BRITAIN’S first dedicated on-station cycle hire and storage facility was opened in London at Victoria station on April 21 by Transport Minister Glenda Jackson, who was joined by Railtrack Commercial Director Richard Middleton and Clive Long, Managing Director of Bike `N’ Rack.
Commuters arriving at Victoria can either hire or collect their own bikes to continue their journeys, or anyone arriving in London with their own cycle can deposit it for secure storage while exploring the city on foot or by public transport. Regular users can ’keep’ a bike, picking it up every day, and leaving it securely stored overnight and at weekends.
Hire charges start at £1 an hour, or £3·95 per day (ú5 at weekends). Season tickets cost £18 per week or £68 per month. Storage fees are £0·50 an hour, £2 per day rising to £96 for 3 months. Equipment for hire includes special panniers for a briefcase or laptop computer. A second London Bike `N’ Rack is due to open soon at Waterloo station.
HInterfleet Technology Ltd has won a contract to manage refitting of ScotRail’s Class 158 DMUs to carry bicycles. The existing parcels area was redesigned to include Interfleet’s Calyx cycle rack, which converts into a table. Two tip-up seats complete the modification, allowing the space to be used by disabled passengers, cyclists or to give extra seating at peak times. o
