Getting your bike on an Irish train for cycle touring in Ireland

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  • Опубликовано: 7 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 36

  • @Bikemaddad
    @Bikemaddad 2 месяца назад +1

    Very handy thanks pal. I'm doing my 1st trip with the bike in the train from Cork to Heuston on Monday. Most appreciated 👍

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  2 месяца назад

      Excellent, if your luck you’ll have the simpler set up where’s it’s the space behind the engine . Top tip at the other end is that there is no open button on the outside but you can get in via the walkway from the next carriage and there is a button on the inside

  • @willdillable
    @willdillable 20 дней назад

    Again another really helpful video cheers mate

  • @desmeade3581
    @desmeade3581 Месяц назад +1

    I recently fulfilled my plan (return journey) to bring my fully loaded ebike (Cube) from Cork Kent to Newry (NI) using Irish rail and Translink. Thankfully most if not all the dots joined smoothly. Firstly by being able to wheel my bike aboard at Cork Kent into the dedicated bike carriage which they call a Mark 4 carriage, cycling across Dublin city centre to Connolly, around to the rear car park entrance and directly on to Platform 2. Super easy! The Enterprise from Connolly to Newry, had a dedicated Bike carriage, again wheel-on although it still requires lifting your bike to get it aboard. My one concern was when arriving at Newry at platform 1, there was no easy access to get the bike to the station exit on the opposite side. They kindly suggested I use the lift, but again this requires lifting the bike diagonally and jack it up. Not easy! However, they also suggested I use the down-stairs (easy going down) leading to another car park. This worked! With a heavy ebike. Being on the "wrong sided of the tracks", can cause a problem. No pun intended.

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  Месяц назад

      Yes getting from one platform to another can be a nightmare, in Scotland where I’d only a 5 minute transfer window I carried the fully loaded bike up stairs onto the bridge between platforms

  • @desmeade3581
    @desmeade3581 2 месяца назад

    Great to see another ebike rail-traveller. During the summer my journey from Cork to Waterford - Carlow - Portlaoise to get on the Cork train. Portlaoise Station is another nightmare for ebikers. I was very interested in learning how you can access Connolly station and board the Enterprise. Sadly you well illustrated the difficulty I am likely to face. The Cork - Dublin - Cork train on occasions has a bike/cargo compartment linked to the engin which is so easy to wheel your fully laden bike into, however the 2-bike rack in the passenger compartment is a nightmare, especially for a older person trying to lift. Thanks for your advice, nice to know I'm not alone.

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  2 месяца назад

      In relation to Connolly there’s another reply here from someone you can wheel the bike from the concourse into the car park and get out that way without stairs or lifts. I’ve not had a chance to test that myself yet but after a dozen uses of the lift including once when it was out of order that would be great

    • @desmeade3581
      @desmeade3581 2 месяца назад

      @@Ebiketouringlife I called Connolly Station this morning and spoke to a chap. I explained I was planning a bike trip and wanted to get to the Enterprise platform. He said I could use the entrance by the car park. He mentioned Talbot Street, and said access to the Enterprise platform was through this entrance. I'm not familiar with Dublin, so I can only hope this works. Otherwise, I might be pushing my bike on to the escalator and hoping for the best.

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  2 месяца назад

      @desmeade3581 if you have a look at Google satellite view you’ll see the car park on the other side of the station and I also note it has bicycle parking marked by what must be a back entrance there so I’d say that looks hopeful

  • @paddy3126
    @paddy3126 4 месяца назад +2

    Very handy guide/advice mate thank you, as someone who wants to but has never dealt with getting a bike on a train I've had loads of questions and anxieties abt it so this was a great help, its a shame that it seems so awkward, surely they could spare a quarter of a carriage for bikes to just roll on and park like normal instead of all this lifting and squeezing in..mental.

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  4 месяца назад

      The good news is the new carriages are more or less roll on and fold up some side seats. My one fear is that on a busy train you’ll have other passengers feeling your unfairly taking room up etc

    • @paddy3126
      @paddy3126 4 месяца назад

      @@Ebiketouringlife Oh that is good news, so more like The Netherlands trains?
      yeah that's fair enough, just tell them its not your fault they didn't put enough carriages on the train lol

    • @AbhinavSinha7
      @AbhinavSinha7 4 месяца назад

      This was helpful indeed. Completed my first trip with my bike today right after watching this video. Thanks mate!

