Bikes on Virgin trains

[LewisLondon]

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.

 

[Blue Hills]

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.

 

[itchybeard]

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.

 

[Blue Hills]

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.

 

[Crackle]

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.

 

[ColinJ]

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 ...

 

[shirokazan]

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

 

[ColinJ]

@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:

 

[toffee]

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

CCT bike storage:

View attachment 365613

View attachment 365612

View attachment 365611

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.

 

[ColinJ]

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!

 

[Wobblers]

@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?)

 

[L Q]

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.

 

[KneesUp]

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.

 

[snorri]

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.

 

[L Q]

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.