Author Topic: Bikes on trains  (Read 7339 times)

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #25 on: 28 March, 2017, 12:37:23 pm »
XC have a few HSTs that they wheel out at busy periods.  Linky, Extra linky 

Your website of choice should tell you which type of train you'll be using.

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #26 on: 28 March, 2017, 12:46:58 pm »
CrossCountry also have some Class 170 Turbostars.
So "Diesel multiple unit" could refer to either a Turbostar or a Voyager or a Super Voyager. Turbostars are usually 2 or 3 car sets, so probably not likely if you are in coach D. Though they could join 2 sets together.

Not sure if they use specific trains on particular routes or not?

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #27 on: 28 March, 2017, 12:47:34 pm »
Does CrossCountry do anything other than the big Voyager style trains? I think that's the sort of thing I'm expecting (and I've been allocated a seat in coach D), although tippy seats next to a toilet may actually be preferable...

What's the route?

Crosscountry use Class 220 Voyager DMUs  (dangly bike space in coach D), Class 170 DMUs (lean the bike opposite the reveal-a-door toilet and be glared at by buggy owners and guide dogs) and the occasional HST pretending to be a Voyager (Bike space in the power car, needs staff to access.

It's Voyagers/HSTs on the Penzance-Edinburgh diagonal route of expensiveness, Voyagers on the ones down to Oxford, Southampton and such places.  170s on the Cardiff-Nottingham and you-can-forget-about-room-for-luggage Mordor-Stansted routes.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #28 on: 28 March, 2017, 01:37:50 pm »
Sounds like I might have been misinterpreting DMU. I was thinking of it as a Class 170/Turbostar, ie a couple of carriages with a small cab at each end, whereas in fact it seems to equally, and in this case actually, apply to a Voyager. Coach D is normally the dangly bike space coach on XC Voyagers. You'd best hope for a tall, helpful passenger; I find them difficult enough.  :-\
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #29 on: 28 March, 2017, 01:40:53 pm »
Indeed.  DMU (and its counterpart EMU) simply means the engines are integrated with the carriages, rather than there being a locomotive at the end(s) of the train doing all the work, as per the HST.

Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #30 on: 28 March, 2017, 04:16:29 pm »
The booking website just says the service is operated by CrossCountry. "Class 220 Voyager" matches the mental image of what I was expecting (Brum to Southampton).

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #31 on: 28 March, 2017, 06:01:53 pm »
The booking website just says the service is operated by CrossCountry. "Class 220 Voyager" matches the mental image of what I was expecting (Brum to Southampton).

Yeah, that's the one.  Dangly bike space in Coach D.  That's the end with the black plate on the Dellner coupler.

Goes through Oxford, so if it's anything like peak time, be prepared to fight for the bike space.

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #32 on: 26 November, 2017, 10:05:12 pm »
I see that Chiltern Railways have now "upgraded" their website so now you can't book bike spaces with your tickets any more. Southern, London Midland and East Coast have already done the same.

I think that only leaves ScotRail, TPE and Redspottedhankey using the useful system that allows you to book bikes.

Why do the TOCs seem to think it's a perfectly acceptable position to expect customers to pay for train tickets on spec, and then find out that those tickets are useless when they phone up to find there's no bike spaces? Also how does making people phone up to reserve bike spaces square with making their services accessible to those who have disabilities that make using phones difficult? >:(
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #33 on: 26 November, 2017, 10:35:26 pm »
Haven't you read the Guardian?  TOCs 'know' that disabled people don't ride bikes...

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #34 on: 27 November, 2017, 10:25:00 am »
GWR allow you to reserve bike spaces when you buy a ticket.
https://tickets.gwr.com/gw/en/journeyplanning/mixingdeck
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Ben T

Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #35 on: 05 April, 2018, 10:55:04 am »
Have found out today and yesterday that you can actually book bike reservations without buying tickets.

Which isn't that much use, but it is of limited use as you can book the bike reservation first and then book the ticket online, rather than having to pay first.

The train booking systems are completely dumb however. For instance GWR's website although it does seemingly have the bike option (it's obviously East Coast's old software with different style sheets) doesn't seem to cater for the situation where a bike reservation is necessary but seat reservation isn't possible. e.g. inverness to edinburgh.

It's also pretty dumb how asking for a bike res for a through journey inside a station produces a journey with a different changing point, to if you request that same journey online! And there's no way to force it to change at a specific station. e.g. if you want to go from INV to NNG, it wants me to change at York. If I want to change at Edinburgh, I put 'via edinburgh', yet it still gives me the one that changes at york!  :facepalm:  ::-) yep, it goes via edinburgh... but doesn't change there. FFS.

Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #36 on: 05 April, 2018, 12:01:48 pm »
INV to NNG?

Ben T

Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #37 on: 05 April, 2018, 01:00:39 pm »
INV = inverness
NNG = newark north gate

Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #38 on: 23 October, 2019, 11:57:57 am »
Scotrail are introducing extra bike spaces on the West Highland line: https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/1186952483941298176

 :thumbsup:


Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #39 on: 23 October, 2019, 11:59:48 am »
Can we extend the West Highland line down to That London?  Via everywhere else?

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Bikes on trains
« Reply #40 on: 23 October, 2019, 12:30:34 pm »
Scotrail are introducing extra bike spaces on the West Highland line: https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/1186952483941298176

 :thumbsup:



Oh progress on that project at last!