bikes on amtrak



R

Rikiarnie

Guest
I had planned on cycling from NYC to Montreal, and then
returning by Amtrak. I have now found out that there are no
trains that will take bike. Any ideas out there?
 
X-No-Archive: Yes
Rikiarnie wrote:

> I had planned on cycling from NYC to Montreal, and then
> returning by Amtrak. I have now found out that there are
> no trains that will take bike. Any ideas out there?

Someone must have the scoop on this. Last I knew they were
allowed on most Amtraks, maybe there's a procedure to follow

--
"The web has got me caught. I'd rather have the blues than what I've
got." <via Nat King Cole
 
Norm <[email protected]> writes:

> Rikiarnie wrote:
>
>> I had planned on cycling from NYC to Montreal, and then
>> returning by Amtrak. I have now found out that there are
>> no trains that will take bike. Any ideas out there?
>
> Someone must have the scoop on this. Last I knew they
> were allowed on most Amtraks, maybe there's a procedure
> to follow

Gee, maybe someone should check with Amtrak's Web site and
see what their baggage policies are.

http://www.amtrak.com/plan/baggage-checked.html
 
> I had planned on cycling from NYC to Montreal, and then
> returning by Amtrak. I have now found out that there are
> no trains that will take bike. Any ideas out there?

As far as ideas go, consider a bus or bicycle both ways :).
Also check Amtrak's site.

I have traveled on Amtrak at least half a dozen times
including from Savannah, Georgia to Burlington, Vermont (a
while ago in '95) and San Diego to Denver (my most recent
Amtrak trip in '03). Bicycles were only allowed to
board/unboard at stations that had "baggage service". They
needed to be boxed and boxes were sold at those stations.
[Some exceptions, the train between San Luis Obispo and San
Jose seemed to allow unboxed and non-Amtrak trains in
California prefered bicycles *not in boxes*]. Prices for
boxes and bike travel were much more reasonable on Amtrak
than domestic US airlines (~$5-10 for the box and no
additional fee for the bike]. Also, plan on the luggage
driver placing your bike box on a cart and loading luggage
*on top* of the box, so prepare accordingly.

--mev, Mike Vermeulen
 
If I remember correctly, you might have to ship the bike a
day or two in advance and pick it up at the station. Check
with Amtrack.

And be sure to check out the Old Montreal to Lachine bikeway
while you're there. It'll be a wimpy ride after riding all
the way to Montreal, but it might give you a vision for
NYC's bicycling future! "Rikiarnie" <[email protected]>
wrote in message news:20040616144430.13554.00000058@mb-
m12.aol.com...
> I had planned on cycling from NYC to Montreal, and then
> returning by
Amtrak. I
> have now found out that there are no trains that will take
> bike. Any
ideas out
> there?
 
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0021_01C45496.846ED4A0 Content-Type:
text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-
Encoding: quoted-printable

Amtrak's Northeast Corridor - Washington D.C. to Boston
is their = commuter route, their only profitable route
and it does not have luggage = cars. It does not allow
bicycles last I knew...I doubt it's changed. =
Briefcases...not bikes :)

From NYC to New Haven CT there is the Metro North Railroad's
NewHaven = Line...some trains (non-commuter and at certain
times) will take bikes. "Rikiarnie" <[email protected]>
wrote in message = news:20040616144430.13554.00000058@mb-
m12.aol.com... I had planned on cycling from NYC to
Montreal, and then returning by = Amtrak. I have now found
out that there are no trains that will take bike. Any =
ideas out there? ------=_NextPart_000_0021_01C45496.846ED4A0
Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-
Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0
Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-
Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Dwindows-1252"> <META
content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV>Amtrak's Northeast Corridor - Washington
D.C. to Boston is = their=20 commuter route, their
only profitable route and it does not have luggage
= cars.=20 It does not allow bicycles last I
knew...I doubt it's changed. = Briefcases...not=20
bikes :)</DIV>
<DV> </DIV>
<DVI>From NYC to New Haven CT there is the Metro North
Railroad's = NewHaven=20 Line...some trains (non-
commuter and at certain times) will take = bikes.</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20 style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-
LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DVII>"Rikiarnie" <<A=20 href=3D"mailto:rikiarnie@ao-
l.com">[email protected]</A>> wrote in =
message <A=20
=
href=3D"news:20040616144430.13554.00000058@mb-
m12.aol.com">news:200406161= 44430.13554.00000058@mb-
m12.aol.com</A>...</DIV>I=20 had planned on cycling from NYC
to Montreal, and then returning by=20 Amtrak.
I<BR>have now found out that there are no trains that = will
take=20 bike. Any ideas
out<BR>there?</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0021_01C45496.846ED4A0--
 
