Bike Signs on Trains

[scragend]

It's one thing I do stress a bit about, not being able to see which end of the train is the bike end. I find standing at the incoming end of the platform best, so the entire train has to come past you as it comes in. If the bike area is at the front of the train you'll see it as it goes past, and you can start moving down to the other end while the train is still coming to a stop. Admittedly trains in the South East are a lot longer than the ones up here, so that may be less practical!

Asking the station staff where to stand is all well and good, unless you're at one of the many stations with no staff, or none on the platforms at least!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It’s a shoot situation isn’t it? Treated as an afterthought.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

It evens out though, where you're somewhere more remote there may be no staff, but it's likely only a 4 or 6 car train so you can use the "spot It as it passes" gambit. And you can scoot along the quiet platform fairly easily.
On the other hand, when it's going to be a 12 car monster coming through a busier station, there is nearly always a staff member (often 2) to help with wheelchairs and to signal the train off.

 

[Jenkins]

With the newer trains on the Greater Anglia Suffolk/Norfolk/Cambridgeshire network, the cycle carriage is either the first or last one depending on the direction of travel and is marked by a large green stripe over the access door. There's also one or two of the units with a dirty great big bike symbol covering the whole window. Each is only three or four carriages long so the bike area is easy to find and they take up to 6 bikes on a first come, first served basis.

With the Norwich - London Intercity 12 car units, the bike carriage is always car 'D' and the two stations I've used (Ipswich & Diss) have signs on the platfiorms where car 'D' stops so cyclists know where to wait. These alo take up to 6 bikes, but spaces need to be pre-booked.

Edited to add that for anyone travelling by Greater Anglia, they've a page that shows the layout of all the various trains on the network - https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/newtrains

 

[Biker man]

With the newer trains on the Greater Anglia Suffolk/Norfolk/Cambridgeshire network, the cycle carriage is either the first or last one depending on the direction of travel and is marked by a large green stripe over the access door. There's also one or two of the units with a dirty great big bike symbol covering the whole window. Each is only three or four carriages long so the bike area is easy to find and they take up to 6 bikes on a first come, first served basis.

With the Norwich - London Intercity 12 car units, the bike carriage is always car 'D' and the two stations I've used (Ipswich & Diss) have signs on the platfiorms where car 'D' stops so cyclists know where to wait. These alo take up to 6 bikes, but spaces need to be pre-booked.

Edited to add that for anyone travelling by Greater Anglia, they've a page that shows the layout of all the various trains on the network - https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/newtrains

Thanks.

 

[NorthernDave]

Up here it's less of a problem. No matter how busy the route, very few of Northern's services have more than 3 coaches and most only have two.
The bike spaces are first come first served, but (pre-Covid) were likely to be occupied by standing passengers.

 

[Biker man]

Up here it's less of a problem. No matter how busy the route, very few of Northern's services have more than 3 coaches and most only have two.
The bike spaces are first come first served, but (pre-Covid) were likely to be occupied by standing passengers.

Thanks Dave yes it's busy stations that it is difficult.

 

[Glow worm]

Luckily, on the line I use the most between Ely and King's Lynn, there is space for a bike in each vestibule so plenty of room and no booking required. The doors open on the same side at each station too, so as long as you know which side the platforms are going to be on, no chance of your bike falling out onto the platform at a station!

I have often run up and down the platform on other lines looking for the half inch high bike sign on a door. I think the train staff like it that way as it gives them a good laugh as a flustered cyclist runs to the back of the train where the guard joyfully tells you the bike storage is 8 carriages up at the front.

 

[Biker man]

Luckily, on the line I use the most between Ely and King's Lynn, there is space for a bike in each vestibule so plenty of room and no booking required. The doors open on the same side at each station too, so as long as you know which side the platforms are going to be on, no chance of your bike falling out onto the platform at a station!

I have often run up and down the platform on other lines looking for the half inch high bike sign on a door. I think the train staff like it that way as it gives them a good laugh as a flustered cyclist runs to the back of the train where the guard joyfully tells you the bike storage is 8 carriages up at the front.

Exactly it's not funny when you have to get a connection after luckily I haven't been since the lockdown not looking forward to it.

 

[Hover Fly]

Some TP Express (185 class) have yellow on the coupling at one end, bike spaces are at the other end.

 

[mjr]

Greater Anglia do have dedicated bike spaces, but can only take four non-folding bikes per service. They're not pre-booked, so it's first come, first served.

6 bookable spaces on most Norwich-Ipswich-London routes. 6 now on all other Norwich and Ipswich routes. 18 on Stansted Express despite being banned! 4-8 on London commuter services to Cambridge, Ipswich and Essex. Website a confusing mess on this but their green stripe on the train side is possibly the clearest marking in the UK and should be adopted by all.

 

[Biker man]

6 bookable spaces on most Norwich-Ipswich-London routes. 6 now on all other Norwich and Ipswich routes. 18 on Stansted Express despite being banned! 4-8 on London commuter services to Cambridge, Ipswich and Essex. Website a confusing mess on this but their green stripe on the train side is possibly the clearest marking in the UK and should be adopted by all.

Green stripe I always look for a bike sign that should be larger in my opinion.