I know TPX require a bike to be booked in advance, but, the train I've got a ticket for tomorrow does not have space for another bike, or, more likely, all bikes spaces have been booked already.
Has anyone just turned up and blagged it? I did the same journey on Saturday, the train up didnt even ask about the bike, the return was keen on seeing my reservation.
Whats the worst that can happen? Not being let on with the bike would be the worst, as I wouldnt have time to lock it up to get back on as a pedestrian.
It's really variable.
What's the route you're on, that can make a big difference? The two extremes (really busy or really quiet) you can usually get away with it, first one because the conductor finds it difficult to move through the train, second one because there's loads of space and they won't care.
It's the middle ground that's problematic. A couple of bikes, most seats occupied and they'll potentially be quite arsey about it, you can only hope that the other cyclists are chancing their arm too!
Last TPE I was on, I went through all the right motions, booked the bike on using their WhatsApp service, got the reference... And after all that the conductor wasn't remotely bothered in checking the bike reservation. 🙄
I think you'll be let on, no problems - it's when they come round checking tickets that the issues can arise, the worst case is you get thrown off at an intermediate station. An air of total confidence combined with complete ignorance ("well of course I booked the bike on, it's on the ticket, what do you mean the reservation hasn't gone through?!") can sometimes work... Use that last one at your own risk.
Plugging in earphones and pretending to be nothing to do with the bike might also buy you a bit off leeway although if you're in lycra and carrying a helmet, that won't work!
Stopper trains you’re normally fine, as line as it’s not crazy busy. It’s the direct services (similar to the north/south trains) that have much more limited space.
where are you going between?
Lockerbie and Edinburgh. 8.36 tomorrow morning. Possibly half full, that train is never packed.
This is such a difficult question to answer - I travelled between my local station and Llandudno yesterday with my bike (Transport for Wales) and had been warned at the ticket office a few days earlier that particular train can be bad for not letting bikes on - anyway, I had a reservation but there were already 5 bikes on it (presumably not with reservations!) and the guard didn't want to let me on - had to do some hard negotiating (train was v quiet anyway) - the whole bike reservation regime is a joke across the network tbh
You're taking a chance with or without a reservation in my experience - so brace yourself and just go for it and see what happens!
TPEx trains generally have better storage options for bikes than e.g. Northern, in my experience - a compartment mid-train or at one end, rather than a little cupboard or fold-down seats occupied by some bulldog faced pram pusher. But as above, it's all about times and routes, and wild card factors, e.g. I'm currently steering clear of the Settle-Carlisle railway. Not good enough odds at the moment.
We were refused on TPX and were only going one stop. Conductor said they can only carry so many per carriage and had turned a load of people down at the previous station. Wife and kids caught the train then drove back for the bikes while I rode home.
Could have been Northern actually? Gargrave to Skipton.
Yeah, Northern, either the Carlisle-Leeds train or the Bentham Line (both go via those stops). I'm planning a route next week starting in Skipton - numerous commuter trains get you there easy enough, it's west and north of Skipton that you can run into problems. No big deal off season but not now (for me).
But as above, it's all about times and routes, and wild card factors, e.g. I'm currently steering clear of the Settle-Carlisle railway. Not good enough odds at the moment.
I did Carlisle to Settle a few weeks back (before the £1.50 fare offer came in) and it was all pretty uneventful. I think the biggest influx was hordes of walkers getting on at Ribblehead.
Some of the Northern services can be rammed - I've been on before when there have been 5 or 6 bikes but generally the conductors can't be bothered with picking that fight and they'll just make sure things are fairly safe and sensible.
*watches on in "rides a tandem so will likely never be able to use a train"*
As a follow up, I blagged it on the outward journey, it had the compartment with the fold up seats that allow 4+ bikes in. There was one bike already on it, I was getting off at the next stop, so once on, they couldnt do anything anyway.
Ticket Collector didnt say anything about the bike, so I asked why I couldnt book a spot when at least 3 spaces were available. Like it was said above, some people book the space, then dont use it, but my problem was I had tried to book from start to finish, that was two trains. TPX for the first leg, Scotrail for the 2nd. This upsets the computer, so they say no spaces available. You need to book each part of the journey separately. For the return journey, i tried again for the full journey, but no spaces available, so just did the TPX train, and there was space. If only we had computers that could tell us these things when it happens? Poor programming, but as said above, bikes are low down on their priority list.
And, at Waverley Market, I had a run in with a Security Guard. I used the South Bridge entrance (ramp down to shops), then a 50 metre walk to Greggs. Left the bike outside Greggs, came out, and the Security guy came up to me, told me I cant bring a bike into that precinct/arcade. OK , I said, I'll go. But then he said I've got to go out the other way, up (or down) the 100 steps of Waverley steps. Like f... I told him, I'm going out the way I came. He said I'm not! Stop me then. He didnt. I stopped at the entrance to see the multiple signs saying no bikes here, of which I'd clearly missed on my way in. And I still didnt see them. I'm so glad I ignored him.
Yep, booking bikes on trains is still a black arr in 2026. Weird.
Best one we had was getting onto train at Birnam heading north. Previous train had been delayed. Wall of cyclists on the platform. So many bikes and people the guard gave up trying to stop us all or the train would not have gone anywhere. Everyone just piled on.
We counted 20 cyclists getting off at Blair Atholl. All of us chuckling away at having got on - until mrs_oab and I discovered that 18 of us were on an organised tour... And we were the only two not...
my problem was I had tried to book from start to finish, that was two trains. TPX for the first leg, Scotrail for the 2nd. This upsets the computer, so they say no spaces available
Ah yes, that always screws everything up.
You can sometimes book a straight-thru ticket for yourself and then book the bike onto each leg direct from the train operator but it's still a total pain. And you also run the risk that the first leg has plenty of space and you book the bike on fine, the second leg says NO.
Years ago I got a Virgin Train (as they were then) where I'd booked my ticket, phoned up to book the bike on - sorry, no spaces available. I winged it anyway, got the bike on. Completely empty all the way to Glasgow.
I booked from Newcastle to Berwick on Sunday with tpe. No problem getting a bike reservation, but was almost impossible to get my bike into the broom closet that passed for bike storage.
There was no way two bikes were going in that space, I really struggled to get the wheels on to the hooks
