Thank you Virgin Rail for your contribution to our 'Integrated Transport Policy'

that too

Trains should be required to have adequate luggage capacity.

You know where your MP is. Write to him/her/it

"That sounds very expensive. "

Hmm I guess the disabled one is the carriage with the toilet on so Maybe a bit more so but surely there are routes that would have large amounts of bikers and routes that have few?

And Binners, not all bnoddy folders are clown bikes! This one has 26" wheels and everyfink! 😉

Agree with binners, the lack of online bike booking (especially given that it's FREE) is just stupid.

A few years ago I did a trip from Lancaster up to Glasgow on Virgin with my road bike then a Scotrail service onwards.
Booked the tickets online, phoned up to book the bikes on and the girl said "Oh sorry, it's fully booked on the way up, I'll have to transfer you to another train, it'll be an extra £10 admin fee" blah blah.
Sorted bike reservations for the rest of the journey and I just lied to her and said I'd make alternative plans to get my bike up there.

Turned up at the station with bike and what do you know – bike storage area was completely empty and stayed that way all the way to Glasgow. And no-one asked to see my bike reservation either.

ScotRail were fine, no problems on any of their trains and loads of storage space.

This one has 26" wheels and everyfink!

Six hundred quid, for a boot-ugly hybrid with v-brakes. 😮

600 quid!!!! Sweet jesus! You could buy a half-decent set of forks for that 😉

I'm told that Brompton style folding bikes are the only ones that really count as Ok for trains at all times though not sure if that's ever an issue in reality.

Hush your mouth BD, we should be paying beggar all for bikes. You should be able to get on and use the bike spaces for free, everyone is supposed to be promoting non car travel and offering more integration. Plus you get plenty of people taking more than a bike sized space of luggage on the train which they dont pay for (except ski equipment iirc) Local trains normally have a couple of bike spaces but at rush hour times people use that space and you're having a laugh if you think they'll make way for your bike despite signage telling them to.

I'd propose
Free travel for bikes on an ad hoc basis, nominal fee for prebooked bikes (for long journeys etc used to be £3 back when I did a lot of train journeys) if there's people with bikes who haven't booked then hop off and get the next train unless there is room elsewhere. And of course more space on trains for bikes, 3 or 4 on locals and atleast 6 on nationals.

All the people flexing their hindsight and suggesting he get a reservation seem to be unaware of the fact that the maximum number of reservations on Virgin Cross Country trains is two. And they have three bike spaces in total.

VXC don't exist any more, now Arriva operated, as 'Cross Country Trains' the Voyagers still don't have much space for bikes though, although the reservation policy may have changed. To me, if you only have limited space it makes sense to make people book, particularly on West Coast or similar where people may be doing long journeys with a relatively infrequent service. The fact you didn't know this is neither here nor there frankly!

Bikes don't make money, it's as simple as that. Trains are about cramming as many fare paying passengers as possible onto the train. Yes it's a bit crap, but that's how it is!

We actually have a pretty good rail system, certainly not faultless, but better than a huge number of other countries.

Binners, six hundred quid (actually, seven hundred this year) is nowt. You don't want to know what an abortion on wheels like this costs.

Before I could drive I ALWAYS avoided using Virgin due to luggage/bike carrying and instead went with GNER who were near on perfect everytime.

Thing is- I hear GNER lost their Franchise?!

Bikes don't make money, it's as simple as that. Trains are about cramming as many fare paying passengers as possible onto the train. Yes it's a bit crap, but that's how it is!

State the obvious, why doncha. Although, I think it's a bit more complicated than that. The people operating these formerly public services aren't just supposed to be milking us for every penny we have…

We actually have a pretty good rail system

It's crap enough to deter a die-hard tree-hugger like me. Seriously, why do they think that three spaces on a train is enough?

Thing is- I hear GNER lost their Franchise?!

yep some time ago as well…

Last time I caught a train was in 2004!

The trans pennine train form sheffield to manchester (via hope, edale etc) used to love us.

With a bit of innittiattive its possible to get about 20 bikes in the bike rack designed for 4! Normaly they just sit in a designated area with a shelf above it for luggage. Hook the front wheels on the shelf though and let the backs dangle down and there's plenty of room.

when my mate any i got the pendolino to carlisle, we chucked our folded bromptons in the bike bit behind the cab next to 4 proper bikes, was plenty of room for all of them, though my bike was sat on top of a stack of bog rolls.

What is the official grammatical term for a multitude of Bromptons? I feel sure there must be one?

Pile of shit?

