Eurostar's newbike policy

[maniacmartin]

As per BBC News

Eurostar's new bike storage policy attracts criticism

A planned change in the way Eurostar stores bikes for travel has led to claims it is treating cyclists like "third-class passengers".

Cycling charity CTC made the accusation after the cross-Channel service said it would be storing bikes from 1 November in what is known as a "bike box" - meaning the bike has to be dismantled.

The change would discourage cyclists from using Eurostar, the charity said.

But Eurostar said the new storage method used space more efficiently.
"The only change is that bikes will now need to be carried in a bike box, which we are happy to provide," a Eurostar spokesman said.
"When packaging bikes in this way, they take up less space which means that we can carry more bikes, or any other type of luggage."

'Too difficult'

Currently cyclists can take a bicycle on board and pay a £30 fee for it to be carried via a registered luggage system. The bike is hung on a storage rack by its tyres, and Eurostar estimates that at the moment they have the capacity to take around eight bikes per train.

But from 1 November cyclists will have to dismantle their bikes to put them into a box and reassemble them when they reach their destination.

Eurostar said its staff would be on hand to help cyclists getting bikes into the boxes, and it would accommodate any size bike box if cyclists wanted to bring their own
.
What are the rules for bringing bikes onto other public transport?

Most transport companies allow folding bikes onto their services
Transport for London (TfL) allows folding bikes on all of its London Tube services but only permits non-folded bikes at some stations.
On its buses, folded bikes are allowed at the "driver's discretion".

Train companies' policies on bikes vary: Virgin Trains requires customers to reserve a space for non-folded bikes, while Southern prohibits non-folding bikes on some of its rush-hour services.

Coach companies National Express and Megabus only allow folded bikes, while Stagecoach allows non-folding bikes on a limited number of services.
Airlines tend to permit bikes but usually require them to be packaged in a box or bag and often charge a fee.


Eurostar says bike boxes are a more efficient way of transporting bicycles
But CTC chief executive Paul Tuohy argued dismantling the bike - including taking wheels off - would be "too difficult" for some riders.

He said: "There is nothing sustainable about this policy, as it actively discourages the people we want to see cycling more from using what is otherwise a fantastic service.
"For the new cyclist, or those who rely on cycling as a mobility aid, dismantling and reassembling a bike for transit is too difficult. "With London, Paris and Brussels each vying to be top cycling cities, and Amsterdam, arguably Europe's cycling capital, due to join the Eurostar network in 2016, now is not the time to take a step back in cycle rail policy.

"Cyclists should not be treated as third-class passengers, and we urge Eurostar to reverse their planned policy."
'Strong fingers'
The European Cyclists' Federation (ECF), which represents cycling bodies across the continent, described the new policy as "extremely inconvenient" in a letter to Eurostar chief executive Nicolas Petrovic.

The ECF added: "We understand that there is a limited space for baggage on the trains but it should be allocated on a first come, first served basis. We would therefore request that the current policy of allowing the carriage of complete bicycles is retained."

Rosemary Dooley, 68, from Kendal, Cumbria, who recently went to Portugal for a cycle holiday, said: "I have to take my own bike everywhere due to arthritis in my hands - hence small adaptations.
"I am also not mechanical but it seems now that I will have to learn to remove and replace the front wheel. I just hope it doesn't involve strong fingers."

CTC is urging members of the public concerned about the planned changes to write to the train operator.

A study commissioned by the European Parliament in 2012 found that there are 2.3 million cycle tourism trips in the EU every year.

(mods please feel free to tidy up my formatting)

 

[leshuttle]

The new stock won't have as much storage space for cycles presumably.

Albeit slower - possibly going to be easier/cheaper for some cyclists to take the ferry and catch a TGV from the likes of Calais/Dunkirk.

Will be interesting to see what DB's policy will be if their ICE services to London ever happen.

 

[jopsuk]

I'm actually still confused as to where the (boxed) bikes go on the e320- is the area marked "cab" on the seating diagrams also a locked luggage store?

