Cycles are carried on the trains of all train companies operating on the National Rail network but each company has its own policy about taking cycles on their trains. This page is a guide to the arrangements for carrying cycles on each company's trains. Full details can be obtained from the individual companies or from the National Rail Enquiry Service 08457 48 49 50 (0845 60 50 600 Minicom). Welsh Speaking Enquiry Line 0845 60 40 500.
The National Rail Enquiry Service operates 24 hours a day and calls are charged at local rates.
For long journeys involving several rail companies, only one booking fee will be charged, but where companies offer different rates, the higher rate will apply. In general, reservations should be made as far in advance as possible.
Compact folding bikes are carried free on most rail, ferry, metro and bus services. It is often advisable to cover your folding bike. For full details, refer to the conditions of carriage for the operator concerned.
[Anglia Railways] [ARRIVA Trains Merseyside] [ARRIVA Trains Northern] [C2C] [Central Trains] [Connex] [Eurostar] [First Great Eastern] [First Great Western] [First North Western] [Gatwick Express][Great North Eastern Railway] [Heathrow Express] [Hull Trains] [Island Line] [Midland Mainline] [ScotRail] [Silverlink Train Services][South Central] [South West Trains] [Thames Trains] [Thameslink Rail] [Valley Lines] [Virgin Trains] [Wales and Borders Trains] [Wessex Trains] [West Anglia Great Northern]
Tel: 0l473 693333 Reservations: 01603 764776 or 01473 693469
London Liverpool Street - Norwich & Harwich International & local services in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire also London Crosslink service.
Anglia railways welcome cycles on all local and mainline services. Up to four cycles accepted on local and Crosslink services and up to six on mainline services. A flat fare of £1.00 per single or return journey is charged on local services and reservations are free. Mainline services cost £3.00 per single journey and reservations are essential. Tandems are only carried on mainline services with inter city type trains.
There are no special restrictions for folding type cycles.
Top
Tel: 0151 702 2071
Local services around Liverpool.
Cycles are carried free of charge at any time space permitting. There are no special restrictions for folding type cycles.
Top
Tel: 0870 602 332 www.arrivatrainsnorthern.co.uk email: customer.services@arrivan.co.uk
Transpennine Express trains that cross the North and local trains in Yorkshire and the North East.
Most trains have space for two cycles. On Transpennine express and Leeds-Settle-Carlisle reservations are strongly recommended; reservation are free. On the following routes cycles cannot be carried during peak hours, Hexham-Sunderland, Darlington-Saltburn, Leeds-Harrogate-York, Beverly-Hull, Hull-York and Hull-Gilberdyke.
Tandems and tricycles are not allowed. There are no special restrictions for folding type cycles.
Top
Tel: 01702 357640
London Fenchurch Street - Southend and Shoeburyness
Welcomes bikes free of charge outside of peak hours. If you plan to travel with a group of more than three cycles, please contact our helpline on 01702 357640.
Tandems and tricycles are not allowed. There are no special restrictions for folding type cycles.
Top
Tel: 0121 654 1200 Reservations 08700 0006060 www.centraltrains.co.uk
Most local and long distance services in central England
welcomes bikes on all long distance and local trains. Up to two bikes are carried free of charge per train. However on long distance trains booking (costing £1.00) is obligatory.
Tandems and tricycles are not allowed. Folding type cycles must be folded and bagged but travel free of charge.
Top
Tel: 08705 165165 www.chilternrailways.co.uk
London Marylebone -Aylesbury & Birmingham Snow Hill
Passengers with bicycles are welcome on Chiltern Railways but we are unable to accommodate bicycles at our busiest times, i.e.0n trains arriving at London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill between 07.45 and 10.00, or trains departing London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill between 16.30 and 19.30 Monday to Friday.
Bicycles are carried free and without reservation.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 08706030405 www.connex.co.uk
London - South East England
Cycles are carried free on all services except those timed to arrive in London between 07.00- 10.00, or depart 16.00- 19.00 Monday to Friday.
At the discretion of on-train staff· cycles may be carried on trains with separate luggage accommodation within these times.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 08705 850850 (Registered Baggage) www.eurostar.com for information
London Waterloo & Ashford International - Paris & Brussels
Passengers can carry bicycles on board provided they are packed in a regulation size bike bag. This bag must be carried as part of the normal luggage allowance and must be clearly labelled and placed on one of the racks in the vestibule. A registered service is also available for those preferring to travel unencumbered at a cost of £20.00 per cycle each way
Eurostar trains do not have traditional baggage or brake vans and therefore cannot accept accompanied bicycles unless they are folded into an acceptable size and are carried in a bag to protect not only other passengers, but also the train environment.
