# Bikes on Virgin trains



## ColinJ (31 Jul 2017)

I have booked my bike on a Virgin train. I was just looking at their website and saw this ...



Virgin Trains website said:


> You’ll need to board your bike at least 10 minutes before departure allowing enough time to walk to coach A to load your bike in the dedicated space. If you need a hand with this, just ask a member of staff and they’ll be happy to help.
> 
> Remember to pick up a bike tag from the station ticket office, it lets our onboard team know how far your bike is riding with us.


What is the 'bike tag'? I probably won't have time to mess about going to the ticket office because my connection is fairly tight. I have a bike reservation and was going to attach the reservation ticket to the top tube of the bike. Surely that would suffice?


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## mark st1 (31 Jul 2017)

It's a ticket for your bike just stick it in somewhere on the front between cables etc. They don't even check them. If you already have the reservation ticket that's plenty good enough.


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## Bazzer (31 Jul 2017)

Not personally had a problem with my bike on Virgin, although others may have had a different experience.
Pretty certain the bike section is at coach A, (or at least on West Coast). IIRC the bike section is the very end of the train, but if station staff see a bike they will tell you where to stand.
IME the guard is very good. They will ask you where you are getting off, make sure your bike is stowed and make sure you get off safely.

Edit. Not used a bike tag. The guards have known about my bike reservation, got out at coach A and just welcomed me on to the train.


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## Flying Dodo (31 Jul 2017)

Whenever I've used Virgin, the platform staff have always checked I've got the reservation for the bike, and they've made it clear I wouldn't be allowed on without one.


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## ianrauk (31 Jul 2017)

Flying Dodo said:


> Whenever I've used Virgin, the platform staff have always checked I've got the reservation for the bike, and they've made it clear I wouldn't be allowed on without one.




Yet, the one time I didn't have a reservation due to a cock up. They let me on even though the bike allocation was full. Must be my happy go lucky demeanour.


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## ColinJ (31 Jul 2017)

Thanks ...

I have my reservation tickets for both journeys and will fix them to the bike before travelling.

I'm just feeling slightly nervous because of an incident a few years ago at Coventry station. I had boarded a Virgin train at Manchester and my bike was in the locked goods carriage. The guard told me that there was going to be a staff change before Coventry so to make sure to tell the new guard that I would need the door to the goods carriage unlocking at Coventry so that I could take my bike off.

The replacement guard had not come through the train by the time we left Birmingham so I decided to walk the length of the train to find her/him. What I hadn't noticed until that moment was how packed the train was ... I couldn't even get out of my seat!

I started to get in a panic, with visions of my bike ending up in London.

There was no way to find a staff member on the train, so I resolved to get off the train ASAP at Coventry and find someone on the platform. It turned out that there was chaos on the platform too! The crush of passengers embarking and disembarking prevented me moving along the platform until the train was due to leave. In the end, I managed to find the very grumpy guard just before departure. (I think that he was already stressed out by the crush of passengers and having me in a panic about my bike wasn't helping.)

Most trains that I have been on have bike compartments in the main part of the train so there isn't the problem of the bike being locked out of reach. I make sure that I am sitting not far from my bike and make my way to it before the destination.


As for people being allowed to bring bikes on without reservations ...


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## User33236 (31 Jul 2017)

As above just stick the ticket issued for the bike on it somewhere. Just be aware though that a reversation doesn't guarantee you a spot on the train.

Mrs SG was travelling back up from London a 10am today with her bike but was told she could not get her pre-booked bike on the train as a fault with one of the doors meant that she may not get in back off if the train was on the 'wrong side at the platform. This was despite her pointing out the staff entrance where they could have offloaded her bike. According to the Mrs staff were extremely impolite and unsympathetic to her situation. 

She was redirected to the ticket office who told her they had checked up to 3pm and there was no bike spots and weren't prepared to check any further ahead and she was bounced onto the platform manager. By this time she was getting irate and tearful. Thankfully said platform manager was able to apply some common sense and she got on the 11am train. I doubt, however, that a bloke in the same spot would have been accommodated in the same way.


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## gaijintendo (31 Jul 2017)

I managed to get a bike in a Virgin train without a booking midweek in darkest winter. Which was lucky, as I just impulse bought the thing off gumtree whilst I was away on business.

The side of front car (engine?) was the bike bit in that case. It didn't seem brilliantly set up for bikes. A long corridor, bikes along the wall, and a single strap to hold them up.