It's causing a lot of grief- initially they were saying you could use your own box, as long as it fitted within a certain size. The size however is smaller than all commercially available bike boxes, so anyone who often travels with an expensive bike in a specialist carry case was screwed. To fit into the boxes Eurostar provide requires removing both wheels and removing handlebars- this essentially rules out bikes with hub gears, coaster brakes etc. The size requirements really make it "sport" type bikes only- even a rear pannier rack will make it difficult to fit into the box, and guess what touring cyclists tend to have?

On the other hand it could see rather more cyclists using the ferries or the Eurotunnel bike shuttles

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm actually still confused as to where the (boxed) bikes go on the e320- is the area marked "cab" on the seating diagrams also a locked luggage store?

They go in the regular luggage racks. The boxes/bikes intended are not the full-size ones you buy a bike in, but the kind that reduce it to the size of a large-wheeled folder by removing both wheels. This is required for carrying them on TGVs and ICEs, so I'm not surprised, to be honest.

http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/planning-a-trip/bikes-and-french-trains.html

 

[Phil.]

I talked to a Eurostar manager about the new stock. He told me they were not looking forwards to them as the luggage space is so very limited. The new bicycle policy is a direct product of that. Even the current trains have had to have seats removed to make more luggage space as "they" hadn't anticipated the amount of luggage people take with them.
I foresee difficulties.

 

[jopsuk]

Yes, I know. By box I mean this sort of thing. Eurostar have today revised the maximum size they'll accept after road.cc pointed out the problems with their limit.

And in Germany, the new ICx stock which will replace ICE1 and ICE2 in the next few years is going to have space for eight bikes per set, fully assembled. Whiclst TGV have rubbish bike space, SNCF Intercité can carry 20 bikes(!).

 

[miami]

Yes, I know. By box I mean this sort of thing. Eurostar have today revised the maximum size they'll accept after road.cc pointed out the problems with their limit.

And in Germany, the new ICx stock which will replace ICE1 and ICE2 in the next few years is going to have space for eight bikes per set, fully assembled. Whiclst TGV have rubbish bike space, SNCF Intercité can carry 20 bikes(!).

What happened to the idea of running ICE trains into London from Frankfurt/Amsterdam?

 

[jopsuk]

DB have the Velaro-D ICE sets that meet tunnel regs on order/build but seem to have gone quiet on their plans. Immigration controls is likely the main issue. No guarantee that the tunnel-spec Velaro-D ICE will have good bike carrying capability, I haven't seen anything either way. They are 8-car versions of the e320, but that really means very little with regards to internal layout and luggage capacity given that it's a different operator entirely.

 

[ainsworth74]

Aaaannnddd Eurostar have done a U-turn:

Eurostar reverses bike storage decision amid criticism

Eurostar has reversed its decision to make cyclists dismantle their bikes before using the cross-Channel service.

The train operator initially said it wanted to store all bikes in what is known as a "bike box" - meaning bikes would have to be dismantled.

But cycling groups and London's Mayor Boris Johnson both criticised the move.

Eurostar said it would continue to take fully-assembled bikes after it admitted the change "concerned some passengers".

The company had intended for its change of policy around bike storage to come into force on 1 November.

'Save space'

It wanted cyclists to remove the wheels of their bikes, place them in a bike box, and then reassemble them when they reached their destination.

The company argued this would allow it to carry more bikes and utilise luggage space more effectively.

But the move was criticised by cycling charity CTC who said it would discourage cyclists from using the service as some passengers would find it "too difficult" and an inconvenience.

The charity set up a campaign which accrued 9,700 signatures of support from the cycling community, and called for Eurostar to reverse its decision.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson said the move "undermines Eurostar's green pretensions" and the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, as well as Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, were also against the change.

'Listen to feedback'

A Eurostar spokesman said: "After careful thought and planning we have taken the decision to continue to allow fully mounted bikes on board but of course this can only be a small number because of the space constraints.

"We always listen carefully to feedback."

The operator's long-standing policy has been for cyclists to pay a £30 fee for their bike to be carried on their train via a registered luggage system. The bike is hung on a storage rack by its tyres.

CTC chief executive Paul Tuohy said: "It's fantastic news that the views of so many of our members and other cyclists across Europe have been listened to.

"This proves how a successful, well-run campaign can be a massive force for good and make things happen."

Source