Scotrail have announced that there is new rolling stock on the North Berwick & Dunbar, one result of this will be to reduce the number of bicycle places from 6 to 2 per train, this is really bad news and will cause significant problems. The last time I used this service (a couple of months ago) there were 10 bikes on the train.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
Reduction in service to N Berwick & Dunbar
(20 posts)-
Posted 14 years ago #
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Spokes lobbied. I wrote several letters. So did others.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Is this -
"
Tip: when the train pulls into your station, look out for small white triangles above the driver’s cab which tells you that the cycle storage is within that car (see pic). If you can’t see it, then move down to the rear car."
new for these trains - or have I just never noticed??
Posted 14 years ago # -
White triangles!? Was a bike pictogram too much trouble? It's this sort of thing that drives me nuts - how is anyone meant to know this indicates the location of bike storage?
Posted 14 years ago # -
reduce the number of bicycle places from 6 to 2 per train,
More cars? Build more roads.
More bikes on trains? Reduce spaces to one third of what it was and let them fight it out.Another way to control demand is raise ticket prices above inflation. Business success is within sight! Alan Sugar would approve!
Posted 14 years ago # -
White triangles!? Was a bike pictogram too much trouble?
Well it's quite obvious that the bike pictogram is for people looking for the carriage in which to store their large, white triangles.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Pretty OK for Strida owners I'd say.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Reduction in service to N Berwick & Dunbar
Describing Scotrail's offering to Dunbar as a "service" is stretching things a little bit.
There was also a thread somewhere about the (possible) intercity replacement trains and how they (possibly) might have less bicycle provision than the current offerings.
Posted 14 years ago # -
More bikes on trains? Reduce spaces to one third of what it was and let them fight it out.
Unfortunately, that is pretty much the railway planning mentality. Railways cover their costs only in extremely rare cases. Increasing capacity is an expensive business, so better to price passengers off the busy services than to pay more to make additional trains/seats available.
Why this approach isn't applied to roads (which provide no income at all) is unclear...
Posted 14 years ago # -
PS - yes agree. When people on roads talk about congestion charging I always remind them that the railway has been doing this for years.
That and the odd thing where a single journey is sold at 90% of the price of a return - just because... I don't know. Media aren't interested either and are fairly supine about a whole lot of archaic practices.
They have got better, but on the day if you purchase a ticket you'll pay for your lack of planning (aka internet access)
I 'love' the way they work out stuff.
In other countries journeys are on a strict per km charge.Posted 14 years ago # -
I've always assumed singles are most of the cost of returns in case selling all of one journey's availability as singles then prevents any returns being sold of which that journey is the outward part.
Then again, once my sister managed to buy a return from London to Edinburgh as five singles to make it cheaper than the return.
Posted 14 years ago # -
I do that a lot. My parents are in Huddersfield and it's generally cheaper for me to buy four singles - Edinburgh - Newcastle or York or Leeds - Huddersfield and Huddersfield - Leeds or York or Newcastle - Edinburgh than it is to buy a return, even though I'm using exactly the same trains at the same times. It's madness.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Ah the joys of the rail settlement plan. It was worse when I worked for VT with the old toc specific tix and singles being 99% of the price of returns now at least you can mix and match between the level of cheapness available instead of getting the dearest fair because it's all that was available coming back.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Is true that there are some very cheap singles available but you do need to research.
Last time I went to Newcastle it was £27 return using two singles. Going up to Pitlochry recently was the same price (and time) but half the distance.
Posted 14 years ago # -
The triangles also indicate the end of the train which is nearest to the wheelchair spaces, so they serve more than just cyclists as information.
'Bike space = 5 tip-up seats and sloping seat backs - plus 2 wheelchair bays plus section by accessible toilet entirely tip-up seating.
Bike area should take at least 5 bikes in herringbone stack Picture of TPE (Siemens also) with 4 tip-up seats and 5 bikes
(I'll post to chdot as it seems a bit of a phaff to load it just now)
Scotrail has I gather adopted FGW and FCC policy of staff discretion to take bikes in door vestibules on opposite side to platforms, and cyclists stand with bikes, but with wheelchair space and massive tip-up seated provision by accessible toilet (below Pantograph)
FCC had to stop bikes on one train though all 242 seats filled and standing and 15 bikes (~2 per doorway) and 8 folding bikes - 4 coaches, the limit for the platforms on this line.
But counting - 8 bikes and how many total passengers?
Anyone using the Scotrail Glasgow-Edinburgh services via Carstairs using N Berwick trains?
Posted 14 years ago # -
The Dutch actually look at cycle-rail as a complete product with various options for delivery - they built parking for cycles when the space on trains was reduced but did this with a clear focus on delivering the same experience and minimising the low value time spent waiting for the train or waiting for a bus/taxi when you get off the train, - the key areas where cycle-rail-cycle delivers a faster journey.
Options, beyond personal bike parking, could be the Dutch-style OV-Fiets where you hire a bike for around £2/day that you collect instantly on leaving the station (staffed counter or automated dispenser) and keep at work until you catch the train home, or the folding bike hire scheme which could be operated from a staffed reception counter - like the Scotrail on on Platform 14 , or an automated hire point. Costings for this are around £4/day or you keep the bike out continuously and the rate drops to under £2/day after 3 weeks. For both systems there is a basic 'subscription' for an activated smart card.
Posted 14 years ago # -
I have seen these in use now and they have the normal blue back ground and white cycle signs on the doors of the carrages which have spaces. I understand they may be both diesel and electric?? I've only seen them in use on rails with overhead lines.
Dave C
Posted 14 years ago # -
Class 380 is only 25KV electric 3 or 4 coaches (4 for N Berwick and 7-coach trains for Ayrshire).
Posted 14 years ago # -
Came back from North Berwick on a train with 6 bikes in our compartment (our four - including tandem - plus one who got on with us, plus one who got on at a later station). At least one other in another carriage.
Guard seemed totally unconcerned, even though I don't think we were in a 'cycle space' - no signs on doors, and only wheelchair signs inside, no mention of bikes. are there any bike-specific spaces on those?
We can't complain - ticket machine in station wasn't working, so we were told to buy on board (train was waiting as we came in, so we were grateful for this), and then guard's machine wasn't working, so we all travelled free.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'm regularly on the NB train with bike and its often over-biked. I've never witnessed an issue with train staff. I think the record I've seen is 14 bikes!
Posted 9 years ago #
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