The service was made possible by the introduction of 70 new Viewliner II baggage cars to the Amtrak fleet. Built by CAF USA in Elmira, N.Y., each car includes racks in which bicycles can be secured, ready for use. Passengers will now have the the ability to take bicycles with them on any train that offers checked baggage service, making car-free trips more convenient. The service will allow two-wheeled exploration of many of the 500 destinations Amtrak serves, including smaller communities that may not have a place to rent a bicycle.
Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Charlie Zelle discussed the expansion of cycling at a brief ceremony Monday in the depot’s waiting room.
“It’s no longer just a recreational activity; many people now use it to go to work,” Zelle says of bicycles.
He says Amtrak recognizes the interconnectivity of transportation from buses to trains and bicycles, and highlighted the fact that the new service will be as “seamless as possible” for pedal pushers.
After brief remarks by Rafael Ortega, Chairman, Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority and Derrick James, Senior Manager, Government Affairs for Amtrak, cyclists moved to the station platform to load bikes on board Amtrak’s eastbound Empire Builder traveling from Portland, Ore., and Seattle to Chicago.
Any idea if this includes the Cardinal?
Joe: I was on a conference call where I indeed heard Amtrak taking note of the bicycle-friendly locals along the Empire Builder.
In the 1960’s I was able to ride my bike to Grand Central Terminal, roll it up to the baggage car of the Owl and have it handed to me trackside at Boston South Station in the morning. No box, no charge. I don’t think they had bicycle racks either. Or the need to reserve a space for it in advance.
Good news. A very long time in coming, though. As soon as possible this needs to be expanded to all stations, not just staffed stations. Progress on ticketing infrastructure (including e ticketing) should make this pretty easy and predictable. After the long distance trains, get the shorter distance trains so equipped for this, so a true through trip can be made.
P.S. It also makes sense because Portland and Minneapolis are two of the top 10 bicycle friendly cities in America. (Not to assume that Amtrak always takes note.)
On one of my many trips on the Builder I noticed an auxilary baggage area on the lounge car. It makes sense because the Builder is split at Spokane and the head end and one engine go on to Seattle (train 7/8) while the lounge and tail end cars (train 27/28) go to Portland. They might acomodate bicyles in that car. I’ll ask the conductor as I am traveling east this next Friday.
Yet, Steve, there is a small number of heritage cars still in use on both the zephyr and builder, as seen on youtube and in real life at WFH.
Andrew,
I haven’t seen a heritage baggage on the Builder for at least a year.
The Empire Builder still has a “heritage” baggage car that runs in some consists. One hopes that all the officials are aware of that, and have a plan to allow for it.
Very nice. I’ve had several occasions where a bike would have come in handy on a train trip. Seattle and Chicago come to mind. Just gotta figure out what to do with the luggage. Maybe pack light and put everything in a backpack. Anyway it’ll be nice to have another option to get around.