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## ColinJ (31 Jul 2017)

gaijintendo said:


> I managed to get a bike in a Virgin train without a booking midweek in darkest winter. Which was lucky, as I just impulse bought the thing off gumtree whilst I was away on business.
> 
> The side of front car (engine?) was the bike bit in that case.* It didn't seem brilliantly set up for bikes. A long corridor, bikes along the wall, and a single strap to hold them up.*


I always take a bungee cord. I have been on trains and ferries where the straps were damaged or even missing!


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## Pale Rider (31 Jul 2017)

Seems to me flexibility depends on the equipment.

On some older Virgin trains the bike compartment is the fairly large space behind the engine.

Staff are usually happy to shovel on as many bikes as will fit.

Handy in some ways, although not if you are very precious about your bike.

In more modern Virgin trains, the bike space is a hanging rack which has, I think, three spaces.

Three bikes, no more.

The other thing I've noticed is having loaded the bike, you need to hop off the train swiftly to get back on before the doors close.

It wouldn't be impossible to be left stranded on the station, as the train pulls away with your bike.

With that in mind, I always try to find out in advance which end of the train the staff want the bike loaded, so I can be opposite the correct door when the train stops.


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## subaqua (31 Jul 2017)

ianrauk said:


> Yet, the one time I didn't have a reservation due to a cock up. They let me on even though the bike allocation was full. Must be my happy go lucky demeanour.




Or you scared them so much they didn't want to be hurt. 

ianrauk is chuck Norris and ICMFP


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## Bazzer (1 Aug 2017)

@ColinJ have you a seat reservation in the carriage which takes the bikes? 
The last time I booked (by telephone), which was a couple of weeks ago I did ask for a seat in the bike carriage, but when I collected the tickets I was seated 5 coaches away. The station ticket staff then had to move my seat reservation.


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## Bazzer (1 Aug 2017)

User13710 said:


> The bikes go in the guard's van (why is it called that?). There aren't any seats.



I didn't say to get a seat in guard's van. As I said earlier, my experience is with Virgin West Coast. The trains on which I have travelled have the bike section in part of the carriage and seating in the rest of it.


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## ColinJ (1 Aug 2017)

I am travelling Cross Country trains one way. I think they have a small compartment at the end of a carriage and I am just under halfway up that carriage.

From what I can make out, the Virgin train will use the locked compartment in the guard's van. I am supposed to be 3 carriages away from that. 

I think that my tickets are only valid if I sit in my reserved seats but if the trains are not busy then I will probably choose to sit as close as possible to my bike.



User13710 said:


> I beg your pardon. I was under the impression that you only needed bike reservations when the bikes go in the guard's van, which is what I thought this thread was about.


Some companies do not require reservations for the other type of storage but some do. I am travelling from Preston to Lancaster later in the month and some of the operators do and some don't and it isn't all down to the type of train.

What's more, some seem to be tolerant of non-reserved bikes, some don't, and some offer a couple of reserved spaces and some non-reserved on a turn-up-and-see basis!

As I mentioned above, I reserved a space on one train only to find all spaces taken when I boarded the train, one of the spaces turning out to be taken by a fellow CycleChatter who did not have a reservation!


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## Blue Hills (1 Aug 2017)

Relax colin. You've done the difficult bit -getting the bike booked with virgin - it can be a total pig's ear nightmare. Once that's done i find it a joy - the staff are very good. As others have said, just attach one of the two copies of the reservation ticket to the bike. I like to sit next to the bike compartment, check that it is in a good position to get the bike off, depending on where other cyclists are unloading theirs. Make sure the train captain (i think that's the bizarre name they use (or is it just "manager"?) knows where you are getting off.

Have a good trip.

Loaded touring?


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## LewisLondon (1 Aug 2017)

I had a lovely call with Virgin a few months back, when I booked my ticket online and had to ring up to get the cycle reservation. The chap on the other end was very clear - no spaces for bikes at all, I should have run earlier. After enquiring about what I could do, as I needed my bike, the best he came up with "turn up and see".

On the off chance I rang up 10 mins later just to check, spoke to someone else, who happily booked my bike in for both journeys (and I was the only bike on the train both times). 

Safe to say, I was not happy with the first chap. He seemed quite happy there wasn't a space for me, weirdly.


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## Blue Hills (1 Aug 2017)

That was the Indian call centre I presume.

It's **** awful - dysfunctional is the only word for it.

Not a racist comment - it's the fault of Virgin management. It's a continuing disgrace.

