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Bikes on Trains

carls10carls10
in Community Forum 🏠

Anyone have experience taking a bike on Amtrak?  After a review of the website, it looks like I can box it and take it on any train  for $5.  That works even for my budget.  I'm really trying to get away from depending on a car and right now Amtrak is the alternative to driving and flying.  I have never shipped/flown with or boxed my bike.  Maybe a wiki idea for some of wicked smart peeps.  Step by step for slow folks like me (or maybe only me).

As always appreciate the feedback.

Comments

  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    Hmmm, I think Rich has done this when riding (no box). The hard part is capacity. If you are starting at the end of the line like Boston, you should have room. But if not you run the risk of having no space? Anyone?
  • DanielaDaniela

    While waiting to pick someone up at the train station this summer, I was looking through the information.  It looked like you could only load and unload bikes on certain stops.  The major ones.  I would have to drive fairly far to get on at one of the locations. 

  • Coach RichCoach Rich

    I've ridden down the coast to San Diego several times and taken the train back. They have bike hooks in some of the cars and if their is space in the hooks, you can hang your bike there for free. If there's no space in the hooks you are SOL unless the conductor decides he'll let you put your bike in the baggage car. This is where it get's interesting. In my experience, bikes in the baggage car is completely discretionary and depends on the mood of conductor. The ticket peeps will even tell you "well, I heard Conductor Joe is in a bad mood today so....I dunno!" I've been stuck on the platform for 2-3 train arrivals until a conductor decided to open up the mostly empty baggage car to let us put our bikes in. Thanks, dick.

    We catch the train in Solano Beach (across the street from Pizza Port = great beer), which is one stop up from San Diego. If I were to do this again, I'd ride all the way into SD (another 20-22mi) and the train at the start = more likely to have empty hooks. Bottomline, for my purposes, it's probably just not worth it to risk getting stuck in SD for a few hours, especially after hammering down the coast to make a specific train.

    I don't have any experiences with bikes as baggage but, as I see it, it's just a big ass suit case/box. However, Amtrak is basically a unionized guv'ment agency, so bad on two fronts.

  • carls10carls10

    If only I had stayed in CA.  It looks like those trains are the only ones that have the bike hooks.  And like you said Rich, if conductor won't let you use the baggage car you are SOL. 

    Maybe someday this will be a viable option.

  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    Carly, I've never taken a bike onboard, but I've taken Amtrack up and down the northeast corridor, and I've seen people with all kinds of big-ass stuff. If it's in a box, I'd be surprised if they gave you a hard time.

    Not in box? No idea, I've never seen it.
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