Bikes On Trains

orbeaorca

Considering taking part in this years Dunwich Dynamo and thinking of ways to get the bikes to Hackney.
The train being an obvious choice but does anyone know how bikes are stored on trains?
Are they safe and secure and protected from damage or just thrown in a carraige.

spen666

which company? Where are you travelling from/ to?

orbeaorca

spen666 wrote:

which company? Where are you travelling from/ to?

Thanks Spen666

Would be travelling from Ipswich to Stratford probably and then bike from Stratford to Hackney
Train company would be National Express East Anglia

Fru T Bunn

Hi.

I commute from Ipswich to Diss.

You put your own bike onto the train and they go in the guards van which is the non-engine part of the train. It won't cost anything. London bound you'll need to go to the end of platform 2 near where the covering ends by platform 1.

Inside the guards van there are 2 giant metal hoops sticking out of the floor. Most people lean their bikes up against these I however put mine on the other side and use the webbing straps for the trollys to secure the bike to the train wall so it doesn't move about. Locking on these is limited but it will be OK. If you can't secure it to the side of the train you can always lay it on the floor but do that at the end furthest away from the carriage as some of the guards pop in and out of the guards van between stops for a fag.

If you are really concerned, sit in carriage B and get out at every stop to see who gets in and out of the guards van.

Putting bikes on National Express East Anglia is the only decent part of their service.

orbeaorca

Cheers Fru T Bunn

So you dont need to pre-book your bike?

rick_chasey

My experience was you had to let the people at the station know someone was turning up with a bike on that particular train to let you in to the area where they store the bikes.


Can't say they were helpful when I was carrying two massive bags and my bike.

Fru T Bunn

orbeaorca wrote:

So you dont need to pre-book your bike?

Nope - you just turn up and go. As you approach the ticket barrier at Ipswich station go through the manned gate on the left.

markos1963

I'm a driver for NXEA and you don't need to prebook on an inter city service, as Fru says just turn up and go(buy a ticket first of course ) Your main problem will be on the next day at Dunwich as there is a limited service on the East Suffolk line and several hundred cyclists descending upon a small 2/3 car sprinter service is likely to be met with a distinct no from the guard(limit of 4 bikes per train on that service, any more is at the discretion of the crew)

orbeaorca

markos1963 wrote:

I'm a driver for NXEA and you don't need to prebook on an inter city service, as Fru says just turn up and go(buy a ticket first of course ) Your main problem will be on the next day at Dunwich as there is a limited service on the East Suffolk line and several hundred cyclists descending upon a small 2/3 car sprinter service is likely to be met with a distinct no from the guard(limit of 4 bikes per train on that service, any more is at the discretion of the crew)

Thanks for the info Markos, I will cycle back to Ipswich from Dunwich so the return journey is not a problem....how secure are the bikes tho Markos? Is it possible to lock them to anything inside the carraige?

markos1963

orbeaorca wrote:

markos1963 wrote:

I'm a driver for NXEA and you don't need to prebook on an inter city service, as Fru says just turn up and go(buy a ticket first of course ) Your main problem will be on the next day at Dunwich as there is a limited service on the East Suffolk line and several hundred cyclists descending upon a small 2/3 car sprinter service is likely to be met with a distinct no from the guard(limit of 4 bikes per train on that service, any more is at the discretion of the crew)

Thanks for the info Markos, I will cycle back to Ipswich from Dunwich so the return journey is not a problem....how secure are the bikes tho Markos? Is it possible to lock them to anything inside the carraige?

Depends on the flexibility of your lock but there are plenty of places to attatch to. You will have to be quick though as the guard will be keen to get you out of the van as he only has a couple of minutes to get the train out. TBH the van is secure once on the move, only the guard can get into the area as there are up to two locked doors to negotiate(even some drivers don't have one of the keys) so if you keep an eye out at each station your bike should be pretty safe

Fru T Bunn

markos1963 wrote:

I'm a driver for NXEA ...

08:09 from Ipswich to Norwich or 17:47 from Diss to Ipswich. If you're 'driving' give me a heeee-hawwwww or a flash of the lights or a wave. I'm the rotund fella in shorts and a dayglo jacket.

dinosaur

If you get off at Stratford or Liverpool Street it can only be only 3 or 4 miles to London Fields for the start. Much easier to cycle than to take the train for that part.

Stratford is possibly closer but Liverpool Stret might be easier.