[Closed] The TdF in Yorkshire and trains

Sounds very logical to me, I always thought bikes were for riding, not putting on trains !

Plus where would people sit if trains were full of bikes ?

Very sensible decision IMO

Roads closing at 5 am is going to make getting from leeds to Harrogate an early start.

Roads will be open for bikes I'd assume. Always are when I watch it on the tv.

It is sensible advice, I'm staying out in Colton for the weekend and plannin to take the family in on the train, I'm guessing I won't be the only one

I thought it illustrated our rail systems complete inability to deal with bikes at any time let alone a period when a huge increase in traffic could be expected. Why can't there be room for passengers and bikes without one impinging on the other?

Roads are open for bikes until about an hour to half an hour before the publicity caravan is due. I think a section of road will get closed at a time rather than it being a rolling closure hence the varying time.

As for the trains - well the commuter trains have space for just two, yes two, bikes per train - they can fit a few more on some of the carriages in use but it's more down to the benevolence of the guard even at off-peak times. A bike takes up quite a bit of room and given the forecast numbers it's going to be standing room only even with all the extra capacity they are providing. Many of the platforms at the smaller stations are only long enough for 4 carriages so it's simply not possible to hook up another carriage to increase capacity. And can you imagine just what confusion there'd be if there was a guards van with a hundred bikes stacked inside and there's only 90 seconds to get them all out?

Much as I'd like there to be extra provision for bikes on public transport, in this instance it simply isn't practical.

Sensible decision by Northern Rail on this one, much as it pains me to say it.

Even if they stuck a guard van on the back of every service, the sheer quantity of bikes turning up could fill that twice over, let alone the chaos at Skipton or Ilkley when they all try to pile out. The only option is to say no bikes at all so that hundreds of riders don't turn up at Leeds with the expectation of getting anywhere.

At risk of sounding like a train geek the fact is that there isn't the capacity for more bikes. These trains are fixed units. You can't just stick a guards van on the back. And there's no longer such a thing. There are no spare units or coaches so without a big investment there is no more space. The only solution would therefore be to convert passenger accommodation to bike. The trains are full and struggling already.

The Leeds Harrogate line struggles at the best of times. It will be crowded on TdF weekend. There just won't be any space for bikes

There's also the cost (to the train operating companies) of adding what would effectively be an empty piece of rolling stock to a train, they simply can't afford to do it. The number of bike places assigned to a train is the number that on *average* are likely to be filled. Most trains will have no bikes and a few will have more than the reserved places. On routes like the West Highland Line there are six bike slots which you need to reserve in advance as it's popular with cyclists heading out to the islands.

The number of bike racks/spaces will have been based on projections - if more people start to ride bikes to a station, take the train then ride on to their destination then it will be noticed and the number will increase. Unless there is demand the TOCs won't change things.

There had been rumours at work that on certain lines they would be removing all the seats from one car and having them as special bike trains over the weekend. Not happening now. It's not going to be fun on the trains, glad I've booked the weekend off!

The same situation occurs when the London to Brighton bike ride takes place.
The high demand for places would just be unmanageable, so the only sensible solution is to impose a blanket ban for that day.
I agree that provision for cycles on trains is woeful, but the sheer volume involved in events such as the TDF could mot be handled in any way at all by the,trains.
People will simply have to get to a sensible close point by car or public transport, then ride the rest.

I caught a train in 2011 when I was commuting from Edinburgh to Kirkcaldy. I rode part way, train the rest. For the Edinburgh festival they put on extra trains, the one I got was an extra to the schedule hauled by a class 47 with an empty parcels carriage.

Why they aren't doing that I have no idea, but northern rail are exceptionally tight with rolling stock, they have easily the most outdated fleet in the country.

I dunno why but I'm picturing a train station packed full of families eager to get out into the country to see the grande depart and then coming waddling down the track is a single carriage train. It always seems that when you really need the train service to be on time and with adequate provision this is when it lets you down, never rely on rail transport in the UK.

to be fair to the rail companies they have said they will put on extra trains and Northern Rail are even hiring rolling stock from other areas of the country to extend capacity as much as they can.

Local TV last night they said they are putting on extra express trains from Leeds to Harrogate but I would expect them to all be busy ... especially right after the departure from the Headrow