by Larry Lagarde
As a follow up to my story about the Canadian Bike Train, I have been communicating with a variety of cycling advocates across the USA to determine the most feasible possible locations for such a train. Following are some of the comments I have received thus far...Alaska
(Lois N. Epstein, P.E.; Director, Alaska Transportation Priorities Project)
"My thought is that tourists would be interested in taking their bikes to Talkeetna, Denali National Park (there's a stop there), and Fairbanks, and Seward to the south, from Anchorage. For all I know, they can already do this on the train."
Note: Per the Alaska Railroad terms and conditions, bikes are allowed on their trains; however, there's a $20 handling fee. Alaska Railroad personnel crate each bike and recommend that panniers be removed. Since the Alaska Railroad leases the land for the paved, 11 mile long Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (great views of Mt. McKinley & voted best bike trail to see a moose) to Anchorage at below market rates, the railroad appears to be bicycle friendly.
California
(Kathy Keehan, Exec Dir, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition)
"I think it is possible this might work for San Diego.
Currently people already take their bikes on Amtrak north and south into and out of San Diego. Although many people ride their bikes in San Diego, they tend to be spread out and don't really have one central bike destination. There is currently an "Amtrak Century" ride once a year that utilizes the Amtrak service between San Diego and Irvine."
Florida
(John Harper, Volusia County Leisure Services)
"I think this is a great idea. We have an Amtrak here in Deland. Volusia County is currently trying to promote Cycling Tourism to our County and the region. Just last week the State of Florida purchased a rail trail corridor here in our county, the longest in the State of Florida, 52 miles. We currently are actively working on establishing the St. John's to the Sea Loop Ride. It will be a 200 mile loop beginning in DeLand running along the St. John's River north then across to St. Augustine south through Daytona Beach to the Cape Kennedy area and then via the new rail trail back to DeLand."
Illinois
(Keith Holt, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation)
"Best possible Bike Train locations...
Hiawatha--Chicago to Milwaukee
Illinois Service
* The Ann Rutledge (daily service between Chicago and Kansas City, MO)
* The Illinois Zephyr (daily service between Chicago and Quincy, IL)
* Illini Service (daily service between Chicago and Carbondale, IL)
* The Saluki (daily service between Chicago and Carbondale, IL)
* The Carl Sandburg (daily service between Chicago and Quincy, IL)
* The Lincoln Service (daily service between Chicago and St. Louis, MO)"
Michigan
(Melissa J. Prowse, Oakland County Parks and Recreation, Waterford, MI)
"Chicago has some amazing places to bike, and is quickly becoming one of the most bike-friendly cities in America... I think that it could be great for both Chicago and for Oakland County to promote a bike train service on both ends. We have over 90 miles of trail in Oakland County (where the Wolverine service begins and has 3 stops), so perhaps Chicago residents would like the chance to come to Michigan and spend a few days biking as well...
Please let me know if you do move forward with this concept - I'd be happy to help."
Minnesota
(S Gore - Minneapolis)
For a bike train out of the twin cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) I would recommend the Empire Builder eastbound out of St. Paul. Riders could debark anywhere between St. Paul and the Wisconsin Dells and have a good bike tour back to St. Paul.
The short route (single day ride) would be back from Red Wing. Two ways back:
1) dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/bike-foot/grrmap.htm in combination with an on road route back to the St. Paul Depot from Prescott
2) Cannon Valley Trail in combination with an on road route back to the St. Paul Depot from Welsh or Cannon Falls.
Longer routes could be assembled from Winona and La Crosse using the Great River map above.
For the more serious distance tourers a route from the Dells to St. Paul. Most of the route would use the Sparta Elroy and Great Rivers trail to La Crosse. From LaCrosse it would rejoin the Great River road route above. Tons of B&B to B&B and camping opportunities along this route.The train schedule is pretty good for this. The eastbound train departs at 7:50am and arrives in Red Wing at 9:00am. Riders would still have plenty of daylight to make it back to the Twin Cities. It arrives in the Dells at Noon giving riders plenty of time to cover the first 40 miles on road to the 400 trail in Reedsburg.
