Taking cycles on GWR?

[Bungle73]

Looking at their website, there now seems to be a blanket rule saying you always need a reservation. Is this on all services? Last time I travelled with my bike that way, up to Charlbury, I didn't need one - although at the time that part of the route was being run by Thames Trains.

So that means every time I just want to do a basic day trip, instead of doing what I've always done, just turn up at the station and buy a ticket on the day, I've got to fanny around the previous day making phone calls to book a reservation........

I guess I won't be taking my bike on GWR services much then.

 

[181]

I've been meaning to investigate this, having noticed it back in the autumn.

On the Thames Valley and North Downs trains worked by 165/166 units, as far as I know you can't make reservations and things continue as before -- see http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/css/cycleleaflet20151.pdf , which is still linked to from http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/cyclists.aspx (it says 'two cycle spaces per train' -- in fact some units have two official bike spaces and others don't, and there's usually no problem with one bike per door vestibule as long as you make sure it's not on the platform side when the train stops).

I haven't taken a bike on an 'inter-city' type Great Western train for a few years; it could be that these trains now require reservations again (as used to be the case if you go back 10 or 15 years), and the presence of a poster at Reading saying the same thing as the website might suggest that it's not just a case of poor writing when the website was relaunched; on the other hand I haven't seen any publicity drawing attention to a change, a friend of mine had no problems taking an unreserved bike Warminster-Bath-Didcot and return in October (which is when I first noticed the change on the website), and if the website is obviously wrong about trains worked by 165s and 166s, then it may be wrong about HSTs and 180s as well.

I haven't taken a bike on local or regional trains in the West Country for many years (but note my friend's Warminster-Bath experience above).

Since writing the above I've looked at the pdf timetable for the Cotswold line at https://www.gwr.com/your-journey/journey-information/train-times-and-routes. This indicates a few trains on which cycle reservation is compulsory (mostly morning peak arrivals at Paddington and evening peak departures), and also indicates which ones are worked by High Speed Trains (which I think includes 180s as well as HSTs); for these it says 'cycle reservations recomended'. I presume trains not so indicated are worked by 165s or 166s. There are some non-high-speed trains on which seat reservations are available -- I don't know whether you can reserve bike spaces on these.

I don't know what the cut-off for making reservations is -- you might find that if you know what train you're coming back on you can reserve your return journey in the morning.

It seems to me quite possible that nothing has changed and whoever wrote the webpage just didn't know what they were talking about -- certainly I hope that's the case, but I can't guarantee it. If you make the journey you're thinking of, I'd be interested to know how it goes.

 

[davetheguard]

Looking at their website, there now seems to be a blanket rule saying you always need a reservation. Is this on all services? Last time I travelled with my bike that way, up to Charlbury, I didn't need one - although at the time that part of the route was being run by Thames Trains.

So that means every time I just want to do a basic day trip, instead of doing what I've always done, just turn up at the station and buy a ticket on the day, I've got to fanny around the previous day making phone calls to book a reservation........

I guess I won't be taking my bike on GWR services much then.

Unless something has changed recently, you don't need a reservation on a Turbo DMU, but bikes are barred in the morning peak towards (not just to) London and the same back in the evening.

On HST's, bikes are carried subject to space being available in the Guard's van, but to ensure getting on it's best to have a reservation. That leaves the Adelantes (class 180's); presumably the situation is the same as on HST's.

You certainly see quite a lot of bikes being conveyed on Great Western services in the Thames Valley; I'm sure one of the local Train Managers who post here will be able to advise of the exact current arrangements.......

 

[yorkie]

Looking at their website, there now seems to be a blanket rule saying you always need a reservation. Is this on all services?

You do not need a reservation (on reversible trains) but it's a risk if you don't. The vast majority of staff are very good about it, and for our trip to Cornwall last Summer they did their best not to turn people away.

...fanny around the previous day making phone calls to book a reservation........

If it's a reserveable service, any station can do it, or you can use one of the Atos WebTIS booking sites, such as GWR's, and obtain a cycle reservation when you book your ticket (subject to space being available).

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Extracted from the Cycling by train leaflet.

High Speed Train services between London, South Wales and the West Country.