Top
Tel: 08459505000 www.ger.co.uk
e-mail: customer.services@ger.firstgroup.com
London Liverpool Street - Southend Victoria, Colchester & Ipswich
Bicycles and tandems are carried free of charge, except on trains arriving in London between 07.45- 09.45 and departing London between 16.30- 18.30 Monday to Friday. During these hours there are exceptions where older rolling stock. is used allowing cycles to be put in the guard's compartment. These are:
| Morning to Liverpool Street | Evening from Liverpool Street |
| 06.33 and 06.48 from Clacton, | 17.I8 to Ipswich |
| 06.57 and 07.19 from Ipswich, | 17.10 and I 8.02 to Clacton |
| 07.05 from Colchester Town | 17.50 and 18.20 to Witham |
| 07.15 from Southminster |
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 08457 000 125 www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk
London Paddington - Bristol, South Wales, the Cotswolds & the west of England.
Advance reservations are required at £1 per journey. If booking less than an hour in advance the fee is £3 per single journey. Up to six bicycles including one tandem can be carried. On Bristol, Bath - Oxford, Bicester there is no booking or carriage charges.
Top
Tel: 0870 24I 2305 Cycle Reservations: 0845 60 40 23I
e-mail: fnwcustomer.relations@gwt.firscgroup.com
Local services in the North West and North Wales
Cycles are carried free of charge on all services at the discretion of the conductor but space is limited to two cycles per train on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Groups of three or more must phone to enquire about availability.
Longer Distance Services
Reservations are essential on services linking Manchester Airport and Manchester with Blackpool, Barrow, Windermere and North Wales. This also applies to Birmingham to North Wales services. The cycle reservation line above is open from 08.00 to 20.00 on weekdays and from 09.00 to 17.00 at weekends. Reservations can also be made at certain ticket offices. There is a maximum of two cycles per train.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes. Unfortunately, tandems cannot be carried on any First North Western services.
Top
Tel:0990 301530 www.gatwickexpress.co.uk
London Victoria - Gatwick Airport
All Gatwick Express services have a capacious luggage van.
Bicycles travel free at all times, but large groups should book in advance.
Top
Tel: 08457 225 225 (Enquiries & Reservations) www.gner.co.uk
London Kings Cross -Yorkshire - North East England - Scotland
Bicycles are carried free of charge on our trains. Advance reservations are essential. spaces, which are subject to availability, should be reserved at least 24 hours before departure. However to avoid disappointment we recommend booking as early as possible. A maximum of five bicycles are carried per train.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 0845 600 1515 www.heathrowexpress.co.uk
e-mail: info@heathrowexpress.co.uk
London Paddington - Heathrow Airport
Limited accommodation is available for cycles on Heathrow Express services, for passengers flying with their cycles from the airport. Heathrow Express reserves the right to limit the number of cycles conveyed on each train to no more than three at busy times. Cyclists not travelling onwards by air may also use the service to and from Terminal 4 subject to space being available for airline passengers.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 01482215745 Reservations: 01482 606388
London Kings Cross - Grantham, Doncaster, Selby, Borough & Hull
Hull trains welcomes cyclists on all services. Although it is advisable to reserve a space in advance (reservations are free), it is also possible to turn up and travel with your cycle subject to space being available.
There are no special restrictions for folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 01983 562492 Isle of Wight only
A maximum of 4 cycles may be carried in the Shanklin end of all trains at no extra charge. Island Line reserves the right to restrict the carriage of bicycles on any train when the safety and comfort of passengers or the punctuality of the train may be impaired. Implementation of this restriction is at the conductor’s discretion.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 08457 125678 www.midlandmainline.com
e-mail feedback@midlandsmainline.com
London St Pancras - East Midlands - South Yorkshire
Cycle carriage is available on all high speed trains with advance reservation. Each high speed train carries 4 cycles. Turbostar trains carry two cycles during off peak journeys subject to space. It is not possible to reserve space on the Turbostar. A £3.00 charge for a single journey applies to all trains.
Top
Tel: 0845 6015929 Reservations: 08457 550033 www.scotrail.co.uk
Most services in Scotland & London Euston - Scotland sleepers
Cycles are carried free on all ScotRail services, but space is limited. ScotRail aim to provide between two and six spaces on every train, so free reservation is essential on long-distance trains to Inverness, Aberdeen, Stranraer , the West Highlands and the far north. The London to Scotland 'Caledonian Sleeper' carries up to six bikes, but space must be reserved in advance. A special road vehicle will carry cycles between Inverness and Wick/Thurso during the summer of 2002.
Tandems and tri cycles are not permitted.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 01923 207258
Metro: North London local services
County: London Euston - Northampton & Birmingham (local services)
Cycles are carried free of charge on all off-peak services, but on weekdays are not permitted south of Wolverhampton on trains arriving at London Euston between 07.00 - 10.00 or departing from Euston between I 6.00 - I 9.00 ( 16.30 - I 9.00 on Metro services).
