Bike on Inter City train.

Seaswimmer

Hi folks.

A family member is travelling to Kilkenny Saturday by train and returning Sunday. He hopes to bring a bike back with him. I can book a return ticket online but cant reserve seats or bike space. Is it just pot luck on sunday whether he can bring the bike on or what is the process to get the bike booked in..

Hilly Bill

Just had a look and you can reserve a seat each way but it doesn't seem to give the option to reserve a bike space. All you do is just bring the bike with you and put it in the bike rack and take your seat.

Seaswimmer

Hilly Bill wrote: »

Just had a look and you can reserve a seat each way but it doesn't seem to give the option to reserve a bike space. All you do is just bring the bike with you and put it in the bike rack and take your seat.

interesting. I couldnt even reserve a seat on the service I was trying. What service was that if you dont mind me asking..

everything is greyed out when i try to select..

Hilly Bill

All services to and from Kilkenny on Saturday and returning on Sunday.

Mint Sauce

Cant book a bike space till you get to the Station, even if it is classed as Intercity Service.

Had a great conversation about this at Connolly once when trying to get my bike on an intercity from there. Even though it was an Intercity Train, on an Intercity Service, I still had to find the inspector to ask his permission, and then queue again at the ticket desk to pay for bike ticket, and then find who owned all the luggage stacked on the bike racks once I got on the train.

Was a huge chance for earlier in the day, when I carried my bike for free on Virgin Rail, and Arriva/Virgin a week earlier. Booked the space a month ealier, rolled up at the station on the day, and put bike on train no questions asked, just showed reservation when asked by the inspector on the train. Allthough reservation was not needed, if more people arrived with bikes, than what there was space for, those with reservations got the space first.

Hilly Bill

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Cant book a bike space till you get to the Station, even if it is classed as Intercity Service.

Had a great conversation about this at Connolly once when trying to get my bike on an intercity from there. Even though it was an Intercity Train, on an Intercity Service, I still had to find the inspector to ask his permission, and then queue again at the ticket desk to pay for bike ticket, and then find who owned all the luggage stacked on the bike racks once I got on the train.

Was a huge chance for earlier in the day, when I carried my bike for free on Virgin Rail, and Arriva/Virgin a week earlier. Booked the space a month ealier, rolled up at the station on the day, and put bike on train no questions asked, just showed reservation when asked by the inspector on the train. Allthough reservation was not needed, if more people arrived with bikes, than what there was space for, those with reservations got the space first.

There used to be an option to book a bike on the web site. Who told you to go an ask an inspector for permission? Its normally a case of going through the barriers with your bike and putting it on the train. Most wouldnt have a ticket for the bike. Shift any luggage blocking the bike racks and their owners will quickly appear .

Mint Sauce

Hilly Bill wrote: »

There used to be an option to book a bike on the web site. Who told you to go an ask an inspector for permission? Its normally a case of going through the barriers with your bike and putting it on the train. Most wouldnt have a ticket for the bike. Shift any luggage blocking the bike racks and their owners will quickly appear .

The guy at the ticket office. Was asked for the ticket then at the gates.

Hilly Bill

Strange as most bikes just go through without being stopped. I cant see why you would have to get permission of an inspector.

JayRoc

Hilly Bill wrote: »

Strange as most bikes just go through without being stopped. I cant see why you would have to get permission of an inspector.

It's Ireland. The rules change depending on which member of staff you happen to talk to

Mint Sauce

Hilly Bill wrote: »

Strange as most bikes just go through without being stopped. I cant see why you would have to get permission of an inspector.

I thought that as well, considering it stated that Bikes were permitted on Intercity services, it was an Intercity service I was getting on, and an Intercity Train at the platform. All this I stated to the clerk.

As since pointed out, it can just depend who you get.

Hilly Bill

Its first come first served with bikes and its best to pay the extra incase someone has already put bikes on and there isnt any more space. In this case you would be able to get the others shifted for yours. The lock up on the inter city train has a bike rack inside it as well if you are stuck, it may be handy as the checker wouldnt look in it .

Seaswimmer

Well he arrived along to Killkenny Sunday afternoon with the bike and enquired at the ticket desk and was told to just go ahead. No fee was charged and there was space in the bike rack so all good..

discus

Hilly Bill wrote: »

Shift any luggage blocking the bike racks and their owners will quickly appear .

I've seen that over here in the UK a fair bit. The polite people who ask "who's luggage is this?" to a carraige get no answer, but the people who start shifting **** elsewhere makes 4/5 people jump out of no where to save their precious cargo!

AngryLips

You can book a bike space online. You go through the booking process as normal and on the page before seat selection you have to indicate that you intend on bringing a bike with you. When it comes to the seat selection page all the seats will appear greyed out, but that's because you need to select the carriage that actually has the bike racks (that carriage is indicated in the train diagram with a bicycle symbol). There should be two seats available to select on this carriage, one with a bicycle symbol and the other with a mobility impaired symbol - you can select either one of these. On the Enterprise or other such service where there is a special carriage for cargo I don't think it's necessary to go through this process as the space for bicycles is not as restricted.