    • @ShaneCurtin
      @ShaneCurtin 4 месяца назад

      Very good, Andrew, good content on the channel. Hopefully more of the new carriages soon.
      Just one possible workaround for people in regards to Connolly might be to exit through car park? It is to left as you come in on train. I have never had to carry a bike through there but those steps would be a nightmare alright

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  4 месяца назад +1

      @@ShaneCurtin ahh I didn’t realise there was a car park - I presume it’s just a ramp down to it?

  • @thegaelicgladiator665
    @thegaelicgladiator665 2 месяца назад

    I find its easier to get bikes onto our commuter trains here in Limerick despite not technically having a real space for them
    On ourvcommuter 2800 series trains to Ennis and Limerick Junction, you are alowed to take a bike on the train and each carriage will have a wider area at one end with a bar that you can lock the bike onto... It's a bit scuffed in terms of presentation, but it works better than these ones despite them not even being designed to do so, but Limerick being Limerick, lots of people cycle here, so we need bike space and I'm pretty sure that the new suburban railway that will be built over the coming years will have proper bike space on the trains...
    Oh, and also our locohaul trains for the Dublin-Cork service have really good bike storage

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  2 месяца назад

      I’ve not really used the commuter trains in my travels but perhaps I should as while the distances are short it would get me out of the more heavy traffic area

  • @udayy4448
    @udayy4448 3 месяца назад

    Hi Andrew, thanks for the video.
    I want to travel from sallins to heuston and have a foldable bike. That can be used at anytime right without any booking. Also, if yes then where do I keep my foldable bike next to me if you got any idea?
    Thank youu

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  3 месяца назад

      Foldable bikes are treated as luggage so either between the seats if it fits or at the end of the carriage in the luggage space. So book the seats next to the luggage space in one of the carriages or at least a seat where you can see it from

    • @udayy4448
      @udayy4448 3 месяца назад

      Do I really need to reserve seats which are at the end near to the luggage area. I've never booked tickets and just use my leap card. Will that work. Also, thank you gor your reply.

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  3 месяца назад

      @@udayy4448the reservation system is for intercity trains but I guess Sallins to Heuston is just a commuter one. Can you use Leap to use an intercity to Sallins, if so I can see that being an issue if others have booked all the available slots

  • @brian3937
    @brian3937 2 месяца назад

    Cheers for the video but how do I book tickets for my bike and me if I have free travel

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  2 месяца назад +1

      That’s a very good question which I was wondering about on a recent trip. Do/can you book seats or do you just turn up and hope. If you can I presume it must be at that point

    • @desmeade3581
      @desmeade3581 2 месяца назад +1

      @@Ebiketouringlife When making your booking using a FT card, you will also notice a checked box for FT and selecting a bike.

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  2 месяца назад +1

      I may do all updated version of this as I get footage of the other carriage types. Can I ask what FT stands for so I can references this?

    • @brian3937
      @brian3937 2 месяца назад

      @@Ebiketouringlife I think free travel

  • @colincampbell4261
    @colincampbell4261 4 месяца назад

    I got caught out on the Dublin - Bellfast 7.00pm , only room for two bikes instead of the usual six, i had not booked bike and had to wait 2hrs for next train.

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  4 месяца назад

      Yeah the needing to book in one direction but not the other really isn’t helpful

  • @jgcondron
    @jgcondron 4 месяца назад

    The 22000 class InterCity trains all have 3 spaces for bikes. There's a hidden 3rd space behind a door. Whether the CSO allows you to put your bike in the 3rd space is another story.

    • @jgcondron
      @jgcondron 4 месяца назад

      It's in the wheelchair access railcar.

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  4 месяца назад

      Ahhh next time I’m on one (how do I tell the class, is it on the engine carriage) I’ll have a look

    • @jgcondron
      @jgcondron 4 месяца назад

      22000 are the diesel multiple unit railcars - the ones in the video posted here. Essentially, all InterCity trains that aren't hauled by a locomotive.

  • @helenenevoldson4756
    @helenenevoldson4756 2 месяца назад

    Clearly as a 67 yr old under 5 feet woman I'm not going to get my ebike up into that storage position. I probably couldn't get an analogue bike there either. No more cycle tours in Ireland for me sadly.

    • @Ebiketouringlife
      @Ebiketouringlife  2 месяца назад

      Good news there as the new carriages being introduced now allow you to almost wheel your bike on - I’ve not yet been on a train with them but they look so much easier