Travelling with a bike or scooter?

Enjoy travelling by train with your bike or scooter – but remember, there are a few things you should know.

Due to safety reasons, we are unable to accept tandems, tricycles, bike trailers, motorbikes, mopeds, cargo bikes, petrol scooters, hoverboards, e-skateboards and e-scooters on any of our trains or stations.

Travelling with a bike on the train

Did you know, you can take your bike free of charge on all London Northwestern Railway services? However, there is some important information that you will need to know before travelling.

  1. There’s space for at least one bike onboard our services, and you do not need to make a reservation in advance. These are allocated on a first come, first served basis, and if the train is quiet, the Senior Conductor may allow more bikes onboard.
  2. Full-size bikes cannot be taken on any train arriving in London Euston between 07:00 and 09:59 or departing from London Euston between 16:00 and 18:59 from Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).
  3. Folding bikes (like Brompton’s) can be taken on any service at any time as long as they are stored in designated luggage areas.
  4. Switch all bike lights off (including helmets) when using the railway. This is for safety reasons, as a red light represents an instruction for the train driver to stop.
  5. Electrical assisted pedal cycles (EPAC, ebike or Pedelec) are welcome on our trains if they meet the legal public transportation requirement. This means:
    1. The power mustn’t exceed 250 watts.
    2. A licence isn’t required to operate it.
    3. The bike is the same size as a non-electric bike.
    4. We also request that your battery is disconnected/isolated before entering the station and onboard our trains. For safety reasons, you must never attempt to charge your e-bike or battery via any of our onboard power supplies.
  6. Did you know, you can also leave your bike safely and securely at many local stations? However, it’s worth double-checking first what bike storage facilities are available at your selected station.
  7. For more cycling information across the UK, please visit Plusbike . This is where you can find information on:
    1. Cycle facilities and number of spaces at stations in our region.
    2. Cycle carriage rules by train company.
    3. Cycle reservation requirements (if any).

Travelling with a mobility scooter

Mobility scooters are more than welcome on board our trains and at our stations. But please check your mobility scooter meets the regulatory requirements . You can find out more information on our accessibility information page.

Travelling with an e-scooter on the train

Due to safety reasons, e-scooters are banned on our services and at our stations. Please do not travel with them if you intend to use the railway, as you will be escorted off the premises and asked to return without your e-scooter.

E-scooter FAQs

We accept:

  • Non-electric scooters.
  • Mobility scooters/aids (on the basis they meet our guidelines ).
  • Electric bikes. However, they must not be charged on board.

Although e-scooters are a convenient way to travel, we (and other train operators) have decided to ban these on our services and at stations. Some main reasons include:

  • E-scooters are not regulated.
  • Batteries can cause fire risks and are dangerous.
  • We do not know enough about them.
  • Safety is our number one priority.

In recent weeks, we have heard about a number of incidents of privately owned powered transporters catching fire on rail services. In both incidences, the batteries ruptured without warning and were not on charge. Observation of fires with lithium-ion batteries show that they accelerate rapidly and produce large plumes of toxic smoke. It is noted that if these fires occurred in an enclosed space (such as a train, tram, or bus), these toxic fumes would have the potential to cause significant harm to customers and staff – alongside secondary injuries that could be caused from passengers trying to escape the danger area.

We hope you understand.

No. Mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs are still welcome on our services.

Yes. We do allow e-bikes (EPAC standard) on board our services as long as they are not charging. This is because EPAC standard e-bikes are legal to use in the UK and have to meet a minimum legal standard compared to e-scooters. Details about what qualifies as an EPAC can be found on the government website .

E-scooters are banned from stations and on board our trains. If you arrive with an e-scooter, our teams will politely ask you to return without your e-scooter and help you with any further queries you may have.

Unfortunately, we are unable to check all e-scooters or PMT. Therefore, for consistency, passenger information and our station teams, a blanket ban on all e-scooters has been issued.

The current industry information is that most privately owned e-scooters are not approved for use in the UK as they are not legal for use anywhere other than private property.

We will continue to review this policy as and when we obtain further information from the industry.

No. E-scooters cannot be stored at London Northwestern Railway stations and will not be accepted as lost property in a London Northwestern Railway location. If you plan to travel with another operator, please check their permissions.

Although we (and our sister company, West Midlands Railway) do not permit e-scooters, there may be different restrictions for other train operators. For further guidance, please check with the operator you plan to travel on.

Please be kind.

We want everyone to be able to travel safely with us, so please be considerate of others and respect our team members. For example:

  • Please do not ride your bicycle or scooter at our stations or on board our trains.
  • Please listen to our team members, they are trying to help.
  • Always remember, you must give priority in accessible spaces to passengers with disabilities.