Reservations are compulsory Monday to Friday on services arriving into London Paddington between 0700 and 1000, or departing LondonPaddington between1500 and 1900.

Six cycle spaces per train.Tandems can be carried on most services.

Local services between London, the Cotswolds and throughout the Thames Valley.

Reservations not available.Two cycle spaces per train.

Restrictions apply Monday to Friday on services arriving into LondonPaddington between 0745 and 0945,and departing LondonPaddington between 1630 and 1900.

Local, rural and inter-urban services throughout the West Country.

Reservations advisable on Cardiff-Portsmouth services.

Two cycle spaces per train.Reservations can be made:

At any staffed station
GreatWestern’swebsite
Via GreatWestern’sTelesalesTeam

HTH

Also there are some restrictions on the North Downs services through Guildford in the peaks.

Ultimately the train crews decision is final.

 

[pdeaves]

On HST's, bikes are carried subject to space being available in the Guard's van, but to ensure getting on it's best to have a reservation.

A slightly amusing aside not relevant to this discussion:
It always used to be (don't know if still is) the case that to take a tandem needed two reservations. However, as the racks are all side-by-side the tandem doesn't take any more spaces, so it would only deny some other cycle user a space that would sit empty for the journey.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Just as a side note.

Tandem bikes are prohibited from SWT services last time I checked, as we had one trying to travel to the IoW a while back and they were declined travel as the tandem fouls the gangways of the train on a 444 and doesn't fit on a 450 or 455.

 

[saxsux]

On HST's, bikes are carried subject to space being available in the Guard's van, but to ensure getting on it's best to have a reservation.

Ooh, they're actually not. There's a small space at the far end of coach A. The door is controlled with central door locking - which is nice, as you don't have to chase down the guard if they forget to unlock the guard's van at your station.

The guard's van is often used for Plymouth-bound passengers' luggage from Paddington. Don't know about other lines.

Confusingly, Abellio do use the guard's van/DVT for cycles on the GEML. Might be that other operators with HSTs do the same.

 

[yorkie]

Ooh, they're actually not. There's a small space at the far end of coach A. ....

That's what he meant. There is no "guards van" as such; it's the TGS vehicle (Trailer Guard Second).

 

[saxsux]

That's what he meant. There is no "guards van" as such; it's the TGS vehicle (Trailer Guard Second).

Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[BestWestern]

Ooh, they're actually not. There's a small space at the far end of coach A. The door is controlled with central door locking - which is nice, as you don't have to chase down the guard if they forget to unlock the guard's van at your station.

The guard's van is often used for Plymouth-bound passengers' luggage from Paddington. Don't know about other lines.

Confusingly, Abellio do use the guard's van/DVT for cycles on the GEML. Might be that other operators with HSTs do the same.

There is no central locking on the TGS. The 'Guards van' you refer to is I'm guessing the back of the power cars (large sliding doors), which on GWR is equipped with hanging racks to carry three bikes. Generally though, these are only used if the bikes are travelling to and from the origin and end destinations of the service, as extracting them at intermediate stops can cause delays etc.

As an interesting aside; the back of the power cars was indeed the Guards van when the HSTs were new, however it was apparently horrifically noisy (with the original roaring Valenta engines, not the nice quiet MTU lumps now fitted), and so BR agreed to create the TGS (Trailer Guard Standard) coaches instead

 

[DarloRich]

I am sure if you roll up at St Keyne Wishing Well with your bike they wont turn you away unless already overloaded. It might be different at Reading

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Looking at their website, there now seems to be a blanket rule saying you always need a reservation. Is this on all services? Last time I travelled with my bike that way, up to Charlbury, I didn't need one - although at the time that part of the route was being run by Thames Trains.

So that means every time I just want to do a basic day trip, instead of doing what I've always done, just turn up at the station and buy a ticket on the day, I've got to fanny around the previous day making phone calls to book a reservation........

I guess I won't be taking my bike on GWR services much then.

AFAIK the Virgin East Coast website allows you to make online cycle reservations for all reservable trains, not just VTEC ones (so long as you're buying a ticket and reserving a seat at the same time). You might want to give that a try.

 

[Bungle73]

Thanks. I guess I won't be having a problem then. Seems GWR's website is a bit misleading.