What if you could ride your bike right to the train, and take the train to where you bike? Behold the reality! Amtrak is adding bike access at existing train stops between Washington, D.C., and Chicago, including at trail towns along Maryland’s Great Allegheny Passage and Fayette County.
What this means is that someone who lives in, say, Chicago can bike to a train station nearby and jump — with his/her bike — onto Amtrak’s Capitol Limited, ride it to, say, a stop in Cumberland, Md., and then bike along a path through Somerset County to Connellsville in Fayette County. There, our intrepid traveler could board the Capitol Limited and head back home with his/her bike secured on a rack in a refurbished, bike-ready car.
Right now, a feature like this is a bit of a novelty — since after all, who rides their bike to the station to catch a train? But as with all attitudes about transportation, it’s all a matter of widespread perception. We don’t ride our bikes to catch a train because traditionally, people have agreed that you drive (or, in the case of urban areas, take a cab or walk) to the train station. And as such, the infrastructure has developed to accommodate this idea — major stations are equipped with (aka “surrounded by”) large parking lots and dropoff points and taxi stations.[SButtonZ button="digg"]
But as with all choices about transportation, all we need to shift consumer choices is a system that is easy and logical, and provides the best option — “best” covering a wide range of factors from price to convenience to travel time to cultural stigma (or lack thereof). In other words, if we start making it possible to go from being a cyclist to being a train passenger and back again, all without the need for a car, then consumers who find that appealing need only use the option, and it can grow from there. So Mid-Atlantic bikers, buy your Amtrak tickets!
If only Amtrak bothered to provide level boarding…
How about bike hooks in baggage cars on the NEC? Would be way more useful than the current bike boxes.
North Carolina’s Piedmont route has offered bike hooks for a while. http://bytrain.org/passenger/bikesonboard.html
This is good news and a policy Amtrak should implement nationwide. Amtrak California (a partnership with the CA Dept of Transportation) provides on-board bike racks so passengers can bring bikes aboard its intercity commuter trains, but on interstate Amtrak trains, bikes must be checked as luggage (in a bike box Amtrak sells you) and can only be handled at staffed stations. It’s a big hassle that prevents more people from traveling car-free. Amtrak is missing a big market by making travel so difficult for people who ride bicycles.
Would be nice if there were a better way to haul bikes on the trains…
Amtrak always allows folding bicycles. The folders work better with hotel rooms, conference centers, and buses to. I love riding Amtrak with my trusty Brompton.
I’ll perk up whn they add that to the Downeaster
I did that once to visit my parents, via Amtrak California. It actually works quite well.
Big thing is that you keep your “vehicle” with you at all times. Kind of like the Amtrak Car Train, but without all of the suck.
This is just a no-brainer, but they’ve got a looooooooooong way to go prior to getting to even Greyhound-level bike friendlyness. They will not take them in a box, they will not take them with a fox. They will not take them on their train, they will not take them they are lame!
Example 1: We planned a vacation in New York. We’d ride to Cincinnati, box our bikes, and go. Guess what? The Cardinal refuses all bicycles. Box. No box. We couldn’t figure out a way to do it and cancelled our vacation.
Example 2: my wife and I tried to take a freakin’ Amtrak train from Louisville to Iowa, via Chicago. We weren’t picky where exactly in Iowa we were going, biking a few hundred miles to the reunion would be fine. Guess what: There was not a single train station in Iowa that allows you to load/unload a bicycle. Dude, it’s not a piano!
Amtrak’s website claims some bicycle features on some of their trains, but they wont’ specify it on their website, ask for you to call, and whenever I do call, the answer always seems to be “no way”. With Greyhound it’s simple: get a box and $20, be willing to move around some other folk’s luggage to make it fit, and you’re on every time. Trains are bigger than buses, I don’t get why this is so hard.
The Caltrain regional service here in the Bay Area has at least one bike car on every train. It’s a very popular feature along the route, which extends from San Francisco to San Jose and Gilroy. Most of the stations along the route have enclosed bike storage buildings and lockers as well.
