Luggage racks on Transpennine Express
 

I will be taking the Transpennine Express from Edinburgh to Preston in June. I am ready to buy my tickets online but I am not seeing anything about where luggage can be stored on the train. Are there racks above the seats? I plan to have a 26" bag along with a tote. Thank you.

It's quite a short train with only 4-6 carriages (cars). Luggage can be placed on luggage racks at the end of a carriage. There are racks above seats but only for small, light items.

When we rode the Transpennine Express a couple of years ago (August) it was packed and the luggage storage area was overflowing. Major PITA. Get to Waverly and board as early as possible to stake out a spot for your bags.

A new fleet of electric trains has recently been introduced on this route. I don't know if they have better luggage facilities, but past experience will not be relevant in this case.

Virgin trains also run between Edinburgh and Preston, and their trains will probably have more luggage space.

I have seen and travelled on the new carriages (Class 350/4) on TPE, and my description is based on it.
Virgin also serve this route, more frequently and more rapidly, but their rolling stock is old.

Description of the new trains:
http://www.tpexpress.co.uk/about-us/...ew-train-faqs/

Typically only small hand luggage can go on overhead racks or bins. Large bags like 26" have to go at luggage area at end of car.

Thanks to everyone fpr their replies. I have a couple follow-up questions from the comments above. First, how safe from theft is the luggage at the end of the car? Is there an attendant? Is it "on your honor" that others won't take your luggage? Is there a view to the luggage area from all of the seats? Should I think about attaching some kind of lock - like a bicycle lock that perhaps I could attach somehow to the side of the car - to lower the risk of any theft?

Thanks to Alec for the link to the description of the new trains. Good news there will be 25% more space.

I took a train from London to Preston in 1973 and remember stashing my American Tourister somewhere close to where I was sitting but don't remember being worried about it. Perhaps because I'm older now and just more conscious of what can happen to travelers I'm trying to understand the current train travel experiences with luggage and what to expect.

No, you leave you luggage at your own risk. The thing to do is to sit close to where your luggage is, and put it right inside the rack so that they have to remove others before getting to yours.

Okay - so that's why up above Gardyloo suggested getting to the Waverly train station and boarding early to stake out a spot for my bags. And Alex that then follows your observation to claim a seat close to the luggage area and put luggage right inside the rack so that other luggage has to be removed before getting to mine. THANKS to all you replied - I really appreciate it!

Luggage theft on trains isn't something that crosses the mind of any sane regular user (there are several tens of millions of us) of British trains.

Outside forums like this, it simply isn't an issue that I've ever heard discussed, or observed being contemplated: every couple of years a case pops up somewhere, is met with mild bemusement (mugging schoolchildren for their mobile phones is an infinitely more lucrative and painless way of stealing), then gets forgotten about for another decade.

I assume the reason it crops up here is that the (always) Americans who raise it live in a place where theft of bulky, valueless, objects is the normal way of life. That's not a phenomenon I've ever observed in the US, so presumably some of you live in places populated by peculiarly deranged criminals.

What we tens of millions of sane regular railway users do is keep valuables on us, then treat bulky suitcases full of dirty underwear in a completely cavalier way. Luggage locks, the antisocial piling up of bags on seats so prevalent among American tourists on my line and neurosis about hiding bags are far less effective ways of preventing theft than simply keeping your camera with you.

I can't understand what's obsessing the poster. She certainly ISN'T "older now and just more conscious of what can happen to travelers" if she's allowing a non-issue to preoccupy her.

Thanks for your thoughts flanneruk. Yes, I'm an American and truly I'm not sure if crime is on the rise here or if we just hear about it more because of the 24 hr access to information and crime reports being so prevalent. But truly as a 22 year old in 1973 looking so forward to meeting my English pen pal in person for the first time, the last thing on my mind was my suitcase being taken. I'm excited again this time as it's now 50 years since we've been writing and I don't want anything to spoil our reunion. But age and experience and the fact that I have not traveled overseas for 30+ years has made me take a step back and ask more questions. Thanks again to all for answering. I very much appreciate it. I am ending this post!