Traveling by Train.

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
Sherpa
Posts: 6
Joined: 15 Sep 2014, 5:07pm

Traveling by Train.

Post by Sherpa »

Hi all, I'm in the process of planning a trip for the west coast of Scotland for next summer. Its been a long long time since I have had the need to use a train, 30 years plus in fact. My journey is Doncaster to Edinburgh / Edinburgh to Dumbarton. The information on the National Rail Enquires web site, says both these trains have a Cycle policy! Question is do these trains still have a baggage car? What are your experiences for travelling by train when on tour? These journeys will be made of peak.

Andy
Ron
Posts: 1384
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 9:07pm

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Ron »

Book a bike space when you are booking your ticket and you should be ok.
I think you will have to change trains at York and Glasgow. Cross Country trains from Doncaster to York, East Coast Main Line(ECML)from York to Edinburgh/Waverley and Scotrail from Edinburgh/Waverley to Glasgow/Queen Street and Scotrail from Glasgow/Queen Street to Dumbarton East.
Three different ATOCs so three or four different types of rolling stock, just make sure you enter by the door marked with a pedal cycle symbol and all will be well, probably. :D
Barrenfluffit
Posts: 797
Joined: 20 Oct 2009, 5:31pm

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Barrenfluffit »

Cycle provision varies with the type of rolling stock. Default advice is to ask the staff on the platform where you should wait; even if their wrong they'll know your getting on and should hold the train. Their no1 priority is to get the train away on time so work with them.

With some mainline services its in a car at the end of the train. If your getting off before the final destination make your way up the train to be as close to the bike as possible. Ok you can't lounge around in 1st class with the freebies but in my experience there's no objection to you being in the vestibule 5-10 minutes before arrival.

More suburban trains tend to have a section where the seats are missing or tip up so you can slot a bike in. There is often a cycle symbol on the outside but with some its painted flat so you can't see it until it passes you. This can be fun ! Where there's no explicit provision the ends of a train tend to be quieter but you may have to move it around to let people off.
You can probably look up the train class on wikipedia to see where the bike area's are.

Your not allowed to lock your bike to the train but I tend to tie it just to keep it in place as the train moves around. You might have to keep the bags separately; it depends.

At stations your interested in disabled access (which is usually a lift); there might be a bike channel at the side of stairs which is harder work. Again wiki entry on each station helps.

You never quite know how its going to work out but its usually pretty good.
LollyKat
Posts: 3250
Joined: 28 May 2011, 11:25pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by LollyKat »

From Edinburgh you can either take the shuttle to Glasgow Queen Street (every 15 minutes up to 6.30pm, I think, then half-hourly) and then change to the Dumbarton train, or use the 'direct' Edinburgh-Helensburgh service which goes round the garden path a bit and stops everywhere, but you wouldn't have to change.

Whichever, they don't have luggage vans but have special bike spaces in some of the coaches. They are not bookable but you are unlikely to have any problem....except maybe on the shuttle if it is August during the Ed Festival (think foreign tourists with ginormous suitcases) or a major rugby/football match (once I couldn't get on the train at all, even without my bike).

You can't book seats on either of these services from Edinburgh, so you can choose your train once you arrive from Doncaster.

I regularly use both the shuttle and local Glasgow services without any problems, though I usually take my Brompton to the Festival.
Ben@Forest
Posts: 3647
Joined: 28 Jan 2013, 5:58pm

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Ben@Forest »

There are East Coast services direct from Doncaster to Edinburgh so get one of those and no changes required but you need to book in advance. With East Coast (in my experience) the bikes always go in a separate luggage area which you cannot access during the journey so you need to be able to take anything you need for the train trip off the bike pretty promptly.

The train crew is supposed to know what bikes are getting on/off where (hence the booking in advance) so in theory nobody should be able to waltz off with your bike but I imagine those with seriously expensive machines must fret about leaving their carbon beauties alone and unattended!
jgurney
Posts: 1212
Joined: 10 May 2009, 8:34am

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by jgurney »

You only need to make one change, at Edinburgh. That route is a little slower but probably worth it.

East Coast are good for cycle carriage, especially in their 225 (electric) trains, which is what you would probably get for the Doncaster - Edinburgh leg. They have a spacious luggage/cycle space built into the first-class end of the train. I've never had any problems about having to strip off panniers, etc, while on their trains, but their is no access to the area on route. It is locked and only opened at a station if there is a bike, etc, to come on/off.