(Hutman - St Paul suburbs)
Amtrak is pretty great IMHO. I biked to LaCrosse last fall and took the train back. We ran into some other bikers who had boxed their bikes and took the train to Portage. Then Amtrak shipped their boxes to meet them in LaCrosse for nothing - great service. My friend left his helmet on the platform in LaCrosse and they remembered him, sent the helmet to St. Paul and called him up to get it.
Missouri
(Todd Antoine, Deputy Director for Planning, Great Rivers Greenway District)
"Amtrak does allow a limited number of unboxed bicycles on trains between St. Louis and Kansas City for a service fee (see... mostateparks.com/katytrail/services.htm). The train stops at several cities in close proximity to the Katy Trail.In Illinois, the Chicago-bound train stops in Alton, Illinois on its way to Chicago which is close to the Mississippi River Trail along with the extensive Madison County Trail network."
Wisconsin
(Jack Hirt, Exec Dir, Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin)
"I can tell you that Milwaukee would get a ton of use.
A lot of people commute to Chicago via amtrak and I know quite a few that ride their bikes to the station and then have the hassle of keeping a bike in Chicago. Taking a bike on the train would solve that issue. Then I also know a handful of people that go to the Twin Cities from Milwaukee fairly often and they always go through the trouble of boxing the bike up and putting it in storage. I'll throw the idea around in Madison, but I imagine there would be people accepting the idea of riding their bikes to Columbus and taking the Amtrak from there."
Vermont
(Nancy Schulz, Executive Director, Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition)
"My suggestion would be the Amtrak train than runs between Montreal and Boston. Making the trains more bicycle-friendly is a goal we heartily endorse but it's proven to be a tough one. Good luck!"
7 comments:
On North Carolina's daily trains between Raleigh and Charlotte there is a bike rack in the last car. It can hold six bikes, and reservations must be made ahead of time. There is a $5 fee in addition to the ticket for your bike.
Call the 1-800-872-7245 number, because you cannot reserve bike rack space on the website. They ask that you please remove panniers and other bags before handing your bike to the baggage handler.
Thanks for this post; it's a great list and better visibility for rail/bike alternatives.
I live in Maryland and there is limited bike service for stops that handle baggage. It would be great if the offered the ability to go on with a bike at any stop and allow the same access for recumbent bikes. With the price of gas and the hassle of flying, I think this would provide a great service and be well utilized. I would be able to visit cities with my bike instead of driving.
Maryland (Walter Biller, Biller's Bikes, Havre de Grace, MD)
Historic Havre de Grace would love to host Amtrak Bike Train riders from Philadelphia or Baltimore. We've got Susquehanna State Park's thirty miles of trails up the road, Perryville and Port Deposit across the river, and great beers and crabs at the waterfront (while the Acela streaks by.) Trains and bicycles, a perfect weekend adventure.
It's a great idea - I hope it catches on.
I am lucky in Switzerland where it is quite easy to put a bike on most trains - in clearly marked areas. Even post buses will happily take cyclists in many places.
Whereas France it is more complex - but possible to take a bike on a train.
The most obvious destination in the NE Corridor is the excellent
connection available at Trenton onto the Delaware & Raritan bike system
that runs up the Delaware to Frenchtown and up the Raritan into Central N. Jersey. Of course, there is also the connection at 30th Street
Station on to the Schuylkill Trail.
PA Environmental Council
pecpa.org
In Northern California, the Capitol Corridor Amtrak train runs between the Bay Area (San Jose) and Auburn (foothills of the Sierra Nevada mtns.) Very bike friendly. Good bike riding along American River trail in Sacramento; in and around Davis, and loads of other places. You can transfer to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) at Richmond (the Bart and Amtrak stations are at the same place, different levels). On BART, you can get to many different bay area spots.
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