The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), the world’s largest and best-known cyclists’ advocacy organisation, advocates for the best possible integration of bicycles with railways. Bicycles and trains are among the most sustainable solutions of all, and should be central in shaping the future of mobility. Therefore, cyclists and the train sector should be considered as allies in stimulating a modal shift away from an unsustainable dependence on private car use and towards a healthy mix of public transport and active mobility.

Guiding principles and recommendations

ECF aims to express its appreciation for the bicycle-friendly measures already implemented by many European train operators, while also highlighting areas where further improvement is needed. To support this goal, ECF presents an updated version of its 2021 Cyclists Love Trains report and has ranked the bicycle-friendliness of 67 European long-distance railway companies. This report focuses on the onboard carriage of unfolded, non-dismantled bicycles on long-distance trains, taking into account both physical infrastructure (“hardware”) and service-related factors (“software”) such as costs, booking methods, available languages, and website or app functionality.

As article 6(4) of the EU Regulation on rail passengers’ rights and obligations takes effect in June 2025 and finally establishes a legal minimum number of bicycle spaces per train, ECF calls on European train operators to build on this momentum, welcome cyclists on board, and work together to engender a vital modal shift.

Key recommendations

1. Non-foldable and non-dismantled bicycles should be accepted on all train services. This includes high-speed and night trains.
2. All new and renovated rolling stock should anticipate future increases in demand for bicycle carriage. In determining the “adequate” number of bicycle spaces, operators should go beyond the current EU-mandated minimum of four spaces to ensure a base level of passenger flexibility.
3. Bicycle sharing schemes should be investigated, and potentially invested in. Alternatively, partnering with third parties to offer combined tickets and price reductions, and providing clear links to third-party sharing schemes as last-kilometre solutions, should be considered.
4. Clear, easily accessible, and centralised information on bicycle carriage rules should be available in multiple languages. Information on the carriage of non-standard bicycles should also be provided.
5. Bicycle tickets and reservations must be offered on multiple different booking channels, both digital and non-digital. Tickets should be offered at non-prohibitive prices
6. Operators should include bicycle-friendly features on their websites and apps such as bicycle connection search tools, real-time information on train compositions and a unified journey planner where bicycle tickets can be bought together with regular tickets.