Railway carriage keys

[dkahn400]

One problem I find with asking station staff is that they'll fairly often give me an ignorant, "You can't get on that train, you haven't got a reservation".  If I don't need a reservation, this needlessly complicates matters.  If I've got one, I resent being asked and if I haven't got one, there's more chance that (the station staff OR the train staff) will realise this, be bovvered and throw me off the train than the chance that just the train staff will do this if I don't involve the station staff in the matter.

I've never been asked by station staff about a cycle reservation. I have occasionally been asked by train staff. In practice I've found it has made very little difference. I've been allowed on without one and I've been turned away with one.

[mattc]

One problem I find with asking station staff is that they'll fairly often give me an ignorant, "You can't get on that train, you haven't got a reservation".  If I don't need a reservation, this needlessly complicates matters.  If I've got one, I resent being asked and if I haven't got one, there's more chance that (the station staff OR the train staff) will realise this, be bovvered and throw me off the train

Correct answer: "Yes I have a reservation. Now tell me where to stand so that your train isn't delayed"

Incidentally, on GWR trains the only person that really knows where bikes go is the 'despatcher'. He hides in a cupboard until a few seconds before the train arrives => cyclists always delay the trains. [unless they illegally cycle on the platform] 

[Euan Uzami]

I once was refused to get onto a train by a short, moustached station despatcher (who reminded me of Hitler) who told me that I couldn't do so without a reservation. He didn't at that point know that I didn't. I made a written complaint about him and got a response basically saying that 'we will take action but we aren't telling you what'.

[rdaviesb]

I've never been asked by station staff about a cycle reservation. I have occasionally been asked by train staff. In practice I've found it has made very little difference. I've been allowed on without one and I've been turned away with one.

Virgin are operating a close to no tolerance policy at Euston at the moment. Some of the staff are so ignorant that they'll only believe my Dahon folds when I actually fold it. Otherwise, no reservation, no entry.

[Polar Bear]

I've never been asked by station staff about a cycle reservation. I have occasionally been asked by train staff. In practice I've found it has made very little difference. I've been allowed on without one and I've been turned away with one.

Virgin are operating a close to no tolerance policy at Euston at the moment. Some of the staff are so ignorant that they'll only believe my Dahon folds when I actually fold it. Otherwise, no reservation, no entry.

I'm afraid some Virgin train staff are rather useless IMO.

At the outset to our Shetland tour we needed to catch the 06:45 from Rugby to Glasgow.   Bikes booked weeks in advance, we arrive at the station for the 'train Manager' to tell us that he already has four bikes and we cannot board.   This would have completely fucked our holiday as we had a connection in Glasgow then an overnight ferry from Aberdeen.    There is all but no way we could have made that ferry.   I held my ground, the station staff at Rugby had enough sense to contact Virgin Control, and wee Jimmy Crankie and his side kicks behaved like morons pursuing a line of argument such as, "Do you think you should be able to board the train just because you have reservations?".   My answering "YES." half a dozen times to their repeated dim-wittery seened to confuse them even further.

Thankfully Virgin Control told wee Jimmy Crankie that he had to take us by either adding extra bikes, or by ejecting the unbooked bikes.   He of course was the bottler type and eventually we were allowed onboard.   I only delayed the train by about ten minutes.

I found the unbooked cyclists easily enough and had a good chat with them.   They were a young asian couple off for their first C2C by the look and sounds of things.    They were keen, committed and keen.   They told me that they have never booked bikes on Virgin;  In fact, they told me that they didn't even know that you needed to book bikes.   I hope that they enjoyed their trip, and that they got home safely.

I have noticed previously at Euston that you call fairly easily roll up to and load your bike onto a Pendo without being challenged.   I have done it with laden tourer and tandem.   
     

[Andrij]

   I only delayed the train by about ten minutes.

Wrong!  It was wee Jimmy Crankie who delayed the train by ten minutes, not you. 
 

[mattc]

...Virgin Control, and wee Jimmy Crankie and his side kicks behaved like morons pursuing a line of argument such as,

"Do you think you should be able to board the train just because you have reservations?". 

New corporate slogan?

[Wowbagger]

Mrs. Wow and I put the tandem on the train this morning and twe railway staff actually helped us with it, firstly by vacating a seat so we had access to the bike area and secondly by telling up which side the platform is at Shenfield. Not bad for a train company that doesn't allow tandems on its trains.

[Jaded]

A friend of mine travelling from Oxenholme to Stoke on Virgin got on OK but the guard changed at Preston and he didn't tell his replacement that there was a cyclist on board 

That's what the emergency alarm is for.  As the doors start closing, with still no sign of anyone to let you out, just pull the alarm.  It will stop the train leaving, and the guard has to use that SAME KIND OF KEY (!) to reset the alarm.  So he might as well open the door to let your bike out.  You will NOT get fined.  Not being allowed out of a train at your stop IS an emergency.

Seen today on an Arriva train from Haverford West to Swansea.