Wow, for once Missouri is out ahead of the pack: Amtrak has offered bike boarding all along the Katy trail. It’s quite the tradition to board a train in St. Louis and bike back or, during the fall colors, to take the train to spend a weekend in Hermann Missouri and either bike back to St. Louis or bike/train back. It doesn’t seem to be much of a problem so I’m surprised Amtrak would make a big deal about loading/unloading bikes in other places!
Take a look overseas to Denmark.
For years, danes have been able to bring their bikes on any train anywhere in the country at a price of approximately 4 USD for the longest trips, free of charge inside Copenhagen and its suburbs.
You simply lift your bike on to the train with you. Special areas of the passenger cabins have been designed to have room for bikes. In some trains, you place the bike up against the wall and click a special bike/baby carriage seatbelt around it.
In other trains, a bike rack is mounted on the wall in each end of the train, fitting approximately 20 bikes in e.g. the smallest of Copenhagen city trains. Tip-up seats ensure that the space is useful even when no bikes are on board.
Danes use the bikes as an everyday mean of transportation. If you live and work in copenhagen or its suburbs, biking and riding the train is often the fastest and easiest way to get to work. Due to expensive parking, rush hour traffic, high danish gas prices (2 USD/liter) and pollution, many danes choose this option.
So what’s up with the bike in the box concept? Seems to me that would take up more space than just the bike. Can someone please explain? I’m new to this sort of thing and exploring my options. Thanks.
This is great! Good to see that more train systems are making accommodations for bicyclists. Many trips to the train station are not that great of a distance, so having to drive out into the morning and evening traffic can get irritating. I’d rather bike and pass the gridlock of cars, and maybe even smirk at those who are stuck in it! I can definitely see more people encouraged to make their commute completely car-free. Not only will this be good for the body, but also for the environment–less cars on the road = less pollution and more safe for pedestrians and bicyclists. Also something to share for commuters and bicyclists: save up to 40% on commuting costs with commuter benefits! Check it out if you’re not already familiar with this federally-backed benefit at http://www.commuternation.com!
Amtrak already has this service from Eugene, OR to Seattle, WA. It’s great! You can also check your bike as luggage but this requires some assembly/disassembly and you have to have a box.
Missouri ahead of the pack? I’ve biked across states such as Wisconsin over 30 years ago and used Amtrak to avoid less than bike friendly areas. Had no problems as the bikes were placed in a shipping car and no box needed. Meanwhile another community along the Katy Trail in Missouri plans to close access roads to the Trail for cyclists (http://www.bikingbis.com/blog/_archives/2010/7/12/4577109.html) and StL MetroLink still only allows two bikes per car that must be kept in the aisles therefore blocking access to other riders. The obvious and simple solution would be to provide more bike hanging hooks (thus allowing more bikes per car) but Metro refuses to respond to this recommendation.
I would be thrilled if they did this on the Northeast Regional, although that possibility seems slim as it’s losing less money (and is therefore less of a target for improvements) than their other lines. Taking my bike to northern VA to ride some of the beautiful trails is a fond dream of mine. However, there’s currently only one train per day boarding in Philly which allows bikes aboard (and it’s at 4:40 AM!), and not a single one returning from DC. I guess you can take a bike down as long as you plan on leaving it there.
[...] [via Infrastructurist] [...]
I used AMTRAC for a month one summer, planing my 3 times across the country trip so that stops were places where I could get my bike on and off the train.
It makes so much more sense for AMTRAC to take a look at the ease of bike -on-train travel in countries such as Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, even England, and copy. I am sure the number of train travellers will rise if people cen use AMTRAC more easily with their bikes. Being able to load/unload between DC and Chicago is fantastic news for bicycllists who want o to cycle one way along the C and O canal to Cumberland, for example.
It also encourages a more environmentally attitude to travel – less cars, more bikes, those cyclists being both recreationists and commuters.
Thanks for this info.
Visitors from the San Francisco Bay area often put their bicycles on the train and travel to Salinas, where they disembark and cycle around to National Steinbeck Center and other spots in Salinas. From there, many then take their bikes on Monterey-Salinas Transit system buses in Salinas and travel to the Monterey Peninsula and other points of interest in Monterey County, where they can enjoy the 29-mile coastal bikeway. Details at BicyclingMonterey.com – at the website, read the “Bike-and-Ride Options” section of Tips for Tourists Bicycling Monterey County.