I had a similar but far far worse experience recently - won't bore you with the details.
Next time I need a bike booked on a virgin train I'm pedalling up to Euston, checking trains online with my tablet then walking up to the desk to try to book the bike that way. No online booking - disgrace. Call centre worse than useless. So I'm going back to 1984, with the added benefit of free wifi.


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## itchybeard (1 Aug 2017)

With Virgins, use the extra ticket they give you to put on the bike somewhere. Not always needed. 
Tell the platform personnel to where your going, he will tell the driver as your loading, he may come out and unlock the door instead. 
When nearing your stop, knock on the drivers door, he will open the door for you.


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## Blue Hills (1 Aug 2017)

isn't knocking on the door of someone driving many tons of steel a tad unwise/unthoughtful?

I thought that strictly you weren't allowed to pass from the train to that bit between stops though I tend to pop my head in as we approach to 1: check that my bike is there (unlikely that it would be nicked), 2: check that there are no complications with other cyclists getting on and off.


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## Crackle (1 Aug 2017)

Just sent son1 off to London on a Virgin train with bike. No real problem apart from having to wait a minute while someone with a key turned up to open the door. He merely asked if the bike was booked and where it was getting off.


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## ColinJ (1 Aug 2017)

Blue Hills said:


> Relax colin. You've done the difficult bit -getting the bike booked with virgin - it can be a total pig's ear nightmare.
> ...
> Have a good trip.
> 
> *Loaded touring?*


Nope - I am visiting my older sister in Coventry. After a couple of days I am off to Leighton Buzzard to visit my younger sister. That looks like a pleasant 103 km ride so I will cycle down unless the weather is foul. On Saturday I will be doing a 106 km forum ride from LB. Family party on the Sunday.

I had intended to return on Monday but left it too late booking my ticket. It would have cost more 2nd class than 1st so I am coming back on Tuesday instead, saving £18.

The Cross Country train down was fine. There were 2 bike compartments at the end of coach D. One compartment had spaces for 2 reserved bikes. The other for 1 unreserved bike. Each space has a rubber-covered hook to hang the bike from, with a bracket below to restrict movement of the other wheel. It is a fairly reasonable system but there is still the possibility of the bike swinging about so I used my bungee cord to prevent that.

Mine was the only bike for half the journey and I could see it from seat in coach D. 2 other cyclists got on and off between Manchester and Birmingham.

No tandems allowed on Cross Country Trains!

I took a few photos. I'll see if I can shrink and crop them on my phone ...


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## shirokazan (1 Aug 2017)

@ColinJ On Virgin Pendolino trains, coach A is at the northern end of the train. Unless it's in reverse formation (occasionally happens).


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## ColinJ (1 Aug 2017)

shirokazan said:


> @ColinJ On Virgin Pendolino trains, coach A is at the northern end of the train. Unless it's in reverse formation (occasionally happens).


Thanks. What if it is traveling across the country ...? 

CCT bike storage:


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## toffee (1 Aug 2017)

ColinJ said:


> Thanks. What if it is traveling across the country ...?
> 
> CCT bike storage:
> 
> ...



Looks good.
However the only time we have taken our bikes on a Virgin train, taking the panniers and bags off was a pain, just to hang them up. Much better if you could just wheel them on.


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## ColinJ (1 Aug 2017)

toffee said:


> Looks good.
> However the only time we have taken our bikes on a Virgin train, taking the panniers and bags off was a pain, just to hang them up. Much better if you could just wheel them on.


They have wheel-in compartments on some of my local trains. The problem with those is that it can be difficult to get a second bike in because they are not wide enough. I think the rail companies should ask cyclists to check proposed designs _before_ they are put into production!


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## Wobblers (1 Aug 2017)

Bazzer said:


> @ColinJ have you a seat reservation in the carriage which takes the bikes?
> The last time I booked (by telephone), which was a couple of weeks ago I did ask for a seat in the bike carriage, but when I collected the tickets I was seated 5 coaches away. The station ticket staff then had to move my seat reservation.



On Virgin West Coast, the bike spaces are at the front of coach A assuming it's a Pendolino train. That's the quiet zone - so if you reserve a seat on the quiet zone you're guaranteed to have a reserved seat on the right carriage. Coach A is usually the furtherest forward if you're travelling north - though occasionally as @shirokazan's said the train arrives in reverse formation so the bike spaces are at the back. It's best to check with the platform staff beforehand so that you can position yourself at the right bit of the platform before the train arrives. (I've done this before - you can tell, can't you?)