On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 18:11:31 -0400, "Comcast News" <[email protected]>
wrote:

<Amtrak's Northeast Corridor - Washington D.C. to Boston is
their commuter route, their only profitable route and it
does not have luggage cars. It does not allow bicycles last
I knew...I doubt it's changed. Briefcases...not bikes :) <
<From NYC to New Haven CT there is the Metro North
Railroad's NewHaven Line...some trains (non-commuter and at
certain times) will take bikes. < "Rikiarnie"
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:20040616144430.13554.00000058@mb-
m12.aol.com...
< Ihad planned on cycling from NYC to Montreal, and then
returning by Amtrak. I < have now found out that
there are no trains that will take bike. Any ideas
out < there?

You might want to contact the author of this web site
http://home.att.net/~hannahb/montreal/montrealrideback.html
 
"Comcast News" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Amtrak's Northeast Corridor - Washington D.C. to Boston
> is their commuter route, their only profitable route and
> it does not have luggage cars. It does not allow bicycles
> last I knew...I doubt it's changed. Briefcases...not
> bikes :)
>
> From NYC to New Haven CT there is the Metro North
> Railroad's NewHaven Line...some trains (non-commuter and
> at certain times) will take bikes. "Rikiarnie"
> <[email protected]> wrote in message news:20040616144430.13554.00000058@mb-
> m12.aol.com... I had planned on cycling from NYC to
> Montreal, and then returning by Amtrak. I have now found
> out that there are no trains that will take bike. Any
> ideas out there?
> --

As of two or three years ago there was an Amtrak train, the
Vermonter, that ran from D.C. via NYC to St. Albans, VT, and
accepted bicycles. It's still listed as active on the Amtrak
web site. Two friends and I took the train from Hartford to
St. Albans and then rode our bikes back to Conn. St. Albans
is only 10 miles or so short of the Canadian border and
maybe 70 miles from Montreal. It would be an easy day's ride
from Montreal to St. Albans to pick it up.

Pat Clancy [email protected]
 
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0038_01C45561.3E0E74E0 Content-Type:
text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding:
quoted-printable

That's not the same train. You have to change trains in New
Haven CT for = the Vermonter. It would take him too far
inland. That train has baggage = cars. See the schedule.
www.amtrak.com or = http://www.cwrr.com/Amtrak/e_vermt.html

You go north from New Haven to Hartford, rather than along
the coast to = Providence and Boston "Pat Clancy"
<[email protected]> wrote in message =
news:[email protected]...
"Comcast News" <[email protected]> wrote in message =
news:<[email protected]>...
> Amtrak's Northeast Corridor - Washington D.C. to Boston
> is their=20 commuter route, their only profitable route
> and it does not have =
luggage=20
> cars. It does not allow bicycles last I knew...I doubt
> it's changed. =

> Briefcases...not bikes :)
>=20
> From NYC to New Haven CT there is the Metro North
> Railroad's =
NewHaven=20
> Line...some trains (non-commuter and at certain times)
> will take =
bikes.
> "Rikiarnie" <[email protected]> wrote in message=20
> news:[email protected]... I
> had planned on cycling from NYC to Montreal, and then
> returning =
by=20
> Amtrak. I have now found out that there are no trains
> that will take bike. =
Any=20
> ideas out
> there?
> --

As of two or three years ago there was an Amtrak train,
the Vermonter, that ran from D.C. via NYC to St. Albans,
VT, and accepted bicycles.=20 It's still listed as active
on the Amtrak web site. Two friends and I took the train
from Hartford to St. Albans and then rode our bikes back
to Conn. St. Albans is only 10 miles or so short of the
Canadian border and maybe 70 miles from Montreal. It
would be an easy day's ride from Montreal to St. Albans
to pick it up.

