Irish Rail + bicycles

g0g

Traveling to Cork with bike next month by rail. I gather many Cork trains have a separate area from your carriage for bikes. Can anyone tell me:
1 Is it secured? Do I need to bring a lock? (really don't want to)
2 Which end of train (Cork bound) is the carriage with bike storage? (I want to at least be nearby)
3 If it's a train with storage within each carriage can it be either end of carriage?
Thanks

brocbrocach

1. it's not secured. To be honest I needed the lock I brought just to make sure the bike stayed on the rack.
2. I think it's next to engine.
3. Don't know. Think your assigned a specific seat which has space next to it - also can be used by a wheelchair.

Weepsie

Threads merged. Please try searching as this is a commonly asked question


It's near the first class carriage. Luggage/Bikes > First Class > Food > Standard Carriages

CramCycle

When your booking, when you get to the part to book a seat you can see where the bike storage is. Occasionally they put the wrong carriage on but it's rare.

g0g

Weepsie wrote: »

Threads merged. Please try searching as this is a commonly asked question


It's near the first class carriage. Luggage/Bikes > First Class > Food > Standard Carriages

Thanks yeah I actually did browse the forum earlier as I remembered the thread but it was on my mobile and it didn't jump out so I started new thread. Nice job on merging it, can find what I need now!

g0g

CramCycle wrote: »

When your booking, when you get to the part to book a seat you can see where the bike storage is. Occasionally they put the wrong carriage on but it's rare.

So I just did a sample booking on a train that included bike space and the top of each carriage is a picture of luggage. Is that the space in this case then? I would have thought this might be a setup with a lower level and an upper shelf around waist height or so which might not be suitable for bikes?

CramCycle

g0g wrote: »

So I just did a sample booking on a train that included bike space and the top of each carriage is a picture of luggage. Is that the space in this case then? I would have thought this might be a setup with a lower level and an upper shelf around waist height or so which might not be suitable for bikes?

If the bikes are stored in the carriage, you will see a bike symbol I'm the space where the bikes go. It might only be on one or two carriages so you might have to click through them. If you don't see it, I presume it's a separate luggage carriage like happens on some routes.

Carawaystick

Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »

So, this is what I had to "secure" my bike to on this mornings Cork to Heuston service. Not even a bike section on-board (usually they have just 2 places anyway)



Appalling. How can we encourage cycling and mixed use sustainable transport, with this carry on?
.

Looks like loads of room for others to bring bikes on the train. Can't see the issue. Enterprise is the same.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Carawaystick wrote: »

Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »

So, this is what I had to "secure" my bike to on this mornings Cork to Heuston service. Not even a bike section on-board (usually they have just 2 places anyway)



Appalling. How can we encourage cycling and mixed use sustainable transport, with this carry on?
.

Looks like loads of room for others to bring bikes on the train. Can't see the issue. Enterprise is the same.

There is nothing to secure the bikes to. Unless you bring a bungee cable, or have a long cable lock. Even then, the bike mostly still falls over during the journey.

Weepsie

Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »

There is nothing to secure the bikes to. Unless you bring a bungee cable, or have a long cable lock. Even then, the bike mostly still falls over during the journey.

I've used this carriagie quite a lot. Bike has never fallen over once

smacl

CramCycle wrote: »

When your booking, when you get to the part to book a seat you can see where the bike storage is. Occasionally they put the wrong carriage on but it's rare.

Wrong carriage about half the time in my experience (not Cork route), and booked bike space occupied by other bikes (also booked) on my last trip. Still always managed to get the bike on, but a bit chaotic as often as not. Had to take the wheels off once and stick it the baggage area by the toilets which is a reasonable fall-back plan.

CramCycle

smacl wrote: »

Wrong carriage about half the time in my experience (not Cork route), and booked bike space occupied by other bikes (also booked) on my last trip. Still always managed to get the bike on, but a bit chaotic as often as not. Had to take the wheels off once and stick it the baggage area by the toilets which is a reasonable fall-back plan.

It has happened to me once or twice, on one occasion the Galway train had racks on every carriage but all of them were overflowing with bikes and luggage. Train was so cramped the ticket collector didn't even bother coming down. I was dutifully informed by other users this was the common capacity for that train

LollipopJimmy

Weepsie wrote: »

I've used this carriagie quite a lot. Bike has never fallen over once

Same

hanifanze

Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »

So, this is what I had to "secure" my bike to on this mornings Cork to Heuston service. Not even a bike section on-board (usually they have just 2 places anyway)

Staff: "they don't usually fall over!"

Appalling. How can we encourage cycling and mixed use sustainable transport, with this carry on?



PS: yes, that's an old bike tube that's wrapped around my bike to attempt to secure it somewhat - it was left on the train...

I've had to stand with my bike a few times on the Sligo train because other passengers mistook the bike area as somewhere they could store oversized suitcases ( despite reserving the bike slot in advance ).

Weepsie

hanifanze wrote: »

I've had to stand with my bike a few times on the Sligo train because other passengers mistook the bike area as somewhere they could store oversized suitcases ( despite reserving the bike slot in advance ).

I'd have no qualms removing luggage there. I've had staff remove it on that train too, now it wasn't so busy these times, but they actually cared that people who had booked a particular thing should get it.

smacl

Weepsie wrote: »

I'd have no qualms removing luggage there. I've had staff remove it on that train too, now it wasn't so busy these times, but they actually cared that people who had booked a particular thing should get it.

Same, I find the staff are always helpful. They could actually do with some signage on the racks in large red letters saying the bike racks are for bikes only.

Mercian Pro

Weepsie wrote: »

With some careful placement, those racks can fit 5 bikes. You kind of need to be all travelling together though and getting off at the same stop

Three of us were on the 7.00am Sligo train this morning with bikes and had no trouble fitting all three in the racks. Brought a couple of short straps to stop them bouncing off each other. Can't really figure out how to fit five! The helpful Spanish girl serving tea and coffee offered to move her trolley from the end lobby if we needed to use it for a bike.

Irish Rail were adamant that they only allow two bikes per train when we enquired yesterday!

LennoxR

I find the old fashioned guard van that they have on the Dublin Cork train to be the best actually. As people are saying. Less messing around than the the racks etc, which can only hold about two bikes whereas the guard van could fit over a dozen bikes easily. It would be better if there was still a guard van on all trains imo.

De Bhál

when you book a slot for your bike, is there something to lock it too as I'd worry someone might walk off with it if I didn't have a constant eye on it?

CramCycle

I put a lock on the wheel but generally sit nearby.

De Bhál

CramCycle wrote: »

I put a lock on the wheel but generally sit nearby.

ok good, there's seats nearby. First time doing this and assumed the bikes were in a separate carriage or something.