Train and Bike Survey
Since our next adventure will involve a lot of hopping aboard the train with our Bromptons, we wanted to find out what all of you think about the train-bike combination here in the US. Not only will it give us an idea of how many of our readers are interested in this sort of touring, but it will help us work toward more bike-friendly multi-modal travel options.
If you have ever taken a long-distance (i.e. not a metro-area light rail) Amtrak-operated train in the US (especially if you’ve ever brought a bicycle with you on the train), please take a few minutes to answer this quick survey about your experience. We promise that it’s short, and it will be immensely valuable!
Click here to take the survey now.
Please do not refer to non-US train experiences when completing the survey. If you haven’t taken a train in the US, but want to send us your input, please leave a comment on this post. Many thanks!!
See if you can guess which one is my survey. ;_)
I have taken my Dahon on Amtrak many times without major problems. Very rarely I will encounter a conductor who doesn’t know folders are considered carry-on luggage and tries to make me box/check the folder. In these cases it’s important to carry copies of the Amtrak bike web page and the internal employee memo with details of the policy.
Links to both documents are at the bottom of this page: http://mobikefed.org/amtrak
@Eric thanks for those links.
Oh, I forgot to mention:
I would consider changing or clarifying your parameters. You ask for experience that is US (Amtrak) based that ISN’T light rail. But you don’t mention commuter rail, which is a different category than the other two. I’m assuming that you DON’T want to consider commuter rail. Is that correct?
I have traveled a lot on airplanes to do bike tours (4 times to France) and 3 time in US. So I was used to the whole TSA stress and hassle. None of that was the case. I road up to the train station about an hour and a half before we were supposed to leave. Bought a ticket, dropped the seat down to the lowest setting possible, loosened the stem to turn the handlebars sideways and slipped the bike into a huge cardboard box that they charged me $15 dollars for to protect the bike. Then we were done with 45 minutes left before then train was due. “Breezy/Easy.”
Russ/Laura: you’ve lived in California, so you know Amtrak California’s policies are altogether different from national Amtrak. Where people ride Amtrak could make a difference in your survey responses.
Also remember Amtrak’s Thruway service is a part of their operation as well, and the bus is where things can really fall apart for bike+Amtrak travelers. It’s space available, and if you’re on that twice daily bus from Boondock to BFE and there’s no room, you’re stuck for the night.
A few years ago Amtrak created a bicycle plan with with traveling cyclist participation and it looks really good — I can’t find it right now and I don’t remember the specifics, but roll off / roll on bikes is part of it. Unfortunately no money to implement.
This one’s a good article about the issue:
http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/narpblog/more/amtrak_and_bicycles/
Many thanks for posting this survey. I hope it’s results make it back to Amtrak and to Amtrak’s handlers in Washington. Despite it’s flaws, I love the train. I ride Amtrak California every week–for work, for social engagements, and for recreation. I’m planning my backpacking adventures for the summer based on Amtrak services to Truckee, S.Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite. It’s an excellent service that we cannot afford to see cut. In addition, I am watching the development of HSR and hoping that the next generation of trains build on the lessons learned by Amtrak.
[…] Finally, Russ & Laura (Path Less Pedaled) want you to fill out their survey on Amtrak travel w/ bikes. […]
great survey, lets hope it’s the start of a rail revival in the US. In the UK cycles are pretty well welcome on most services and folders on nearly all services.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/cyclists.html
As a brommie owner it’s great to read about your exploits.
I haven’t, yet, simply because the Amtrak website makes it sound like there’s so many regulations, and finding luggage stops to get a full size bike on and off has caused enough frustration that I’ve all but given up. It’s my dream to get rid of my car once and for all, but having grown up in the rural midwest and am now working in the suburban midwest and only wanting to visit places far from civilization, it just makes more sense (and less hassle) for me to drive. I really, really wish that I could just roll up to a train station on my bike, roll it onto the train fully loaded and unboxed and hop on and ride away when I’ve arrived at my destination (similar to what you’re trying to accomplish with the Bromptons). Just my two cents.
Huge fan of Amtrak here… Over the past couple of years I managed to accumulate enough Amtrak Guest Points to pay for a couple of tickets for our vacation travel later this year.
I have only taken a bicycle on the Palmetto between VA and SC. Need to “invest” in a folder that can be hauled on as carry on baggage. To many of the places I want to go don’t have baggage service.
Looking forward to following your adventures and learning from them!
Aaron
I have a Brompton (and have also had a Bike Friday Tikit), and have had NO problems with bringing either of these bikes on Amtrak. I’ve taken Amtrak from DC to Baltimore, Richmond, and Philadelphia. For the short trips like this, I often have just taken a seat in the diner car, and put my bike under the table or nearby slim garment section. Or, if taking a regular seat, I put the folded bike in the large luggage area of any car. Charmaine
Charmaine,
That’s good to hear! We’ve heard from some readers having problems on the Cascade line here in the North West. It seems to vary widely from station crew/train crew and conductors. Some folks just hear the word “bike” and it just creates tunnel vision.
Russ
I ride the Amtrak San Joaquins frequently (usually from Riverside to Richmond or San Francisco), with a bus connection on the southern end. The California Thruway buses allow you to slide your bike right under the bus. (I twist my handlebars to the side and lay it in on the non-drive side.) Then there are three-bike racks on each train car, and up to 15 bikes are accepted in the baggage car. It’s fantastic, and a model for Amtrak nationally. I’m taking a 30-day rail pass trip this summer, and I wish I could bring my bike with me. (Sadly, a folder isn’t in the budget.)
I’m posting this here because your survey is apparently closed.
i only have experience with trains in Germany, but in general it’s a good idea to have a thin lightweight bag to ‘hide’ the Brompton in, whether on a train or at a museum or wherever: it doesn’t look like a bike anymore (luggage has to come off of course), which allows you to simply avoid many discussions. the UK magazine AtoB still may sell a very simple light black nylon bag custom made for the Brompton, with hole for the seat so you can grab the frame to carry. it’s better than the Brompton bag, being so thin/easily packed away. . . highly recommended ‘neccessory’ 🙂
Damn, missed the survey! I travelled to Portland OR from Minneapolis with a (non-folding) bicycle. Worked great. The Amtrak boxes are much larger than the boxes bicycles come in at the store, so even with fenders and a rack it was pretty much rotate the bars, remove the pedals, drop the seat and roll it into the box.
On the other hand, a real annoyance here in the midwest is that they only do bicycles to baggage stops, which are few and far between, and the bike has to be boxed. With a Brompton, or a Bike Friday like a chum of mine had, either of which you can carry on to the train, that’s no issue, but with a full-sized bicycle, it really limits your options. I’d love to see roll-on, roll-off service to any station.
The train/bike combo is terrific and your trip sounds terrific. Let the train make the big miles, use the cycles for terminal mobility.