UKC

I note Abellio's decision to cut the number of bike spaces on its trains to two places. This goes against the initial proposal at time of being given contract. Has anyone else here noted this? It will put paid to many trips to Fort William, Oban, Inverness, etc often th starting point for holiday journeys.

In reply to gilliesp:

Wrap it up in plastic and just say it's an awkward package you are delivering?

In reply to gilliesp:

Have you written to complain? Also, if you just turn up and put the bike on, will they actually do anything?
I spent a year using trains regularly between Stirling and Glasgow, and there were days when we had way more bikes than the official bike spaces, but nothing was said. (obviously with it being a shorter journey, it was maybe easier for them to overlook)

In reply to girlymonkey:

Herald Scotland and an hour of discussion on BBC Radio Scotland last week highlighted problem. Two bikes per train and that's it...no use thinking what happened will continue. Has caused dismay to say least. eg, quote a Herald letter "THE outpouring of protest from travellers everywhere ("Rail chiefs under fire over decision to cut bike spaces", The Herald, March 29, and Letters, March 30 & April 1) exposes Abellio’s cack-handed decision to reduce luggage, pram and bike-carrying capacity on new and refurbished trains for the marketing incoherence it is."
Currently it so happens that I am in frequently in the company of my MP and MSP and will write them on the matter with copy to Abellio. However, Scottish Parliament is in recess until after the May election...so will discuss it with them first. I will remind them that - another borrowed quote - "One of Abellio’s promises in gaining the ScotRail franchise was to make cycling more user-friendly. In producing these new trains, Abellio’s early act is to handicap itself and the cycling public in the carrying inadequacy of its trains.

One of the reasons First ScotRail lost the franchise in April last year was its crassness in customer relations. First ScotRail just didn’t care. Abellio adopts the same corporate behaviour, and doesn’t seem to care either." - Thanks Stephen Gold.
This will be a disaster for cycling in Scotland.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Sorry it took me a while to sink in there. Yes. To that end I now have a bike bag (A4 size folded) that travels with my bike and I use it on buses. Last journey was Glasgow to Oban. However, it certainly takes me 20 min to reassemble it and stow my stuff on it. So, bit of nuisance value but that's maybe the way to go but never as good as wheel on wheel off.

In reply to gilliesp:
Crazy if a deliberate decision. Not going to encourage anyone with a bike to take it on the train. I know folk that have had hit and miss experiences when they have not pre booked a bike. Even leaving a bike at a station is often hard - my local one last time I looked has all the bike lockers permanently shut with individual padlocks even when they are empty.

Maybe trying to stop commuters with bikes, but how are families to cope on a day out - with bikes and or prams. Are they expecting prams to be pre booked also?

Bring back the guards carriage that I remember from my youth!

In reply to gilliesp:

Well, it sounds like you have the right connections to hopefully get something done.
I can't understand why they stopped using the old bike carriages where you could hang 6 bikes from ceiling hooks. They were the best system as far as I could see.
The latest trains, where a bike space is also a wheelchair space, is a rubbish solution for everyone. If I saw someone in a wheelchair at the station, I used to hope that they weren't on my train, which is not nice!

In reply to Climbing Pieman:

You get the original Abellio ScotRail Cycle Innovation Plan (CIP) here... http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S4_InfrastructureandCapitalInvestmentComm...

This sounds good...
2.5 Improving cycle facilities and services on trains
2.5.1 Our strategy
Our overall long term strategy in the Netherlands has been to reduce the pressure on cycle
spaces on board trains by investing in better storage facilities at stations and encouraging
regular cyclists to either join our Bike & Go scheme for their onward journeys or maintain a
second bike at their destination stations. We intend to replicate this successful approach on
ScotRail.
The current on-train policy will be preserved to accommodate customers with cycles during
peak (where practical) and off-peak periods and that we meet the storage requirements
within the ITT. Also, we will continue the cycle rescue service. We will ensure that all
employees involved are trained in cycle capacity procedures and how to provide additional
ad-hoc spaces where there is demand and the opportunity. In our HSTs, which will be
deployed on the key InterCity routes commencing December 2018, there will be space for at
least 12 cycles in the former luggage compartment in the motor vans.

However if this 2 bikes per train is a start it would seem that all is not as seems. Cycling bodies are up in arms at the prospect. See... http://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/letters/14401347.Another_broken_promi...

I merely raise it here on this forum as I percieve this to be a retrograde direction Abellio are taking us...which will catch many of us out and as such should be resisted. A real bad dream/ culture change for us West Highland line users. Might need a campaign? As I said I will raise it in various quarters.

In reply to gilliesp:

Best not plan any cycling trips in Scotland then.

In reply to Orgsm:

If it is truly as reported and discussed you would need to book early. Almost an April First joke. Unbelievable considering Holland and rest of Europe's welcome attitude to bikes on trains. If you read their pdf you'll see they want a profit from bike hire at stations and possibly storage. There's lots on supporting infrastructure and cooperation with other hire schemes....

2.2.2 Working alongside other cycle hire schemes.
Existing privately-run cycle hire operations at locations such as Blair Atholl, Inverness, Oban
and Fort William will be invited to become part of our wider network.

In reply to gilliesp:

its rather ridiculous, goes against the whole sustainable travel idea and will just encourage more people to drive, or stop cycling... nether is a good outcome!

In reply to gilliesp:

Or just cycle elsewhere where I don't need to have everything booked and fixed in stone months ahead. Somewhere like Austria or Italy where you have dedicate carriages for carrying your bike and you can just turn up.

In reply to gilliesp:

For anyone who has dealt with Abellio elsewhere in the UK not really a surprise.

In reply to KevinD:

Thought I'd let someone else say that first. God awful in the S.E.

D

In reply to gilliesp:
Take off the wheels and it is then classed as luggage. Its true

In reply to goatee:


Is this luggae thing true or just a piss-take? Genuinely can't tell but would be good if you could clarify as there are three of us travelling up to Inverness by train to do the North Coast 500 at the end of May - and it looks like one of us might have to get another train...

Shocking!

Aye,
Davie

In reply to gilliesp:

December 2017 is when the West Highland line will change from current cycle provision - six I think - down to two per train. Source - Spokes.