I am sure this has been grumbled about before but hey, never let that stop me I always say..... bike policy on British trains...... d'oh!
Back when I was a lad, we had what “they” liked to call “An integrated transport policy.” The idea was that your journey was seamless as all the companies worked together to make it so....it didn't work that way but at least they gave it a good-ish go. Then came along the Great Destroyer and sold everything off to her mates so they could cut services whilst claiming an even large subsidy than before. Such is life eh.
Anyway, back to yesterday. First part of the grumble....Virgin Trains. Why make is so difficult to book a cycle place on your trains. And indeed, why on Earth do you need to book a place? I have yet to see a Virgin train silly bike space which is full. And if they ever become so, why not have built (or actually lease from another company who no doubt claim a subsidy for buying the trains in the first place), some trains with more space for such items. My choices when booking a bike space it would seem, is either book the ticket and hope, after ringing the number, there is a space available, or head down to the station and book in person.
Or, do as I did in the end, book via East Coast Trains who allow the online booking of a bike place. So why is this a grumble.... because East Coast Trains didn't have the discounted fare I could have got on Virgin.
Then, when returning home from epic bike adventure, people with cases the size of a freezer, please do not be putting them in the place signed: “Silly Bike Spot.” and then don't get stroppy with me when I move them out of the way so I can safely store my bike. You were very lucky bag owners as, if the train had had windows like in the “good old days,” they would now be trackside (not that I could have got them out of the window!)
And now the main part of this grumble..... Chester is a large regional centre with direct train links to that London, Manchester, Liverpool, Shrewsbury and Holyhead. It must be great to live there, apart from the fact that there is no direct link to Stafford. Instead, (and after once again fighting for a bike space with the baggage people) a Arriva Trains Wales train is taken to Crewe and a change made onto a London Midland train for one stop. All straightforward if a little silly really. However, I had not counted on the stupidity of the timetable.......So, arrive into Crewe at XX.18....platform 9. Stafford train leaves from the next door platform, platform 6 (they are staggered so its still a 100m walk) at XX.19. No chance of catching it if the train is late (which of course it was) or if you are not an Olympic standard runner....which I am not.
So a wait of 30 mins was suffered by me and at least 10 other people. Oh and just for fun, instead of platform 6 again, no, this time its over the bridge to platform 5. Sigh. Why on Earth couldn't the Chester-Crewe train be timetabled to arrive at XX15 and the Stafford train to leave at XX.20. That would give everyone a chance of making the connection and NOT WASTING 30 MINS on Crewe station.
Thanks for listening.