Regional bicycle groups call for fairness for bikes on country trains
Dismantling, boxing and weighing bikes just to board TrainLink is a major deterrent to regional tourism. Cycle tourism will continue to prefer Victoria, NZ and Europe over NSW because the outdated TrainLink policy doesn’t support Roll-On Bikes on All NSW Trains.
Country train rules need to change to match metro travel Bicycle NSW CEO Peter McLean said ‘Every politician we speak to agrees that boxing bikes is an unfair rule that disadvantages regional NSW. It flies in the face of NSW Government’s Future and Active Transport strategies, and the hard won Rail Trails Bill. If you’re in a city or regional Victoria, just roll your bike onto the train.’
‘Cycle tourism and particularly e-bike tourism will be a windfall for regional economies if TrainLink allows roll on bikes on all its NSW regional lines.’ Peter McLean. According to David Allworth ‘The rules for taking a bike on regional trains are a big impediment. Carriages can be easily and cheaply modified to adapt. Options include removing a row of seats from one of the cars to create space. Even during peak periods, there are abundant spare seats including unbooked wheelchair spaces.’ The NSW Regional Development Ministry has released the commendable Adventure Cycle Tourism policy to get people out into the regions. ‘It’s common sense to remove this rule and make regional travel fairer and more attractive. We are asking all candidates in the forthcoming election to support rural towns and regional economies by allowing bikes to easily get to the bush by train.’ Peter McLean