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## L Q (1 Aug 2017)

Been to Inverness from York twice with Virgin East coast, once with reservation and once without as I forgot to book it but rung the call center and they couldn't modify my ticket but to take the bike anyway.

Got the bike on at York ok with a bit of blagging and at Newcastle I heard the guard asking for the person with the bike in the storage area to make themselves known so sheepishly made myself known and he said where is my reservation, I then said I had called the contact center and he just said they do it all the time and no one ever passes a message on anyway. He only wanted to know how far the bike was going as some stations are too short to open the guards door.

I wasted 60 mins making that call as I could have just blagged it anyway and got away with it.


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## KneesUp (1 Aug 2017)

L Q said:


> Been to Inverness from York twice with Virgin East coast, once with reservation and once without as I forgot to book it but rung the call center and they couldn't modify my ticket but to take the bike anyway.
> 
> Got the bike on at York ok with a bit of blagging and at Newcastle I heard the guard asking for the person with the bike in the storage area to make themselves known so sheepishly made myself known and he said where is my reservation, I then said I had called the contact center and he just said they do it all the time and no one ever passes a message on anyway. He only wanted to know how far the bike was going as some stations are too short to open the guards door.
> 
> I wasted 60 mins making that call as I could have just blagged it anyway and got away with it.


This made me wonder - presumably you got it on at York with no reference to the staff, and obviously you took it all the way to Inverness. But what happens if you get the unreserved space and someone else is in a booked space, and then at Newcastle two people get on with booked spaces? 

The system seems very hit and miss and stressful for the staff and the customer. Bikes and trains go together - if I were to start a tour in the UK I'd like to think I'd get the train there, but the more I read about the actual mechanics of doing it and the stress involved, the more likely it is I'll drive. Especially as doing so is often cheaper.


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## snorri (1 Aug 2017)

User3094 said:


> I've only done it once, but here's what it looks like on a Virgin train to That There London....
> You plonk it in there and then go find your seat, quite straightforward.



Beginners luck.


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## L Q (2 Aug 2017)

KneesUp said:


> This made me wonder - presumably you got it on at York with no reference to the staff, and obviously you took it all the way to Inverness. But what happens if you get the unreserved space and someone else is in a booked space, and then at Newcastle two people get on with booked spaces?
> 
> The system seems very hit and miss and stressful for the staff and the customer. Bikes and trains go together - if I were to start a tour in the UK I'd like to think I'd get the train there, but the more I read about the actual mechanics of doing it and the stress involved, the more likely it is I'll drive. Especially as doing so is often cheaper.


That's exactly what happened, When I loaded my bike at York there was only one bike on the train, at Newcastle 2 more come on so that was one more than should have been on, yes my one was that one.

Any way they sorted it as there is loads of room but I did mention to the member of staff at York but all they was interested in was getting the train away on time so I had to walk through the length of the train as soon as the bike was loaded as they wouldn't let me walk down the platform to my carriage.


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## KneesUp (2 Aug 2017)

L Q said:


> When I loaded my bike at York there was only one bike on the train, at Newcastle 2 more come on so that was one more than should have been on, yes my one was that one.





User13710 said:


> ... I tried to board an earlier train. The guard wouldn't let me though - he knew exactly how many bikes he had booked on, and told me that although there was a space now it would be filled by someone further along the line.


The fact that it sometimes works properly and sometimes doesn't makes it even more stressful to consider unless you book a place and start at the beginning of the route (so non-booked bikes aren't in the spaces) and end at the end (so you don't end up on the platform trying to get to the bike carriage as the train leaves).

Our privatised train service is very good at returning profit to shareholders and taking subsidies, but not so good at providing a train service that is a viable alternative for car owners or entirely useful for anyone.


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## LewisLondon (2 Aug 2017)

The most annoying thing is the lack of ability to just click a button online when booking tickets to add a bike. If it was linked to the system, it could at least tell you before you book a ticket if it's feasible or not, rather than relying on call centre staff (not limited to just Virgin trains!)


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## KneesUp (2 Aug 2017)

User said:


> You can if you use the old East Coast Line booking system, which has now been rebranded by Virgin, and through which you can book any rail journey.


I am amused/annoyed that this reveals that the software allows you to book bike tickets with passenger tickets, but the rail companies have chosen that on the whole they'd rather it was as difficult as possible, so haven't bothered to implement it.


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