Happy Travels!
Alas, the Regional has level boarding, which makes it the train that can accommodate bikes the most easily.
Even a partial reduction in the platform/boarding height difference would do a lot. Not all of Europe has level boarding, but it does have one-step-up boarding, which Amtrak doesn’t.
This service will likely only be available between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC, even though the Capitol Limited originates in Chicago. Amtrak has been very positive, and we along the Great Allegheny Passage/C&O Canal look forward to this much needed service.
Amtrak california allows you to roll your bike on at any station, or check it as baggage
[...] should be licensed. Bicycling is transportation, even if you’re on your way to the airport, or maybe the train. Finding your bike community. The Chicago Bicycle Advocate explains why he runs red lights, saying [...]
This is good news – and long overdue. It is about time our national passenger railroad gets inline with the railroads of other developed countries by providing true Roll-ON/Roll-OFF capability for bicyclists. Truth is, bicycle trails and railroads often coincide. One reason is the effort to convert abandoned railways to multi-use trails. Another reason is that cyclists and railway engineers seek the same goal – the avoidance of steep hills! It’s a ‘natural’. The only question is why did it take Amtrak so long?
It’s great that Amtrak is becoming more bike-friendly, but I don’t understand why it’s such an ordeal for them. In Europe it’s like traveling with a stroller — they just find a place for it, without hassle or significant extra cost.
If Amtrak doesn’t force you to box it, some jackass will sue for $1 million for emotional damage because their bike was scratched during transit.
Four friends and I tried to use Amtrak last month to go to DC from Philadelphia. We wanted to ride the trails around DC. Amtrak NE regional was no way to the bike idea. We ended up driving the bikes to Bethesda and doing the Capital Crescent Trail into DC. Great Ride but would have been nice to avoid the beltway traffic!!!
Cyclist groups should spearhead the effort to change Amtrak, and not expect them to seek out, investigate and adopt cyclist services.
They could get the ball rolling by organizing some group rides along the Amtrak route. Arrange in advance with Amtrak to store the bicycles in normal luggage storage. The group can innovate and provide any temporary adaptation to the luggage car necessary to store the bicycles. Show them how easy it would be to adapt and how positively it’d affect their ridership.
Amtrak could really cater to cyclists by teaming with small businesses and state park offices/grounds, by establishing some public camp-site site style showers beside their stations. With a place to rinse off, and twice or three times daily special designated bicycle pick-up times at even just a few locations… Amtrak would have predictable ridership from a group of people with the financial means to ride, and more likely than the average rider to get a sleeper car. Also more likely to pay for food and drink onboard (esp if energy bars and healthy food options are available.)
This seems like a no brainer and Amtrak needs to step up their game. I was on the light rail system in Dallas last month and even they have vertical bicycle racks on their trains. There needs to be accomodations for bikes on every Amtrak route. Though this may be more difficult in the northeast and other commuter routes, peak hour restrictions or special bike cars could be used.
I have done this in Europe.
Why is it that AMTRAK cannot try jsut a little to be like Europe? Like Chris said the seats fold down when no bikes are on board. Bike hooks & folding seats cannot cost much money.
Come on USA & AMTRAK.
[...] . . please continue rolling out this bike-to-train program to more of your lines. The plan is good for people and it is good for the towns and businesses [...]
Feh.
I’m going LA->SF next week, and really wanted to bring my bike along. But in addition to the extra it cost to take the train vs. flying (yes, you read that right), it would have cost an extra $40 (two bike boxes* plus two shipping fees) and I would have had to disassemble and reassemble it at the station.
I really don’t understand what Amtrak is trying to do as far as their business model goes. Currently the LA->SF trip costs twice as much as flying and takes twice as long as driving. The only reason to take the train is if you’re afraid of flying or if you like train rides — it’s useless for serious transportation.
(* Yes, I could have re-used just one bike box…if I had a way to transport and store it in SF.)
I took Amtrak from Chicago to Pittsburgh during June of 2010. I then rode from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. and returned to Chicago via Amtrak.
Converting this route to ‘carry on bikes’ as several routes in Illinois already have would be a great improvement and provide an access to some great bicycle routes.
