1. The current official limit of 2 bikes per train does not meet the Cycling UK Policy Handbook ‘First Level’ capacity of 4 bikes per 100 seats with an extra space for every 30 seats above 100. (this recommendation dates back to 2004!).

https://www.cyclinguk.org/briefing/taking-cycles-trains

The current class 222 5 carriage Meridian trains have 242 seats (including 50 first class) so by this reckoning should have at least 9 spaces, although the ‘first level’ recommendation is for existing trains not new ones. 20 years later, we’re buying new trains and the cycle capacity is still BELOW the 2004 recommendation!

It defies common sense!

EMR say: ‘To make transport greener, we will be most effective by moving people from cars onto public transport, which is achieved by providing more seats on board for our customers’

So we have to walk or catch the bus if we’re trying to avoid driving our cars to the station?

From the traveller’s perspective the whole journey influences the mode(s) of transport chosen. A bus element can introduce additional uncertainty, extra time and cost. In the Netherlands 42% of trips accessing the railway do so by cycle, and 11% of trips are completed by cycle at the destination. In the UK the number is around 3% having any cycling stage in the journey. Addressing this gap is part of moving people from their cars. The UK Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (2017) has stated the ambition to make cycling and walking the natural choice for shorter journeys or as part of a longer journey, doubling the number of cycling stages from 0.8 billion to 1.6 billion by 2025. Provision of high quality, managed cycle storage at stations clearly forms part of this but cycle carriage capacity on trains is also significant.

2. The vertical storage hooks

These hooks are widely disliked as they are hard to use, impossible for some people, and don’t suit all cycle sizes and types. They require luggage to be removed from your bike, making getting on and off the train all the more of an effort. It is a retrograde step as cycles can currently be stored horizontally on the 222 class Meridian trains.

Passengers have to perform a difficult manoeuvre (one that would be outside the HSE’s safe limits specified in the Manual Handling Operations Regulations,1992), supporting the weight of the bike at an awkward angle in a confined space while lifting the wheel to get it onto the hook. When on a moving train, while the bike is swaying about, this also creates a hazard for other passengers attempting to get past and makes boarding less efficient.

People who are shorter, elderly, or have back problems or other health conditions often physically cannot lift their bike onto the hook. This is especially true in the case of e-bikes, which are commonly used by older people or those with disabilities and may be needed at both ends of a train journey.

The cycle spaces on the current Meridian EMR services between Sheffield and London, which store bikes horizontally with a strap to stop them moving, are very easy to use and work for people – and bikes – of all shapes and sizes. The new cycle storage design means that some people who were previously able to travel by train with their bike are now unable to do so.

EMR say:

We have worked with Hitachi and EMR cycle users to optimise the bicycle area design. Taking feedback from users of other AT300 fleets, we have improved the hook to accommodate mountain bikes; this has been tested with an ergonomic mock up and a variety of bicycles.

But was the new design tested by people of different ages, sizes and levels of strength? Who were the ‘EMR cycle users’?

EMR have suggested that customers who might have difficulty getting their cycle on or off a train can contact the Passenger Assistance Service (PAS). This places yet another layer of uncertainty on a journey, making it less appealing. Also, will PAS staff will be allowed to lift cycles onto the hooks for customers, given that such a movement in a confined, moving space would be outside the HSE’s safe limits specified in the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992? There is anecdotal evidence that Cross Country Trains staff have been instructed not to lift cycles onto the hooks on behalf of customers.

Before the new trains enter service, we urge EMR to ensure that bikes can be stored horizontally against the side of the carriage rather than being hung on a hook, so that they don’t exclude some of the people who currently use the service.