Bike rack storage on Amtrak Cascadia train along the Northwest Pacific Coast. Sept. 2009. Photo by HJEH Becker. Bike and luggage storage train car is only on certain scheduled trains across the rest of the US.
In British Columbia, why is it important to keep the Canadian Pacific’s Armstrong Subdivision in rail operations and prevent CP from selling it off for non-transportation use? Why is it important that all abandoned rail lines be turned into bike trails? Why is it important that all operational rail lines also have bike trails within their right-of-way where mountain cliffs are not a hindrance? Look at what is happening in Toronto and Ontario into Québec. ( www.biketrain/ca ). For rail-trails and rail with trails, Québec’s La Route Verte touring cycling routes and findings in an economic report prepared by a Montréal university, has shown a clear, positive impact on local retail economies.
How inspiring, a bike train operating out of Toronto. A bit of Europe brought into our land. It is the work of Justine Lafontaine and Transportation Options. In the first year, Justin had to put a bike rack on a VIA train luggage car and then personally loaded the bikes. In 2009, I had finished putting my folding bike into
Tying up bike to rail in bike storage train car. Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic June 2010. Photo by HJEH Becker. Aging, rusty but clean Czech trains usually provided a bike storage car per train.
its soft case and went to the VIA check-in agent in Toronto on my way to Montréal. He looked at the bag and told me that they had a bike rack on the train I was going on. What a surprise.
Germany's Deutsch Bahn trains often provide at least 1 bike storage car per train. June 2010. Reservations are recommended since cyclists use them often.
In 2010, Transportation Options and its partners, VIA Rail, Ontario Northlands, Go Transit and others, have a suite of routes that are serviced with capacity to carry bikes on train. Some of these services take cyclists and their bicycles 500 kms and more to their Ontario destinations. Also pilot trains are being run to destinations such as Huntsville, Bracebridge, and South River north of Toronto.
Imagine if the bike train concept were brought to British Columbia. It would open up such destinations as Whistler and farther north municipalities, the Fraser Valley to Salmon Arms and south to Kelowna, Osoyoos and east, Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, and other destinations. Already we have capacity to travel south to Seattle, Portland, and Eugene, Oregon with the two train services each day on Amtrak that have bike racks.
Bike secured to metal bracket in rail bike storage car on Swedish train. June 2010. Photo by HJEH Becker
Imagine the flexibility that would be provided for touring cycling for a day, for a weekend, or for longer trips, not only from Vancouver outward but also by bringing people from the B.C. interior to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Image the new business and revenue that smaller centres in BC would enjoy from the cycling touring trade. Now if this were Europe, Kelowna would only be 2 hours or less from Vancouver with high-speed trains. One could leave Vancouver in the morning, cycle the wine country of the Okanagan, and return home the same day. A dream or a reality someday? Time will tell.
Loading up bikes onto Amtrak's Cascadia train with a bike and storage car. Fall 2009. Photo by HJEH Becker
A bike train — is it something Vancouverites and British Columbians would use? Well for me, the answer is yes. I have just returned from a bike and train trip in Europe. What a joy to push a bike loaded with panniers and too much stuff onto train cars. Just remember to make bike rack reservations for the bike on trains or you may be disappointed. By the end of August, I will be off on my next bike and train trip. This time the trip will be to the eastern part of North America. This time it will not be as convenient as
Inside bike storage rail car for Germany's Deutsch Bahn trains June 2010. Photo by HJEH Becker
pushing a bike on a train. At each stop, the folding bike will be taken out or put back into its soft bag.
When we lived in Toronto, we made good use of the GO Transit trains to get out of the city for a day, a weekend, or longer. Train stops such as Kingston, Cobourg, and Cornwall were frequent destinations. The VIA Rail station staff would thoughtfully keep our bike boxes until we returned.
Czech national train car --with roll-on bike storage June 2010. Photo by J. Chong
So, we should rally our governments to ensure that rail lines stay for transportation uses, either singularly for cycling or for bike trails and operational trackage within the same right-of-way.