Check out my ride:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/PittsWash
@Joe,
If you want to take your bike from SF to LA, don’t take the Coast Starlight Amtrak (tourist) route, which I’m assuming you were looking at. Instead take the San Joaquin Route from Oakland, Emeryville or Richmond (BART connection from SF), wh. You get the California cars with bike racks from there to Bakersfield, where you transfer to a bus (that take bikes in the luggage compartments) for the last 100 miles to LA. It’s much faster than the Coast Starlight, but no coastal scenery. It’s also much cheaper than the Coast Starlight. http://www.amtrakcalifornia.com/index.cfm/routes/san-joaquin/
When will this be offered on every train running in Southern California – southbound trains to San Diego and northbound trains to Santa Barbara. At the moment, it is not reliable because certain trains run with cars that do not accommodate bicycles.
Thank you.
Makes me want to buy a ticket on the Capitol Limited right away, just to give Amtrak good feedback for the policy in hopes it’ll soon reach the other 13 national network routes, and the rest of the system as well. It just makes so much sense. They wouldn’t have to spend a lot of money (that they don’t have) retrofitting cars (that will hopefully be replaced soon anyway); the NC system of having passengers pass their own bikes to a crew member through the baggage door–a service available even where checked baggage isn’t–would work on any of the long-hauls, now that the Cardinal has a baggage car again, and even many of the short-hauls, too. I’ve peeked inside a number of Amtrak baggage cars; they’re not exactly overflowing, so there’d be plenty of room. How hard could it be to bolt a few hooks to the wall of a worn-out baggage car?
Thanks, MK, but the scenery is part of the reason that I want to take the train.
Are you sure that I can put my bike, unboxed and intact, in the luggage compartment of a bus? I don’t see how there would be room to store it safely.
Ten years ago I rode on trains in Germany that had specific cars for bikes and riders. You could attach your bike to a brace with a nifty pull-down seat so you could sit next to your bike.
Well, Amtrak just lost our business because we wanted to take bikes on board The Coast Starlight from San Jose to Santa Barbara and were told we can’t. We’ve done it on the train to Sacramento from San Jose and it was a blast and didn’t hinder anyone. The whole point is to go car free, but if you have no transpo when you reach your destination, it makes it a bit tough. Come on, Amtrak – wake-up!! Perhaps there’s an alliance with BP that we don’t know about.
This a great move forward. But my questions are;
Fully loaded touring rigs?
Tandems?
Trikes?
This kinda stuff is a no-brainer for trains.
Bicycle racks on the Amtrak Crescent
I would like for Amtrak to consider offering bicycle racks on the Crescent. The longest paved bicycle path in the United States (the Silver Comet-Chief Ladiga Trail) runs along the route of the Crescent between Atlanta and Anniston, Alabama. There are many bicyclists that are interested in riding the 100 miles between Atlanta and Anniston and who would like to use Amtrak for the return trip. However, Amtrak does not provide bicycle racks on the Crescent (as they do on some other routes).
Please consider contacting Amtrak to request that they give some serious consideration to offering bicycle racks on this route.
it’s total crap in so-cal for every 250 passengers they have spots for 3 bikes. what a waste
AMTRAK ludicrously bans bikes, boxed or not, on most routes leaving New York City for the north and New England. This traps thousands of riders with the means and desire to weekend and vacation by bike; forfeits a very lucrative market; and increases pollution and traffic along area highways.
It’d take almost nothing to implement: rip out a few seats, or at most add a car to selected high-demand trains. Then charge for it.
We should demand the ouster of local or regional directors blocking this easy initiative. They’re either lazy, financially illiterate or a generation behind.
Carrying bikes on trains isn’t rocket science. For Amtrak, I’d think making it easy to carry bikes would be good for their bottom line!
http://www.vabike.org/bikes-amtrak-ordeal/
Way back in the 1980s, a friend and I spent over a month traveling around England, Wales, and Scotland by bicycle and British Rail. It was the perfect combination, allowing us to slow down and really experience places when we wanted to, and to cover hundreds of miles in a single day when we needed to. We just showed up at a train station, bought a ticket, put our bikes in the baggage car when the train arrived, and sat down.