Quoted message said:SNIP - bad experience on trains - SNIP
I've travelled quite a lot on trains in the last few months, taking my recument and trailer with me
the whole time. I must admit that I've never once had a problem*. I've travelled on GW, Thames
Trains, WAGN, Virgin, the Heathrow Express and the Standsted train (unsure of operator) from
Cambridge.
On many trains I've had to put my bike & trailer in the middle of the doorway as the trains had no
guards wagon and no special bike or luggage area. 9 times out of 10 there has been no bike ticket
needed - when there has I've just bought it from the guard (just claim the staff at the station
didn't know you needed one - the guards clearly dislike the ticketing staff at stations, so this
goes down just fine!). I've never left a ticket or sign on my bike the times it has been in the
guards wagon - I've just made the guard aware of it when he came through to check tickets. I've
never seen a bike rack in a guards wagon though, but then my recumbent has a truly meaty stand and
has never fallen over (it even survived a nightmare ferry crossing from Esbjerg to Harwich - half
the passengers were sick, but the bike stayed standing!!). I also never bother lock the bike in the
guards van - after all hardly anyone ever goes into this part of the train. When the train
approaches my destination I simply walk to the guards wagon before the train comes to a halt and get
ready to take my stuff off. I've also had plenty of good help from attendants on the platform,
including assistance carrying my stuff onto the train.
Of course travelling by train on the continent can be much more relaxing for us cyclists. For
example here in Denmark it's just a given that people take bikes on the trains. It costs a little
extra, but there's plenty of space (often space for 2 to 4 bikes in every wagon!) and lots time to
get the bike onto the train.
My only negative experiences are once when travelling from Kings Lynn to Kings Cross finding a
section of track was replaced by buses and my 'bent wouldn't fit on the bus forcing me to cycle that
10 mile stretch in gale force head-winds and once experiencing the doors start to close just as I
had stepped out to grab my trailer (having already put the bike on the train). I put a foot in the
door and made it though!
Of course this is all anecdotal evidence, but the point is that you might just as well have a
pleasant experience as a bad one.
Best of luck
Mads Hilberg
*) with the exception of an old granny who thought it appropriate to deliberately knock my bike over
and hurl abuse at me despite there being plenty of space for her to get past.
