Can I book UK train tickets online with a cycle reservation?

halfer

Esteemed Pedelecer
Hi all

I'm looking to travel from Birmingham to Scotland shortly - the island of Islay specifically - and am planning on taking my trusty KTM hardtail by train. I went to Arran two years ago with the same bike, via Carlisle and Kilmarnock, and was asked whether I had cycle reservations for the return journey. I had not though to do that, but a kind member of staff rushed to get one for me as I waited on the platform. So this time I plan to be more prepared...

I usually get my tickets from londonmidland.com and I think I've bought from nationalrail.co.uk before, but I don't recall seeing a way of reserving a cycle space. Has anyone here bought train tickets from a seller that allowed a cycle reservation to be made?

If someone recommends it, I will happily book over the phone. However I am splitting tickets to save money, so it will probably easier to do it over the web. Any ideas?
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
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I don't personally have an answer, but A to B's website has a lot of excellent information of using train services with bikes, covering all the operating companies.

The top two links in the page linked to below covers both restrictions and a travel guide and may contain what you need for the companies involved:

A to B Rail, Bus, Ferry zone

In the Travel Guide you'll find this relevant paragraph under the heading "Conventional Bikes" (as opposed to folders):

Some companies require a compulsory bicycle reservation. This is usually free, but if you intend to buy your tickets in advance on the internet, use the East Coast site at www.eastcoast.co.uk as this is the only place where you can book a bicycle yourself. If you book elsewhere, it may be difficult to match a cycle reservation with a seat reservation at a later date. Worse still, after many ‘teething problems’, the computerised railway booking system can still be unreliable, and in any event, a booking and bike ticket do not guarantee you a space on a given train.

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halfer

Esteemed Pedelecer
Marvellous, thank you flecc. I will check the operator for each leg of my split journey, and see what their policy is. I'll also get quotes for each leg from the East Coast site, and if their prices are not much higher than from my usual seller, I'll buy from them.

I liked this, from the A to B site:

East Coast’s online cycle reservation scheme is unique, and if you book your tickets through Virgin Trains East Coast, you get a cycle reservation with any other operators your ticket might cover (assuming the trains in question allow cycle reservations).
Very useful to know, and frustrating that only one provider allows this from their site!
 
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halfer

Esteemed Pedelecer
Well well well, as we should have expected, it isn't as easy as the website advises. There are two options:
  • Make bookings on the East Coast website for outward journeys at specific times, and a cycling option becomes available for outward journeys only
  • Make bookings on the East Coast website on a flexible basis (i.e. specify an outward date but not times) and then:
    • Call the website support team to ask where the cycle reservation options has gone, who will redirect you to...
    • Call a ticket customer support adviser in a call-centre hothouse who can advise whether bike space are available for journeys at specific times. To do this they will need to...
    • Place me on hold to ring up a bike reservation line to see if bike spaces are available, and then...
    • Take me off hold to let me know which ones are available. They all were except a short journey, so...
    • I confirm I would like to go ahead with these reservations, so they take my details, and then...
    • Place me on hold and I wait whilst they ring up the bike reservation line to make them...
    • and then the adviser confirms this has been done.
Phew! The moral of this story is that it is only possible to book bikes online if you're willing to stick to a specific timings for each leg of your journey. Since I have a couple of connections to make, this is too risky for me - I would rather lose a bike reservation and have a flexible ticket than miss a timed journey and possibly have to buy a new ticket.

I should note also that even if one goes for booking at specific times in the outward journey, a flexible return ticket still requires the poor ticket-holder to jump through the same hoops to bring the bike back. It would be nice if the online booking systems had a separate bike reservation system, but the user interfaces on these things tend to be complicated enough as it is....
 
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RobF

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 22, 2012
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Each operator appears to have its own policy.

And it can be more complicated than that.

The Trans Pennine website for a recent journey I did was clear there were no bike reservations.

My travelling companion went to the departing station and came back with two bike tickets.

Travelling from Llandudno to Manchester, the guard allowed about six bikes in the vestibule space marked for three.

No doubt a different guard may have taken a different stance.

Train equipment comes into it.

I've done the same long distance journey twice.

The first time, the bike space - behind the engine - had three hanging racks.

Three bikes, no more.

The second time the bike space behind the engine was just that, a large space.

We got the distinct impression as many bikes would be allowed on as would fit in the space, which would have been a dozen or so.
 
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DouglasXK

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Oct 9, 2016
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Oxford
Try GWR.com

I noticed that their bike reservation system can be used with their online booking across the UK network. So, Birmingham International to Glasgow Central including bike requires a seat reservation, then Glasgow Queen Street to Oban with bike reservation and which also requires a seat reservation. Oban to Port Askaig on the afternoon ferry seems to work well if you can get there on time.
 

RobF

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Sep 22, 2012
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