Our cycle policy
If you have a fully folding cycle, you’re welcome to bring it on board any of our trains. Just be sure to fold and carry your bike before going through the ticket gates.
Please note that by fully folding, we mean a cycle that has small wheels and folds in more than one place. At present, we do allow larger cycles with a single folding point, as long as they are easily carried.
Limits on regular cycles
You can bring non-folding cycles on many of our trains. But during the busy morning and afternoon commuting hours, space on board is at a premium. So unfortunately, we can’t let you bring regular bikes along during peak hours.
Peak hour trains are the following (Monday through Friday, excluding Bank Holidays):
- trains due to arrive in London, Brighton or Kensington Olympia between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
- trains departing London, Brighton or Kensington Olympia between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
We do make exceptions if your journey is entirely within a less crowded part of our network. Download our cycle policy map to see if your journey falls within an unrestricted green zone.
Additional limits
There are times when our services see heavy use outside of peak hours. If a train is especially crowded and cycle spaces are already occupied, we may need to refuse access to non-folding bicycles. This is to protect the safety and comfort of all our passengers.
If we can’t let you board because there’s no room for your bike, our staff will help you find another train.
There are two cases where additional bicycle limits are more common:
- summer weekends on our East Coastway line (between Brighton and Ashford International)
- after large cycle events
In case of engineering works
For safety reasons, we can’t take non-folding cycles on rail replacement buses. Please check for any engineering works before you travel.
Parking your bike at the station
We take bike security seriously. That’s why we’ve invested heavily in new, secure cycle parking facilities at many of our stations.
Find cycle parking near you – visit our station information page.