I don't know what the Edinburgh - Dumbarton leg is like but Scotrail have been good at carrying loaded tourers when I have used some of their other routes.
Joe.B
Posts: 270
Joined: 13 Nov 2010, 11:31am

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Joe.B »

Both EastCoast and CrossCounty have trains that go right through to Glasgow. They are not half as frequent as those that terminate in Edinburgh but they do exist, I often use them between Newcastle and Glasgow. Use the EastCoast website to book as it allows bike reservations.
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monxton
Posts: 113
Joined: 12 Mar 2010, 12:42pm

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by monxton »

Joe.B wrote:Use the EastCoast website to book as it allows bike reservations.

To expand on Joe B's point, although there are many websites where you can buy train tickets, there is only a small number of different train booking software systems behind the scenes. All of the train booking websites use one of these systems with their own branding. The reason this is interesting is that only one of these systems has the facility to let you book a bicycle place at the same time as your journey and seat reservation. That one is the East Coast reservation system which is also used by RedSpottedHanky (and others?). So if your choice of journey is dependent on knowing that there is place available for your bicycle, make sure to use the right website. Or the phone :(
Sherpa
Posts: 6
Joined: 15 Sep 2014, 5:07pm

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Sherpa »

Thank you all for your replies, hopefully the buffet car has improved too, from the days of British Rail

Andy
MartinBrice
Posts: 464
Joined: 13 Nov 2007, 9:57am

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by MartinBrice »

If you cannot book a bike space you could remove the wheels and put them in a bag and take them into the train with you, and leave the "frame" in the luggage van. I have seen someone do this on east coast mainline from london to york.
Rob Archer
Posts: 297
Joined: 10 Apr 2007, 8:25pm
Location: King's Lynn, Norfolk

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Rob Archer »

If you can you will probably get a better deal booking at a staffed ticket office. Staff often know a lot of ways to 'split' the ticket to save money and will be able to book bike and seats at the same time. Bookings usually open 12 weeks ahead. If you must book online always do it through a train operators website (East Coast is good). The independent ones (e.g. Trainline) usually charge a booking fee and can't always book the bikes. A friend of mine recently booked a ticket online for a trip to Penzance for an end-to-end but the website wouldn't book his bike. He tried to do it separately at the station but was told there were no spaces left. He then found he couldn't refund or change the ticket!
bogmyrtle
Posts: 967
Joined: 5 Mar 2008, 10:29pm

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by bogmyrtle »

Sherpa wrote:Thank you all for your replies, hopefully the buffet car has improved too, from the days of British Rail

Andy


I wouldn't count on it. Take some sandwiches!
A bike does more miles to the banana than a Porsche.
Joe.B
Posts: 270
Joined: 13 Nov 2010, 11:31am

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Joe.B »

I've often bought tickets in advance and only later decided to travel with the bike. I've never had a problem popping into a ticket office a day or two before traveling, showing my ticket and asking for a cycle reservation to accompany my existing ticket.
I've also on a couple of occasions waited by the luggage van of EastCoast trains and polity explained to the conductor that I don't have a cycle ticket but if no other cycles turn up could I get on. Never been turned down. The last time I did this was is Edinburgh, I explained to the guard that I had an open return ticket but couldn't get a cycle reservation for his train. He had six bike booked on but said if one failed to turn up I could get on, none of them turned up.

CrossCountry Trains operate trains along my regular route too but I try to avoid these trains. The guards don't control cycle access so you might have a cycle reservation but find all the cycle spaces taken by people that don't.
robing
Posts: 1359
Joined: 7 Sep 2014, 9:11am

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by robing »

I've booked my bike on trains several times in recent years for LEJOG, C2C etc. I haven't had any problems. Some trains have a specific cycle storage eg a guards van whereas others do not. I use the East Coast website, you can book your cycle reservation online once you've booked your seat reservation.
skicat
Posts: 517
Joined: 21 Jun 2011, 1:09pm
Location: NCN52 / SL8

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by skicat »

monxton wrote:The reason this is interesting is that only one of these systems has the facility to let you book a bicycle place at the same time as your journey and seat reservation. That one is the East Coast reservation system


I don't think that is correct. I booked a cycle reservation on the ScotRail site about 4 months ago, and another on the First Great Western site more recently. They both appear to use the same system, which I think is the same one as East Coast.
The hurrier I go, the behinder I get
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