Roll On Bikes on NSW TrainLink

If you would like to be able to wheel your bike onto new NSW country trains to get to rail trails please contact the NSW government; detail in the bottom paragraph.

We all know that travel by trains and bikes is a natural fit. For city dwellers, regional trains provide access to bush cities and towns, whilst residents of those regions rely heavily on trains to deliver them to neighboring towns and to the “Big Smoke” for business, schooling, health appointments, etc. In many parts of the world, traveling by train and bike in whatever combination can often avoid the need to own an expensive automobile.

Bicycles can provide the “first and last miles” to a trip by train for commuters as well as tourists, and as touring by bike is a major growth mode for the hard-pressed regions, you would expect that our railway networks would be doing everything they could to facilitate bringing your bicycle along on these journeys. Whilst this is true in some states, sadly NSW TrainLink has for decades maintained a highly restrictive policy which actively discourages bringing bicycles as luggage on regional trains.

In NSW, all travel on the TrainLink regional fleets with a non-folding bicycle requires that the bike be “contained in a cardboard bicycle box or commercially produced protective bag”, with a combined total weight not exceeding 20 kilograms. These must be booked beforehand, and will be carried “in the luggage storage area”. A charge of $12.10 applies, and a maximum of four bikes are allowed on most trains. These policies effectively bar e-bikes, which are the fastest growing segment of the market, due to their weight almost always exceeding 20kg even with batteries and bags removed. Groups travelling together are also dissuaded, as they must compete for the very limited slots allowed.

The result is that bicycle touring in regional NSW, including access to the emerging rail trails and gravel routes being developed by enthusiasts across the state, is virtually all car-based. It also greatly impacts regional residents who may be more likely to travel by train to Sydney, Newcastle and interstate if they could bring a bike along when they get there. It contradicts government policies to reduce travel by motor vehicles, and deprives the operator (TrainLink) of much needed farebox revenue on regional services.

Thankfully, there is a group of advocates seeking to change these restrictive policies, well before the introduction of the oft-delayed 29-train Regional Rail fleet. These volunteers have extracted a promise by the operator to conduct a “trial” of allowing 2 x “roll-on” bikes to be carried on the Dubbo – Sydney service commencing in the first half of this year. Of course, this number of bikes is unrealistic and will not address the limits discussed above, but it will hopefully demonstrate the feasibility of allowing roll-on bikes in greater numbers and on most services. We at Rail Trails Australia support this initiative, as it has the potential to enhance access to some regional NSW trails, including the Northern Rivers Rail Trail (accessible by rail at Casino) and others. We have been corresponding with the NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads on the matter, and urge all of our members and supporters to do the same.

For more information, including links to contact the Minister, photos of overseas practice and other resources, please see the group’s web page here and Facebook page here.