Tandems and tricycles are banned at all times, but folding bikes are unrestricted, up to a limit of one per vestibule area at peak times.
Top
London - Surrey, Sussex and South West England
Cycles are carried free of charge on all services except those timed to arrive in London between 07.00 - 10.00 and depart 16.00 - 19.00 Monday to Friday. At the discretion of on-train staff, cycles may be carried on trains with separate luggage accommodation within these times.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 023 8021 3600 Reservations: 0845 6000 650 www.swtrains.co.uk
London Waterloo - South West London and South West England
Bicycles are welcome on many South West Trains' services. For details of services where reservation in necessary please phone the number above. In the suburban area bounded by Dorking, Reading, Woking and Guildford cycles may not be carried on trains timed to arrive in Waterloo between 07.45 - 09.45 or depart between 16.30 - 18.30 Monday to Friday. Cycles are carried on the Ascot - Aldershot - Guildford services at any time. Folding bicycles that fold to a size which allows them to be carried safely in the luggage racks may be carried at any time. free of charge.
Top
TeI: 0l 18 908 3678 e-mail: customer.thames@ems.rail.co.uk
Paddington -West London, Reading, Oxford & Worcester and Stratford-upon-Avon, plus Reading Gatwick Airport
Generally bicycles are carried free and without booking on all trains provided there is room and they do not inconvenience other passengers. Cycles are banned on all trains due to arrive in London Paddington 07.45 - 09.45 or depart 16.30 - 18.30 on weekdays. We regret that cycles cannot be carried on replacement buses during engineering works.
Tandems and tricycles are not permitted.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 020 7620 6333 www.thameslink.co.uk
Bedford - Luton Airport - London- Gatwick - Brighton (Cross London Services)
We are happy to carry bicycles between Bedford and Luton Airport and between Brighton and Gatwick Airport. Elsewhere we cannot carry bikes on trains arriving in London between 07.00 and 10.00 or departing London between 16.30 and 19.30 (Mon - Fri).
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 0845 6061 660 www.valeylines.co.uk
Local services around Cardiff.
Bikes are carried free of charge on Valley Lines trains and no pre-booking is required on a 'space permitting' basis. Some limited restrictions apply during peak hours on services to and from Cardiff. For full details see our 'Cycling By Train' leaflet - to obtain a copy phone 0870 9000 772
Tandems and tricycles are not permitted. There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 08457 222 333 www.virgin.com/trains
Cross Country: Scotland - North - Midlands - South & South West England
CrossCountry services carry up to four bikes with some services carrying up to ten. A £3 advance reservation is required for each single journey. Cycles cannot be carried on certain CrossCountry services notably from Manchester Airport to Scotland and services to Portsmouth. Tandems cannot be carried on Voyager Services. Please check before travelling.
West Coast: London Euston - West Midlands - North Wales - North West England and Scotland
West Coast services carry up to four bikes but a £3 advance reservation is required for each single journey.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 0845 6061 660 Reservations 0870 9000 773
www.walesandborderstrains.co.uk
email: customer.services@walesandborderstrains.co.uk
Alphaline services from Cardiff to West Wales, Manchester, Liverpool, Holyhead, Birmingham, London Waterloo, the West of England, plus local services in South Wales.
Alphaline and other long distance services carry two bicycles with a £3 reservation fee - reduced to £1 if booked at least two hours in advance. On other services cycles are generally carried free of charge without reservation subject to space being available. For full details see our 'Cycling By Train' leaflet - to obtain a copy phone 0870 9000 772.
Tandems and tricycles are not permitted.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 0845 6000 880 Reservations 0870 900 2320
email: customer.services@wessextrains.co.uk
Alphaline services from Cardiff to Portsmouth and Brighton, plus local services in the West of England
Alphaline and other long distance services carry two bicycles with a £3 reservation fee - reduced to £1 if booked at least two hours in advance. On other services cycles are generally carried free of charge without reservation subject to space being available. For full details see our 'Cycling By Train' leaflet - to obtain a copy phone 0870 9000 772.
Tandems and tricycles are not permitted.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
Tel: 0845781819 www.wagnrail.co.uk
email: email@wagnrail.co.uk
London (Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, Moorgate) - Cambridge, Chingford, Enfield, Hertford, Kings Lyn, Peterborough, Stansted Airport, Stevenage & Welwyn Garden City.
We welcome bicycles free of charge on services where they can be accommodated safely. Bicycles are not permitted:
Tandems and tricycles are not permitted.
There are no special restrictions on folding bikes.
Top
greenwheels.co.uk