The most relevant clause from the franchise agreement is probably Schedule 1.4, paragraph 9.1: “The Franchisee shall, so far as is reasonably practical and subject to the availability of appropriate space on any rolling stock vehicles in the Train Fleet, ensure that reasonable facilities for the transport of bicycles on such rolling stock vehicles are made available, to passengers using the Passenger Services….”.
Please be assured that we are fully committed to supporting cycling and we’ve installed more cycle parking at our stations, so it's easier for customers to leave their cycle securely before catching the train. Another example is Bike & Go where it’s possible at 12 stations across Scotland to rent a cycle for a fee and then drop it back later. We regularly receive positive feedback on our Social Media channels from cyclists in relation to their experience when travelling with ScotRail, though of course we’re always looking at how we can improve the experience going forward.
You’ve asked for capacity details for each class of train and I’ve listed these below for each train unit:
Class 156: 6
Class 158: 2 or 4 depending on train unit
Class 170: 2
Class 314: 0 (being retired)
Class 318: 2
Class 320: 2
Class 380: 2
Class 385: 2
High Speed Trains (Classic): 2
High Speed Trains (Refurbs): 2 (increasing to a minimum of 4 once retro-fitting is complete)
I note one of your constituents feels we’ve cut spaces on our trains but that’s incorrect. On the inter-city routes where 170s operate (and where High Speed Trains (HST) are replacing them), 2 spaces are currently available per unit. It's true there’s another rack on the 170s (in an area intended for wheelchair users) but this is unadvertised and unbookable. On these trains, wheelchair users must be given priority and cyclists will be respectfully asked to move their cycles to the vestibule area. Since cycle reservations are compulsory on the routes in question, this means the effective number of spaces is 2 on Class 170s. The position with the refurbed HSTs is that they are currently being delivered with 2 cycle spaces within the carriages. A further 2 spaces will be retro-fitted in the future so in the long term cycle spaces will increase from 2 to at least 4.
Currently we are not operating the power car cycle storage on either the Classic or refurbed InterCity trains but we are continuing to review this. As soon as more information is available, we’ll keep you updated.
We’re also progressing plans to introduce designated carriages for bikes and large sporting equipment to Scotland’s scenic railways on the West Highland Line. These carriages would carry up to 20 bikes to support existing services, providing customers with more seats and luggage space as well as an improved food and drink service and toilet facilities. The trains will also support winter sports in Scotland during the winter months. It is hoped that these carriages would be rolled out in the coming years.
You raised the question about prioritisation and I can advise some services require a cycling space to be reserved and this information is on our website:
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/cycling/bikes-trains. Where it’s not possible to book a space then spaces are given on a first come first served basis.
