- While travel may not be optimum now, Amtrak is making bringing bikes on board trains easier.
- Designated bike storage spaces added to passenger coaches.
Photo courtesy of Amtrak.
Earlier this month, Amtrak announced that customers can bring their bikes for off-train adventures for only $20 through its expanded carry-on bike program for most Northeast Regional departures. Specific reservations are required, but newly installed luggage racks that convert to bike racks allow storage space for up to two bikes per departure. Additional spaces are being added as the rest of the fleet receives these modifications. Standard full-size bicycles may be carried on, as long as the front wheel is removed, and stored onboard in the bicycle racks.
For Carry-On bicycle service, customers are encouraged to arrive at the station at least 30 minutes prior to departure. All panniers and bags attached to your bicycle need to be removed and consolidated before boarding. After entering the origin and destination when booking a ticket on Amtrak.com or via the Amtrak app, an icon with a number of spaces available will display if bike service is available. Customers should proceed ‘Add Ons’ step to add bikes to a reservation. Customers can also call 1-800-USA-RAIL to add a bike reservation to an existing reservation.
According to Amtrak, more than 232,953 bikes have traveled around the country since the program launched in October 2015. The program has also generated more than $1 million in revenue since its inception. For more information about Amtrak’s Bike policy, visit Amtrak.com.
