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How should I handle these Glasgow Central situations?

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bAzTNM

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Hi. How should I handle this situation?

I want to go to Glasgow Central with my bicycle. Basically..

Q1. How should I handle the squiggly ticket line to buy a ticket? Cycle parking is about a five minute walk from it, but I want to take my bike with me. Would I just go in the line with the bike?

Q2. Want to go to Dumbreck. How should I handle the actual ticket barriers? Do I just go through them with the ticket, or would I have to go to another bigger barrier?

Q3. Whereabouts would I put the bike on the Dumbreck train? These things always confuse me. Some trains have different configurations. Where would I put the bike if I want to go to Paisley Gilmour Street too?

Thanks a lot for reading all this. Always helpful as usual.
 
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p123

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1. I'd go for the TVM to buy your ticket. There's one across from Millies Cookies on the main concourse that will have space for you and your bike to queue at the same time.

2. There's a wide barrier at each set of platform gates. The barrier staff will probably open it for you, if not it's more than wide enough for you plus bike.

3. Dumbreck is worked by 156's. There's space for bikes on them, but I'm not sure if Glasgow suburban ones had them taken out. I'd just ask the conductor, Paisley Canal route trains (your route) outwith of rush hour are almost always only 2 carriages so he/she'll not be hard to find!

Hope this helps!
 

bAzTNM

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1. I'd go for the TVM to buy your ticket. There's one across from Millies Cookies on the main concourse..
No Credit Card. :(

You can't tie your bike to anything apart from the cycleparking facilities too.
 

michael769

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3. Dumbreck is worked by 156's. There's space for bikes on them, but I'm not sure if Glasgow suburban ones had them taken out. I'd just ask the conductor, Paisley Canal route trains (your route) outwith of rush hour are almost always only 2 carriages so he/she'll not be hard to find!

There is space for 6 bikes (more if you are willing to stand with the bike on the suburban 156s they are at one end of the train look for the bike symbol next to to the door.
 

IanXC

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No Credit Card. :(

You can't tie your bike to anything apart from the cycleparking facilities too.

TVMs typically take cash (including coins), debit cards and credit cards.

I think the idea was to take the bike with you to the machine.
 

MidnightFlyer

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Failing that, if you want to avoid the zig-zag queues / TVMs, you could always use the Low Level booking office (accessible via a lift near p12 etc), it's quiet (usually no more than three in the queue), and isn't zig-zagged.
 

bAzTNM

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Failing that, if you want to avoid the zig-zag queues / TVMs, you could always use the Low Level booking office (accessible via a lift near p12 etc), it's quiet (usually no more than three in the queue), and isn't zig-zagged.
I thought about this, but I was always told that this booking office only handled the Low-Level train system, and wouldn't sell tickets for any stations at the "High Level".
 

MidnightFlyer

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I thought about this, but I was always told that this booking office only handled the Low-Level train system, and wouldn't sell tickets for any stations at the "High Level".

As far as I know that's false, at Central the High and Low Level booking offices can sell tickets to any Scottish station and Carlisle; the travel centre sells to English stations only.
 

jamesontheroad

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TVMs typically take cash (including coins), debit cards and credit cards.

Note: the TVMs at Glasgow Central, Glasgow Queen Street (and possibly also Partick and some low-level stations) are the only TVMs in the Glasgow area that take coins. TVMs at all suburban stations have all had this feature disabled due to the high cost of repairing vandalism.

I thought about this, but I was always told that this booking office only handled the Low-Level train system, and wouldn't sell tickets for any stations at the "High Level".

Nope, any ticket office, any train ticket; although to keep things moving quickly the travel centre is just for cross-border trains and the windows on the concourse are for "domestic" Scotrail services.
 

route:oxford

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If really confused, why not walk up to the barriers with bicycle in tow and attract the attention of a member of staff who is carrying one of the portable machines?

Scotrail staff to tend to be pretty accommodating.
 

DownSouth

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Can the applicable tickets be bought online where you're the only person queuing up at your computer?
 

michael769

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If really confused, why not walk up to the barriers with bicycle in tow and attract the attention of a member of staff who is carrying one of the portable machines?

Scotrail staff to tend to be pretty accommodating.

They tend only to be there reliably at peak times.... Other times they can often only be found when a train has just arrived in which case they are usually a bit busy.
 

DaveNewcastle

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Whatever ticket you are wanting to buy in the queue can probably also be bought at a smaller station with little or no queuing.

Isn't thie question about queuing for tickets with a bike similar to poppong into any shop with a bike? I must have gone into shops, banks or offices in Glasgow and other cities with a bike and just locked it to a lampost or whatever is available for a few moments. Surely you can find something to lock it to just outside the station (rather than all the way out to the racks and then back to the Ticket Office then out to the racks again) while you go to the Ticket Office if you don't want it in the queue with you?
 

BestWestern

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"Suburban 156's" - what a waste! If only ScotRail would swallow it's pride and exchange them for some far more appropriate 'suburban' Class 150's, which are essentially the same train of course :roll:
 

michael769

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"Suburban 156's" - what a waste! If only ScotRail would swallow it's pride and exchange them for some far more appropriate 'suburban' Class 150's, which are essentially the same train of course :roll:

You do know Scotrail do not get to choose which rolling stock Transport Scotland procures for the franchise......
 

221129

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Whatever ticket you are wanting to buy in the queue can probably also be bought at a smaller station with little or no queuing.

Isn't thie question about queuing for tickets with a bike similar to poppong into any shop with a bike? I must have gone into shops, banks or offices in Glasgow and other cities with a bike and just locked it to a lampost or whatever is available for a few moments. Surely you can find something to lock it to just outside the station (rather than all the way out to the racks and then back to the Ticket Office then out to the racks again) while you go to the Ticket Office if you don't want it in the queue with you?

