TravelWise and combine bike and train

As part of TravelWise Week try combining the bike and train for your commute

This week, we are taking part in TravelWise Week, a week-long campaign promoting active and sustainable travel across Hampshire.  

We are going to tell you about the various travel options you can take when working, studying, and playing in Hampshire.  If you can swap your car for a different mode of transport one or more days this week, that would be great, and it would be brilliant if you could also tweet a picture.  So, join in, leave your car at home, and discover alternative ways to travel.  #BeHantsTravelWise 

Today we are going to look at combining the bike and train. 

Train services in Hampshire 

Hampshire is well served by train.  South Western Railway operate regular services to London Waterloo, Southampton, Winchester, and Basingstoke.  Southern Trains operate along the south coast between Southampton, Portsmouth, and Brighton, as well as Gatwick Airport, Fareham, Chichester, and Havant.  First Great Western have an hourly service between Cardiff and Portsmouth via Southampton.  And Cross Country go between Southampton and Manchester, stopping at Basingstoke, Oxford, Coventry, and Birmingham. 

We recommend using National Rail Enquiries to plan your journey in the first instance and for information on tickets, route planning, service disruptions and live departure boards. 

Go with your Bike 

Sometimes getting from A to B involves another mode of transport and using your bike in conjunction with the train often means you can get to your destination quicker than using a car and get some exercise at the same time.  PlusBike by National Rail is a free resource with all the information needed to plan a journey involving bike and train.   

With PlusBike you get the following information: Parking – the number of spaces along with bike facilities including CCTV security, type of storage and location; Bike-hire – at stations or nearby with links directly to them; Bikes on trains – on board carriage rules about taking bikes on train specific to your journey; and Bike Reservations – whether this is needed or not. 

Looking after your bike 

If your bike needs a bit of repair before taking it out on the road, then visit our bike maintenance page which has some handy tips and step by step video guides to help you.   

We will be running Bike Doctor events throughout Hampshire to help fix minor issues and safety checks.  Check out our events pages to find out when the next one is. 

Cycle To Work Scheme 

If you don’t have a bike, then see if your employer is signed up to a cycle to work scheme.  This is a free employee benefit approved by the government designed to get more people cycling to work. The scheme helps you to save money on a new bike for work, and spread the cost of the bike over monthly instalments, which are tax free through your employer. Ask your employer if they are signed up, and if not they can find more information on the Government website. 

Remember it would be brilliant if you could tweet your pictures switching the car for alternative modes of travel. #BeHantsTravelWise #TravelWiseWeek