Chiltern Trains: Banning Bikes

richardspooner

Got on the train this morning with my bike to be told via a special announcement that Chiltern Trains have banned bikes as of now on peak time services due to 'over crowding'.

The conductor came through the train and during a conversation with him he told me a full ban is on the cards in all likelihood.

phillipjohnson

Folding bikes must still be allowed surely are they?

wgwarburton

richardspooner wrote:

Got on the train this morning with my bike to be told via a special announcement that Chiltern Trains have banned bikes as of now on peak time services due to 'over crowding'.

The conductor came through the train and during a conversation with him he told me a full ban is on the cards in all likelihood.

That's nice of them. I don't suppose they are mitigating this by providing secure bike storage at stations, are they? You could leave a bike at each end of the journey, as long as you have a "spare" (N+1!) and somewhere safe to park them...

Only works if you always use the same stations, of course. I have a choice of three, depending on how late I am leaving the house!

Cheers,
W.

bails87

Fairly sure they've never allowed full size bikes on during rush hour.

Mr Sharky

So will they be banning prams that take up more space then? Thought not. :evil:

(Not that I'd want prams to be banned, but how do they get away with banning one but not the other?)

bails87

Mr Sharky wrote:

So will they be banning prams that take up more space then? Thought not. :evil:

I bet prams don't tend to be on trains much at rush hour. I certainly never saw one in a year of train commuting. Saw plenty of bikes though. Not that they caused a problem.

richardspooner

bails87 wrote:

Fairly sure they've never allowed full size bikes on during rush hour.

I've been taking a bike on Chiltern trains at rush hour for four years, seeing the same train staff almost daily and they never said a word. The announcement this morning followed by the conversation with the member of staff sounded very much like its a new policy not an enforcing of an existing one.

mroli

This isn't a new policy - I infrequently use Chiltern trains to go see my grandad after work and it has always been on their site that you can't take full sized bikes on peak trains.

Folders are fine.

richardspooner

Must just be very casually enforced then depending on the area you are in.

bails87

richardspooner wrote:

Must just be very casually enforced then depending on the area you are in.

Yep, I remember reading the rule ages ago on their website.

shouldbeinbed

I thought it was a general policy on all trains, was always discretionary round here but now we've had the heavy rail service removed to (eventually) be replaced by Metrolink we've totally lost bike carriage facility rush hour or not. Even folders have to be covered to be allowed on.

unixnerd

Bring back the guards van!

Up here Scotrail allow bikes on (at no extra cost) but you're advised to book in advance. I've had to plead to be let on twice, worked once and didn't another time. They don't have many bike spaces on the smaller trains. The 125s have a surprisingly large space for bikes just behind the driver's cab.

The Inverness to Wick train has a very odd facility where you can book your bike on the train but they actually send it on by road on a van! One good thing about Scotrail is the free cycle rescue service : http://www.scotrail.co.uk/content/cycle-rescue.html

tobermory

only folding bikes are allowed at peak times on my line first crapital connect i have seen road and mountain bikes at other times,

phillipjohnson

shouldbeinbed wrote:

Even folders have to be covered to be allowed on.

Is this for all folders? On the Tyne and Wear Metro trains they state all folders that don't fold around the chain need to be covered.

My interpretation of that is that a Brompton doesn't need to be covered because when folded the chain is sandwhiched between the front and back wheels. Dahons or Kansis etc on the other hand would need to be covered because the way they fold the chain is on the outside.

I always have my Brompton cover in my saddle bag anyway in case anybody insists it is covered to let me on.

tobermory

I have only seen them in bags