. Instead I parked my bike in the disable/pram bay. No one complained, not even pram pushing people. Pas de problem.