Third Wave Cycling Blog 
Thanks for sharing your experiences, I love the idea of dedicated bicycle-storage train cars like the German one and only wish they had them where I am. We normally have a rail to chain one or two bikes two, but that’s it, I imagine it discourages a lot of people from combined train-bike journeys.
I am not certain where in the UK you are, but tying the bikes to a rail within the train car was a common design feature on the older Czech trains. But also on some newer Swedish trains.
This simple option is not even there on every train run or every 2nd train run in North America. A combined train-bike trip in North America makes more sense when our land expanses and distances can be enormous with very few towns in between.
In fall 2009, it was a big accomplishment just to get a 2nd Amtrak train run between Seattle and Vancouver which offered a bike storage train car! The distance is only 250 kms. but a passenger train crossing international borders in North America is nearly rare.
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Thank you for these wonderful pictures. I shall use them, with attribution, to advocate for additional bicycle carriage facilities on Amtrak trains.
Now, 2011, Amtrak is planning to purchase new train sets and rolling stock. Hopefully we can advocate for unboxed bicycle carriage on all Amtrak passenger trains.
Just a note: Amtrak extended up to the next 12 months, its 2nd daily train between Seattle and Vancouver, BC after considerable protest from people who wanted the convenience and choice. This train offers the bike storage rail car.
Dear Jean,
Thank you for your quick response.
Last Friday, January 20, 2011, I (and the Prog. Mgr. New York Bicycling Coalition) teleconferenced with representatives from Amtrak’s planning & marketing department and the New York State Dep’t. of Transportation.
One interesting item was the lack of a central place for statistics concerning boxed, unboxed in passenger cars, and unboxed in baggage cars (e. g., the Cascade). If you or someone who is reading this blog has such statistics for the Cascade, other Amtrak, or VIARail trains I would appreciate the stats.
Another, even more important item brought up at this meeting was the U. S. Passenger Rail Investment & Improvement Act of 2008.
At this very moment (well during regular business hours) a committee of ? (unknown members and associated organizations but I am certain no bicycling or pedestrian passenger organizations) are determining the cost ratios, etc. for building a new and universal (that is all trains having the same characteristics) fleet of Amtrak trains.
Bicycle carriage is not one of the items discussed. It should be given the increasing cost of private auto fuel but it is out of the realm of railroad planners and cost effective consultants.
I urge the U. S. A. readers of this blog to contact their U. S. Representatives and Senators to inquire about this Act. To find out who is chairing and who are the members of this railroad rolling stock cost, design, and implementation committee. Finally to advocate for unboxed bicycle carriage facilities such as available on the Cascades and even better unboxed bicycle carriage in the passenger cars (separate section or in the passenger car baggage area) by writing to their elected representatives and each member of this PRIIA cost & design committee.
A bit of a soap box but… “If it ain’t discussed in the cost and design planning meetings, it ain’t in the draft plan; if it ain’t in the draft plan, it ain’t in the plan; & if it ain’t in the plan, it ain’t gonna be done!” Harvey Botzman. 10/1/10.
It would be useful with Amtrak representative, to see statistical data from the West coast region where the Cascades Amtrak train on their bike train usage. After all, they have built up with a history ..lst with 1 train, now there’s a 2nd train.
But useful to remember that during the first 1-2 yrs. a new service, ie. bike train may not have overflowing crowds of users …just like a new highway or bridge for car drivers. For instance, there is a new road (toll) bridge in Vancouver’s suburbs that is UNDERutilized and probably will be for the next few years because a) the population in that area has not been built up b) people change their travel patterns/route habits over time.
Wonder why we allow brand new highways to be underutilized and not get many people upset for first few years, but non-cyclists get upset whenever there is talk of a moderately used bike lane where the latter doesn’t use up much road real estate?
A more useful approach is to think of cyclists using trains ..as potential tourists and consumers of local goods and services at each stop they make. I don’t know where you are located in NY state but there is a good chance there is a flow of people specifically for tourism.
Cyclists contribute to the local economy: they need accomodation, restaurants, clothing, etc. They are no different as consumers than anyone else.
Hopefully you will get in touch with the person responsible for Bike Train in Ontario to understand their experiences.