It is possible that it will be seen as a security risk at Exeter St Davids the railings/benches etc all have signs saying not to lock your bike there or they will be removed.
 

bAzTNM

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Tried it this morning and everything went swimmingly well. Thanks for all your help!

"Lower Level" ticket office *does* sell tickets to all stations.

Thanks everybody!
 

route101

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I thought about this, but I was always told that this booking office only handled the Low-Level train system, and wouldn't sell tickets for any stations at the "High Level".


A few weeks ago this booking office couldn't sell me a Plusbus Return to Edinburgh . I've bought a XC Only Ticket last year though!

Whenever i have asked at the Queen St booking office for Advances down south they have directed me to Glasgow Central .

And i have seen people buying local tickets in the Virgin Trains Travel Centre.
 

bAzTNM

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Scotrail guy even offered to help me push the bike through the disabled gate (which I had to go through). I declined his help on his offer politely, but good job Scotrail!
 

BestWestern

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You do know Scotrail do not get to choose which rolling stock Transport Scotland procures for the franchise......

I must admit that I don't to be honest. I merely recall the moans of many about how the Scots (whichever body was responsible) shunned 150s because they didn't think them to be good enough. That might be a cr*p of course, but I always understood there to be some truth in it?!
 
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michael769

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I must admit that I don't to be honest. I merely recall the moans of many about how the Scots (whichever body was responsible) shunned 150s because they didn't think them to be good enough. That might be a cr*p of course, but I always understood there to be some truth in it?!

The original choice between 150 vs 156 was taken in BR days when things were somewhat different. It would not surprise me if it was SPT (who ruled the roost in the Glasgow area at the time) did not like them, certainly there were plenty of 150s procured by BR to operate out of Edinburgh. FWIW despite the extra-urban doors at the end format being arguably less suitable for the Glasgow suburban lines - the 156 units were always superior to 150s in my view.

If you mean when the 150s were cascaded South following the delivery of the 170 fleet - it is fair to say that by that time the 150 units were absolutely knackered internally and in desperate need of refurbishment, whilst the 156 fleet was (and is) still fit for purpose, so I can see why Transport Scotland gave them up in preference to the 156s - thus effectively hiving off the costs of the refit to other operators.

As to bringing some north now - with EGIP likely to result in the cascade of a fair number of diesel units southwards, including many 156s I suspect - I doubt there is much desire to chop and change the diesel fleet in the meantime.
 

bAzTNM

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Can somebody explain to me how you go about using the cyclepark facilities (the velcro thing and the turnstile) on the Paisley Canal trains? Thanks. It's like double dutch to me.
 

michael769

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Can somebody explain to me how you go about using the cyclepark facilities (the velcro thing and the turnstile) on the Paisley Canal trains? Thanks. It's like double dutch to me.

I thought they still used 156s on that line?

If so there are instructions just above the rack ;)

Basically there are hooks just above head height - you hang the bike vertically from one of the hooks (using the front wheel), and then use one of the straps to secure the frame and stop it swinging about!
 

LE Greys

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The original choice between 150 vs 156 was taken in BR days when things were somewhat different. It would not surprise me if it was SPT (who ruled the roost in the Glasgow area at the time) did not like them, certainly there were plenty of 150s procured by BR to operate out of Edinburgh. FWIW despite the extra-urban doors at the end format being arguably less suitable for the Glasgow suburban lines - the 156 units were always superior to 150s in my view.

If you mean when the 150s were cascaded South following the delivery of the 170 fleet - it is fair to say that by that time the 150 units were absolutely knackered internally and in desperate need of refurbishment, whilst the 156 fleet was (and is) still fit for purpose, so I can see why Transport Scotland gave them up in preference to the 156s - thus effectively hiving off the costs of the refit to other operators.

As to bringing some north now - with EGIP likely to result in the cascade of a fair number of diesel units southwards, including many 156s I suspect - I doubt there is much desire to chop and change the diesel fleet in the meantime.

I seem to remember a big hoo-ha a few years ago (probably when the SNP first got into power) about Scotrail and SPT wanting to electrify the remaining 156 routes out of Central, with the exception of the Stranraer Road presumably. It was on for a while, then got cancelled at the same time as the Glasgow Airport Rail Link. Scotrail also wanted to swap their Inverness-based 158s for a batch of Central 156s (which I would have strongly supported) but TfS would not let them.
 

bAzTNM

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Basically there are hooks just above head height - you hang the bike vertically from one of the hooks (using the front wheel), and then use one of the straps to secure the frame and stop it swinging about!
I get it now. Just that it looked a tad bit dangerous to try and lift the bike up on a busy train.
 

bAzTNM

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I tried to lift the bike up onto the hook yesterday, but I found it physically impossible. Too big a bike and too many people were on the service. Good idea in practice (the cycle hook), bad idea if you've got quite a big bike.
 

bAzTNM

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Might as well bump this topic to ask this.

What are the trains like from Glasgow Central to Paisley Gilmour Street is terms of cycle storage? What kind of system do they use? Thanks a lot!
 

michael769

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Might as well bump this topic to ask this.

What are the trains like from Glasgow Central to Paisley Gilmour Street is terms of cycle storage? What kind of system do they use? Thanks a lot!

The class 380's have a space to hang 2 cycles - it is the cl170 style horizontal hanger IIRC located on the inner end of one of the driving coaches, passengers are required (in theory :roll:) to vacate the fold down seats if the cycle space is required. It is also permitted to have one cycle in each vestibule provided it is placed on the right hand side (ie away from the platform side) and you remain close to your bike and move it when required at stations. Avoid the rearmost carriages on the 7 car sets in case your station involves SDO as taking a cycle through the gangways is not permitted.
 
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