Some confusion over travelling with bike (28/05)

[al78]

I got back from Inverness on the sleeper this morning around 8:45am with a bicycle and walked to St Pancras to get a Thameslink train to Horsham.

I was prevented from getting to the platform (A) by a member of staff at the barrier, who said I was not allowed to travel with a bicycle until 10am (it was around 9:05 at the time).

Many years ago (2011 I think) when I travelled on the Sleeper and got a train from Victoria to Horsham with a bike, I was allowed on a train well before 9:30.

When I enquired at the ticket office, I was told I have to wait until after 9:30. As it happens, I was allowed past the barrier at 9:40 to catch the 9:45 train.

I have just looked at the Thameslink website for clarification on travelling with a bike out of London in the morning, and it only mentions restrictions around the evening peak.

Can anyone clarify what is the correct answer, as there appears from my experience this morning to be some inconsistency.

 

[fb2126]

That's probably because they don't allow non-folding bikes on services in peak times. It says on their website

 

[bcarmicle]

On trains travelling towards London that are timed to arrive at or pass through any central London station between 07:00 and 10:00 Monday to Friday, except on public holidays

I think this is not ideally phrased given Thameslink run through London, but I would interpret this, for trains heading southbound, to apply until Elephant and Castle/London Bridge at the very earliest.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Seems clear to me...

Bikes on Trains | Bringing Your Bike on a Train | Thameslink

Travelling by bike and train? We welcome folding cycles on all our trains but there are some restrictions on regular bikes during peak hours.

www.thameslinkrailway.com

Extract...

Limits on regular bikes
To make sure there is space for all our passengers at times when our trains are busiest, we don’t allow non-folding bikes:

Peak hour trains are the following:

On trains travelling towards London that are timed to arrive at or pass through any central London station between 07:00 and 10:00 Monday to Friday, except on public holidays...

So, you could have boarded at London Bridge, but not St. Pancras/Farringdon/City Thameslink/Blackfriars.

 

[Craig1122]

I think this is not ideally phrased given Thameslink run through London, but I would interpret this, for trains heading southbound, to apply until Elephant and Castle/London Bridge at the very earliest.

Yes, it really should define what it means by central London stations. I'd guess the same as you but it's not clear. In any case though that definition clearly prohibits south bound from St Pancras in the morning peak.

 

[al78]

Ok, so the issue is travelling through London up to London Bridge, and if I had first cycled to London Bridge there wouldn't have been a problem.

 

[Lewisham2221]

Ok, so the issue is travelling through London up to London Bridge, and if I had first cycled to London Bridge there wouldn't have been a problem.

Basically, yes. The trains would still potentially be very busy with people travelling through into the central section

 

[Recessio]

Is "central section" defined as the core/underground stations only?

 

[norbitonflyer]

Is "central section" defined as the core/underground stations only?

Zone 1 or "London Terminals" (which are essentially the same thing, give or take an Elephant)

 

[TUC]

Seems clear to me...

Bikes on Trains | Bringing Your Bike on a Train | Thameslink

Travelling by bike and train? We welcome folding cycles on all our trains but there are some restrictions on regular bikes during peak hours.

www.thameslinkrailway.com

Extract...


So, you could have boarded at London Bridge, but not St. Pancras/Farringdon/City Thameslink/Blackfriars.

Why London Bridge?

 

[norbitonflyer]

Why London Bridge?

Why not? It's a central London station, and the next one (Deptford or East Croydon) isn't.
Seems clear enough - the rule says you can't take your bike on a train travelling towards a central London station, so you can't get on a southbound train before London Bridge, but you can at London bridge.

 

[Magdalia]

I got back from Inverness on the sleeper this morning around 8:45am with a bicycle and walked to St Pancras to get a Thameslink train to Horsham. I was prevented from getting to the platform (A) by a member of staff at the barrier who said I was not allowed to travel with a bicycle until 10am (it was around 9:05 at the time). Many years ago (2011 I think) when I travelled on the sleeper and got a train from Victoria to Horsham with a bike I was allowed on a train well before 9:30.

Victoria still has plenty of trains to Horsham in 2024.

 

[SargeNpton]

Why London Bridge?

London Bridge is one of the six station within the "London Thameslink" fares zone. St Pancras, Farringdon, City Thameslink, Blackfriars and Elephant & Castle being the others.

I guess that the TOC considers a train that has yet to reach one of those still as travelling towards London.

 

[al78]

Victoria still has plenty of trains to Horsham in 2024.

I had a return ticket for Horsham to St Pancras.

 

[greatkingrat]

You could argue that if a train is between St Pancras and London Bridge, it is neither travelling towards London, or away from London.

 

[TUC]

Why not? It's a central London station, and the next one (Deptford or East Croydon) isn't.
Seems clear enough - the rule says you can't take your bike on a train travelling towards a central London station, so you can't get on a southbound train before London Bridge, but you can at London bridge.

But you can't board a Thameslink service if you travelling to/through Elephant & Castle, which is further out of central London than London Bridge. It's that which makes no sense..

 

[Mcr Warrior]

But you can't board a Thameslink service if you travelling to/through Elephant & Castle, which is further out of central London than London Bridge. It's that which makes no sense..

Why not? Surely you could always board a Southbound morning peak hours Thameslink train with your bicycle at Elephant and Castle? (Albeit not a Thameslink train for East Croydon/Horsham, as they're not routed that way).