Booking bike on train. Necessary?

seanoconn

Haven’t traveled with a bike on a train for a while and never had to book a spot for my bike before. Local Network says you must book for bikes, so…

1: is it actually necessary? I wouldn’t be travelling during rush hour. Are you likely to get thrown off the train if you haven’t booked a bike spot?

2: does anyone actually check if you’ve booked?

3: does your bike have to go in the bike specific area? Or can you stay with it by the carriage doors?

4: What if you’ve booked and the bike specific area is already taken by others bikes? Do you ask to see their booking and throw them off the train?

Thanks.

pblakeney

I've not used it but surely #4 answers #1 to #3?

seanoconn

pblakeney said:

I've not used it but surely #4 answers #1 to #3?

Depends who’s checking.

Are bike bays numbered? Would seem sensible.

navrig2

To be sure of travelling you must book. The bike places are (very) limited and if you take one which is booked by someone else you may find yourself being asked to leave the train somewhere very different from your intended destination.

Similarly if you book a ticket for a specific train and don't book your bike you may find you can't get on with your bike.

It's common sense really!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Mandatory on some, optional on others. I've done SOU to PRT a few times since '20 with and without booking, been fine, sometimes chaotic but worked out.

trevor.hall12

Yes 100% ,you could get that 1 that simply refuses because the advice is to book .
Often there are only a couple of bike spots too
Last time my bike spot had a ticket too

seanoconn

Are the bike spots/bays numbered to correspond to your booking?

trevor.hall12

No there are just limited bays ,you get 1 of however many available

seanoconn

trevor.hall12 said:

No there are just limited bays ,you get 1 of however many available

Is there only one carriage usually with bike bays? Just wondering if you’d have to wander up and down a busy train trying to find a free bay, resorting to asking other cyclists if they’ve booked if no free bays?

seanoconn

Is there a cycle symbol outside the train to help you find the right carriage/carriages?

Also, if someone would come with me and hold my hand the first time taking the bike that would be awesome 👍😂

Munsford0

Aah, I remember the good old days when you'd just rock up and your bike would go in the luggage van with random items of freight. Fond memories of a school cycling trip to the Wye valley with a dozen or so of us piling on and off trains. Same when I was a student in the late 70's.

Ben6899

What service is it, Seano? Sometimes it says a booking is required because that operator does... operate... services that require bookings. But you might be on one of their services that doesn't.

SWR is a good example - if you're on the Exeter line, you need a booking; if you're off to - say - Southampton - you don't.

seanoconn

Ben6899 said:

What service is it, Seano? Sometimes it says a booking is required because that operator does... operate... services that require bookings. But you might be on one of their services that doesn't.

SWR is a good example - if you're on the Exeter line, you need a booking; if you're off to - say - Southampton - you don't.

Southern to start with.

Ben6899

seanoconn said:

Ben6899 said:

What service is it, Seano? Sometimes it says a booking is required because that operator does... operate... services that require bookings. But you might be on one of their services that doesn't.

SWR is a good example - if you're on the Exeter line, you need a booking; if you're off to - say - Southampton - you don't.

Southern to start with.

https://www.southernrailway.com/-/media/goahead/southern/pdfs/cycle_policy_map-(1).pdf?la=en

No mention of booking here, mate. Just some restrictions on peak trains.

seanoconn

Ben6899 said:

seanoconn said:

Ben6899 said:

What service is it, Seano? Sometimes it says a booking is required because that operator does... operate... services that require bookings. But you might be on one of their services that doesn't.

SWR is a good example - if you're on the Exeter line, you need a booking; if you're off to - say - Southampton - you don't.

Southern to start with.

https://www.southernrailway.com/-/media/goahead/southern/pdfs/cycle_policy_map-(1).pdf?la=en

No mention of booking here, mate. Just some restrictions on peak trains.

Brill 👍 That will get me started.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Most times in the last two years when I've travelled with my Cube Attain GTC disc, I'm looking for a single carriage with bike symbol by the door. Once there might have been two carriages with the free-for-all double bike park bays. Trains from SOU to PRT aren't that big so you can see wht there might just be on bike carriage.

Once, perhaps last time in March, I couldn't see a bike sign on any carriage so simply jumped on with bike (waiting just inside door) and then jumped out at next station trying to find the right carriage... Turned out the bike store could hold ~6 bikes in the guard's carriage and was completely secure, so got sorted on second station after getting on train at NWP!

