Regular bikes
You are free to bring your bike onboard our services free of charge, subject to the restrictions listed below. There is no need to pre-book.
We don’t always have space for regular bikes, and on busy services, there is a greater risk that your bike would block the doors or obstruct other customers when they are boarding and alighting. For this reason, we may ask that you remove your bike, or not bring it on board, even when the restrictions below do not apply. If a staff member asks you to remove your bike from the train, you must do so. Our staff will help you to find another train.
Limits on regular bikes
To make sure there is space for all our passengers at times when our trains are busiest, we don’t allow non-folding bikes on peak-hour trains. Peak-hour trains are the following:
- On trains due to arrive in London, Brighton or Kensington Olympia between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Monday to Friday, except on public holidays
- On trains departing London, Brighton or Kensington Olympia between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, except on public holidays
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 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
If you’re bringing your bike on the train, please don’t lock it to any part of the train or leave it unattended.
In case of engineering works
For safety reasons, we can’t take non-folding bikes on rail replacement buses. Please check for any engineering works before you travel.
Fully folding bikes
If you have a fully folding bike*, a fully folding e-bike, or a folding manual scooter, you can bring these on board at any time. Please stow these in luggage racks to prevent any trip hazards onboard.
*By fully folding we mean that the bike has small wheels and folds in more than one place.
Please bear in mind, that other train operators & transport companies may have different policies, so be sure to check before you travel.
Bike safety at stations
For everyone’s safety, bikes and manual scooters should never be ridden on our stations or onboard trains, and where possible, please use lifts and wide ticket gates as this provides more space for you to walk through. We also ask that any lights on your bike or manual scooter be switched off when you are at our stations, as they could distract our staff from carrying out safety-related duties.
Storing your bike at one of our stations
Across our network, some stations will have bike storage where you can lock your bike. There will be a limited amount of space available, and we please ask that you consider others when you are securing your bike.
We have invested in bike hubs at some of our stations. If you have a Key Smartcard, you have complimentary access to use these facilities. You can sign up for our Key Smartcard here.
Bikes & accessories liability
Whilst we aim to provide a safe and secure location for bikes to be stored, we are unable to take responsibility for bike damage or theft, when left on our premises. It is advised that you take all necessary precautions when securing your bike to prevent it from being damaged or stolen. We also cannot take responsibility for any bike locks or accessories that are damaged or stolen on the premises.
Lost & abandoned bikes
We make regular checks on bikes and bike accessories left at stations and remove any that appear to have been abandoned.
In cases of suspected abandonment, we will attach a notice to the bike giving 14 days’ notice of removal, after which the bike will be removed. The bike will be kept in storage for a period of time. Once this period has been exceeded, the bike will donated to a charity.
If you have any questions relating to this policy or to discuss the recovery of your bicycle, please contact our Customer Service team.