Pat Clancy [email protected] ------
=_NextPart_000_0038_01C45561.3E0E74E0 Content-Type:
text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding:
quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0
Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-
Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META
content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV>That's not the same train. You have to change trains in
New Haven = CT for=20 the Vermonter. It would take him
too far inland. That train has = baggage=20 cars.
See the schedule. <A=20 href=3D"http://www.amtrak.com"-
>www.amtrak.com</A> or <A=20 href=3D"http://www.c-
wrr.com/Amtrak/e_vermt.html">http://www.cwrr.com/Amtr=
ak/e_vermt.html</A></DIV>
<DV> </DIV>
<DVI>You go north from New Haven to Hartford, rather than
along the = coast to=20 Providence and Boston</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20 style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-
LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DVII>"Pat Clancy" <<A = href=3D"mailto:[email protected]
">[email protected]</A>>=20 wrote in message <A=20
=
href=3D"news:[email protected]"-
>news:b44eb5f.= [email protected]</A>..-
.</DIV>"Comcast=20 News" <<A=20 href=3D"mailto:shartm279-
[email protected]">[email protected]</A>> = wrote in=20
message <A=20
=
href=3D"news:<L62dnW8kmp-Lik_dRVn-
[email protected]">news:<L62dnW8kmp-Lik= _dRVn-
[email protected]</A>>...<BR>>=20 Amtrak's Northeast
Corridor - Washington D.C. to Boston is their =

<BR>> commuter route, their only profitable route and
it does not = have=20 luggage <BR>> cars. It does not
allow bicycles last I knew...I = doubt it's=20 changed.
<BR>> Briefcases...not bikes :)<BR>> <BR>> From
NYC = to New=20 Haven CT there is the Metro North
Railroad's NewHaven <BR>> = Line...some=20 trains (non-
commuter and at certain times) will take=20
bikes.<BR>> "Rikiarnie" <<A=20 href=3D"-
mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</A>> wrote
in = message=20 <BR>> <A=20
=
href=3D"news:20040616144430.13554.00000058@mb-
m12.aol.com">news:200406161= 44430.13554.00000058@mb-
m12.aol.com</A>...<BR>> =20 I had planned on
cycling from NYC to Montreal, and then returning by =
<BR>>=20 Amtrak. I<BR>> have now
found out that there are = no=20 trains that will take
bike. Any <BR>> ideas = out<BR>> =20
there?<BR>> --<BR><BR>As of two or three years ago there
was an = Amtrak=20 train, the Vermonter,<BR>that ran from
D.C. via NYC to St. Albans, VT, = and=20 accepted bicycles.
<BR>It's still listed as active on the Amtrak web=20
site. Two friends and I<BR>took the train from
Hartford to St. = Albans=20 and then rode our bikes<BR>back
to Conn. St. Albans is only 10 = miles or=20 so short
of the Canadian<BR>border and maybe 70 miles from =
Montreal. It=20 would be an easy day's<BR>ride from
Montreal to St. Albans to pick it=20 up.<BR><BR>Pat
Clancy<BR><A=20 href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]
om</A></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HT=
ML>

------=_NextPart_000_0038_01C45561.3E0E74E0--
 
[email protected] (Rikiarnie) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I had planned on cycling from NYC to Montreal, and then
> returning by Amtrak. I have now found out that there are
> no trains that will take bike. Any ideas out there?

Amtrack stopped carrying bikes on the Vermonter some time
ago. You could try Peter Pan / Greyhound. Depending on the
bus load you may take a bike unboxed if there is room and
the driver says ok. Ceck Peter Pan site. Adventure Cycling
Assoc. has a shiping deal for members through another firm.