One time the double bike bay was swamped with people's cases, so had to stand holding bike until the blonker blocking the bike bays got off.

It feels like bikes on trains has got backwards since the 90s, they make reserving definitive spots of each train a right PITA and even when you do, from my experiences you're always worried about how other cyclists are treating your bike while sorting their own on/off. Wish they made keeping them in guard's carriage standard. Once at the destination, it's nice having a nice bike to ride, there's some nice hills in Prestatyn and Denbigh's "Road To Hell" monster climb isn't far away... But sometimes a bit stressful during the travelling on the train.

parmos

i used one from Preston to Lancaster a few weeks back i booked the ticket and space online no issues got on and there was two sides of a carriage available two bikes together (a couple) then i used the other side there was a band that you pulled round securing the bike.

got on got off nobody checked tickets or anything lol didn't even have to scan through barriers or anything

thistle_

Totally depends on the train/operator like others have said.

I used Southern last summer but it was early on a Saturday morning and the train was quiet when I got on however I recall the bike space was also the wheelchair space and part way a wheelchair user got on.
Wasn't a big deal, I just had to move my bike further up the carriage so they could get in and stand with my bike for the rest of the trip.
I think there was a bike sticker on the door next to the bike space (and a wheelchair sticker...).

The "modern" trains around here only have 2 bike spaces, although we managed to get 5 on a few weeks ago (4 in the 2 spaces plus one vertically in a cubby hole).
The bike spaces are frequently blocked with luggage which you have to move - it's a very poor design of the trains.

Regarding point 1, I had a guard try to throw me off the train for not booking the bike space. The train wasn't busy but bike space was full of luggage and he said there's no room and reservations are compulsory which was a lie (around here) so watch out for jobsworths on a power trip.

paulbnix

I decided to do the coast to coast starting from Workington.

From Manchester to Carlisle I got the Trans Pennine train and had to book a ticket for my bike. I got a space ok but I did swap round my carbon framed bike and the steel hybrid that was there so mine was on top. The other rider agreed.

From Carlisle to Workington it is South Western and you cannot book a space on those. It's first come first served.

From Newcastle to Manchester it's CrossCountry and there you have to book.

In fact it all went smoothly but I did have some worrying "what if" thoughts before the journey.

PMark

I live in London and have family in the west country, so like taking my bike when I go. But GWR seem to have a habit of booking my bike in a separate half of the train to my seat reservation (a lot of their trains are split in 2, so you can't walk all the way down them).

I have learned to make sure I only travel when it is less busy (e.g. 4pm on a weekday), I still book my bike, but I just look for the first free bike space closest to my seat. I have never been checked for a bike booking, but wouldn't want to have issues getting on if the train did turn out to be full.

alwaystimetotorque

One of the main reasons (other than those already stated) for booking your bike on is so that the platform attendant knows to go and open up the bike store/carriage door for you. On some trains this is directly behind the cab and doesn't normally get opened at every station - not only because it stops non-booked bikes from getting put on but also because it stops people from nicking your bike as your sat at your seat. This is my experience from west coast mainline services.

It also then allows the platform attendant/guard on the train to make sure the store/carriage door is open at your destination. In my experience there is no charge for booking your bike on so why wouldn't you just book it on.

That said, on regional services like the old LNM services there was no booking system and you just put your bike on standard carriage wherever you could. I never tried this at peaks times though and wouldn't want to.

monkimark

If you plan your journey on the national rail website, there is a little bike icon to the right of the journeys that gives you info about number of bike spaces, if booking is compulsory etc.
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/PlusBike.aspx

I've never bothered booking a bike spot on a train but I've only travelled reasonably locally around the south east - generally where I've cycled somewhere and got the train back so wouldn't know which train I'd be getting anyway.
A few services have a bike space that doubles as a pram/wheelchair space so may not be available but I have stood with the bike by the doors so I can move it if people need to get on/off and I've never had any issue.

seanoconn

monkimark said:

If you plan your journey on the national rail website, there is a little bike icon to the right of the journeys that gives you info about number of bike spaces, if booking is compulsory etc.
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/PlusBike.aspx

I've never bothered booking a bike spot on a train but I've only travelled reasonably locally around the south east - generally where I've cycled somewhere and got the train back so wouldn't know which train I'd be getting anyway.
A few services have a bike space that doubles as a pram/wheelchair space so may not be available but I have stood with the bike by the doors so I can move it if people need to get on/off and I've never had any issue.

That’s what I used to do, wondered if it was still acceptable 👍