😆

£600 yes not dirt cheap but used the cyclescheme (how it was intended 😉 ) which made it fairly cheap. As a bonus it has an EBB so now run it singlespeed and it does the job perfectly. No ones going to nick it and it needs next to no fettling

I think a group of Bromtons would have to be "a circus of bromptons" being they are like clown bikes 😉

What do you ride to work Mr Aggreeable?

A bike twice as fugly as that, but which cost me next to no money. 😉

Point taken, I can see it serves its purpose, but I don't like the idea that a folding bike should be a "must have" if you're going to take one by rail. And what about MTBs, has anyone made a folding one that you'd happily ride a semi-decent trail on?

I think a group of Bromtons would have to be "a circus of bromptons" being they are like clown bikes

😆 yer circus of brompton is good

yer we have loads of people laffing at our 2 speed b's on the c2c – funny they stopped laffing as we rode passed them as they were walking up the hills like winlatter pass, unthank bank, hartside etc – got to be pretty soft if you can not get up such road climbs on a mountain bike… ;=)

Si

And what about MTBs, has anyone made a folding one that you'd happily ride a semi-decent trail on?

Airnimal Rhino?

Completely, hence me riding my mtb in today so I can go on a diversion on the way home.

I don't think folders should be compulsary at all, I rarely fold mine but could understand it on a main commuter train into london.

Was going to say that Rootes1, Rolhoff, SID's etc…. well pricy though!

http://www.airnimal.eu/Rhino/Black.php

Thing is- I hear GNER lost their Franchise?!

They became National Express East Coast, who defaulted on it due to their overly optimistic passenger growth figures, it's now the state run 'East Coast Railway' and is the worst performing TOC in the country, make of that what you will!

Looks like we're decided on a Circus of Bromptons then. brilliant 😀

I'm afraid I'm with Mr Agreeable. Ride-to-work bikes should be assembled entirely from bits you have lying around the garage. I did layout the princely sum of £11 for an old steel GT frame off ebay. Wanton extravagance, I know

Looks like we're decided on a Circus of Bromptons then

I preferred Hora's suggestion of a pile of shit! 😆

He is quite amusing at times…

I think it depends who you speak to like in a shop-kind hearted manager will be fine but store clerk covered in zits will say no.

But he was doing his job and you need to make a res…

One of the worst trips I took was on the dreaded Southampton-Bristol service with 3 carriages. Bike section was so full of people I had to balance the bike on the rear tire whilst avoiding ramming the bars into peoples heads, if we had to brake sharp it would have head kebabs all round.

After a few trips realised this was the norm at peak weekend times so now hire a car, 40 quid extra well spent. The state of differing cross network policies/archaic systems and limited places make us the laughing stock of Europe, bouncing around 15 years ago in the guards van was way more enjoyable!

The state of differing cross network policies/archaic systems and limited places make us the laughing stock of Europe,

Actually that's not the case, Switzerland has a superb public transport network, but France, for example, is pretty rubbish, away from their TGV network, and even then there are some very odd service patterns.

The Portsmouth – Cardiff services are being lengthened in the peak, to combat the overcrowding anyway, as you say it's a very well known problem. To be honest, whether or not you require a reservation there's a common sense element IMO. I wouldn't try and carry a massive piece of luggage on the Underground in rush hour, and I wouldn't try and take a bike on a service which is publicised widely for being very overcrowded.

But that's just me, despite working in transport I drive everywhere 🙂

agree njee20, was being a bit too general.

Took me a few trips to realise the Ports-Cardiff cattle vans were the norm, my peak times were last thing at the weekend, unfortunately being a cheap/late night journey it was just as packed as Monday am ! Good to hear it's being improved.

Getting trains out of Manchester you see the differences between the train operators. Transpennine to Newcastle – flexible space on train, sensible easy going conductors, dedicated well trained telephone reservation service if you want to be 100%. Virgin – left over corner of train, petty minded conductors, generic call centre where no-one has a clue.

Couldn't agree more John. Thats what shocked me so much this morning. I've never had any kid of bother before with other operators. It depends on your priority i suppose

I don't think dear-old-richard gives a toss about getting people from A to B. He just wants to wring as much money out of the general population as i physically possible

I just couldn't own a folding bike. I think that, being of a certain age, when i think folding bikes i think of…

In fairness, a Raleigh Twenty is better than a Trumpton…

That twenty is cool! 🙂

In fairness, a Raleigh Twenty is better than a Trumpton…

erm no.. 😉

but there are some cool modified twenties..

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/milam.htm
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/apr/adker_adker.htm

http://www.littlepixel.info/?p=38