ed
 
"Comcast News" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> That's not the same train. You have to change trains in
> New Haven CT for the Vermonter. It would take him too far
> inland. That train has baggage cars. See the schedule.
> www.amtrak.com or http://www.cwrr.com/Amtrak/e vermt.html
>
> You go north from New Haven to Hartford, rather than along
> the coast to Providence and Boston "Pat Clancy"
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> "Comcast News" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<L62dnW8kmp-Lik [email protected]>...
> > Amtrak's Northeast Corridor - Washington D.C. to
> > Boston is their commuter route, their only profitable
> > route and it does not have
> luggage
> > cars. It does not allow bicycles last I knew...I doubt
> > it's changed.
>
> > Briefcases...not bikes :)
> >
> > From NYC to New Haven CT there is the Metro North
> > Railroad's
> NewHaven
> > Line...some trains (non-commuter and at certain times)
> > will take
> bikes.
> > "Rikiarnie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:20040616144430.13554.00000058@mb-
> > m12.aol.com... I had planned on cycling from NYC to
> > Montreal, and then returning
> by
> > Amtrak. I have now found out that there are no trains
> > that will take bike.
> Any
> > ideas out
> > there?
> > --
>
> As of two or three years ago there was an Amtrak train,
> the Vermonter, that ran from D.C. via NYC to St. Albans,
> VT, and accepted bicycles. It's still listed as active
> on the Amtrak web site. Two friends and I took the train
> from Hartford to St. Albans and then rode our bikes back
> to Conn. St. Albans is only 10 miles or so short of the
> Canadian border and maybe 70 miles from Montreal. It
> would be an easy day's ride from Montreal to St. Albans
> to pick it up.
>
> Pat Clancy [email protected]
> --

Check out Sports Express through Adventure Cycling Assoc. a
service offered to members for shipping your bike.

ed
 
On 18 Jun 2004 04:30:19 -0700, [email protected] (Pat Clancy) wrote:

<"Comcast News" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>... <> Amtrak's
Northeast Corridor - Washington D.C. to Boston is their <>
commuter route, their only profitable route and it does not
have luggage <> cars. It does not allow bicycles last I
knew...I doubt it's changed. <> Briefcases...not bikes :) <>
<> From NYC to New Haven CT there is the Metro North
Railroad's NewHaven <> Line...some trains (non-commuter and
at certain times) will take bikes. <> "Rikiarnie"
<[email protected]> wrote in message <> news:20040616144430.13554.00000058@mb-
m12.aol.com... <> I had planned on cycling from NYC to
Montreal, and then returning by <> Amtrak. I <> have now
found out that there are no trains that will take bike. Any
<> ideas out <> there? <> -- < <As of two or three years ago
there was an Amtrak train, the Vermonter, <that ran from
D.C. via NYC to St. Albans, VT, and accepted bicycles. <It's
still listed as active on the Amtrak web site. Two friends
and I <took the train from Hartford to St. Albans and then
rode our bikes <back to Conn. St. Albans is only 10 miles or
so short of the Canadian <border and maybe 70 miles from
Montreal. It would be an easy day's <ride from Montreal to
St. Albans to pick it up.

I took that train, The Vermonter, to Montreal back in the
80's. IIRC, it went slower than a bike 8) There were
stretches, along river banks and beside rock ledges, that
had a conductor walking ahead of the train and inspecting
the condition of the tracks.
 
Rikiarnie wrote:

> I had planned on cycling from NYC to Montreal, and then
> returning by Amtrak. I have now found out that there are
> no trains that will take bike. Any ideas out there?

UPS/Fed Ex should work - you just have to get a bike box and
disassemble the bicycle

--
Elwood Blues
 
Mike Vermeulen <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> the train between San Luis Obispo and San Jose seemed to
> allow unboxed

Boy is that information way out of date. North of San Luis
Obispo bikes *must* be boxed. From SLO southward the
Surfliner takes roll-on (un-boxed) bikes, up to 8 per train.
The difference is due to state participation in the
Surfliner, which is considered a commuter train for SoCal.

Also, since last fall *all* baggage pieces on Amtrak must be
less than 50 lbs; over 50 lbs and it does not get accepted -
no exceptions
(i.e., you can no longer pay an overweight fee and get
the bag on).

The Amtrak boxes are big - much bigger than your
typical airline or LBS provided bike box, so less
disassembly is needed.

- rick
 
>The Amtrak boxes are big - much bigger than your
>typical airline or LBS provided bike box, so less
>disassembly is needed.

The Amtrak boxes I've gotten are same size as airline boxes
from United, Continental, Delta, etc. In both cases wheels
stay on, but pedals are removed and handle bars turned.

Boxes I got from Quantas were shorter and fatter than the
other airline boxes.

--mev, Mike Vermeulen