Amtrak Roll On/Roll Off

[culimerc]

Anybody know if Amtrak has made any progress since last Oct. on getting Roll On/Roll Off service up and running between here and Richmond and or here and Pittsburgh?

[leadandsteel]

My brother did from union to Pittsburgh with a bike box last week. I talked with amtrak a month ago about box or roll and the best most informed answer I received was you will need a box. My friend does the richmond to here weekly and they won’t even do a boxed bike. I used to pull BS on the train all the time with a boxed bike. I’d walk up to the train with the boxed bike and pull the old “well the guy I talked to said………..” and 7 times out of 10 get away with it. Make sure that BOTH stations have luggage service at the station. I’ve also had a copy of amtrak policy on bikes in my hand and have been turned away from stations that take bikes. I have talked to people that have also told me that the roll on thing was just an experment and due to non use they have killed it. Not really an answer but it’s the best I’ve got.

[mattotoole]

culimerc,

As you may know, the Virginia Bicycling Federation has been deeply involved with this issue. While others played a big part too, I give Champe the most credit for leadership and getting Amtrak to the table.

Anyway, the upshot is, Amtrak has a task force working to hammer out all the details. Champe is a member along with some other bike advocates, Amtrak engineers and operations people. Issues like trains having to make double stops at short platforms, station dwell time, and impact on train staff and other passengers, all have to be worked out, along with myriad other things that might not be apparent. The task force will probably take rest of this year if not longer. If Amtrak is satisfied and it’s a “go,” then we’ll probably get bike racks on the Capitol Limited soon after. Other trains serving the region will take longer.

Until then you’ll need a bike box, to check your bike as baggage. Amtrak sells the boxes and they’re full-sized for minimum disassembly. Still, no bikes at stations without baggage service — like Harpers Ferry, and a lot of other biking destinations. This is a big reason to have roll-on service, which is pretty much self-serve.

A guide to writing to government officials about this issue is on my to-do list, but I’ve been too busy. Let us know if you’d like to help.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@mattotoole 85734 wrote:

Amtrak sells the boxes and they’re full-sized for minimum disassembly.

$$$ ???

[cyclingfool]

$15 for a box. Plus maybe $10 more for luggage fee. Or so it appears: http://www.amtrak.com/bring-your-bicycle-onboard

[brendan]

Planning a pgh->DC ride in july and just realized I might have a problem with the dummy due to the 50lb/70″ limit. I think that means normally my cargo bike won’t be allowed. Also: “Recumbent, tandem and special bicycles over the standard bicycle dimensions and will not fit in a standard bicycle box are prohibited.”

I wonder if I remove the front wheel & fork/steerer and strip it of enough accessories it’s under 50lbs before packing it if it’ll fit and be accepted?

B

[culimerc]

Check into one way rentals for both cars and moving vans. DC being a bigger draw than Pittsburgh, the rates are probably comparatively reasonable.

[cyclingfool]

The timing on the train into Pbgh is bad, too. It gets in at around midnight or shortly thereafter IIRC from the last time I looked at the schedule, which is too bad, b/c I’m sure it’s a nice train ride otherwise.

Another option besides rental car/van is bus. Not sure what Greyhound/Bolt/etc.’s baggage restrictions are for oversized bikes like a Big Dummy or a tandem, but I no know that you can check a boxed bike as luggage on the bus pretty easily.

[brendan]

@cyclingfool 85929 wrote:

The timing on the train into Pbgh is bad, too. It gets in at around midnight or shortly thereafter IIRC from the last time I looked at the schedule, which is too bad, b/c I’m sure it’s a nice train ride otherwise.

Another option besides rental car/van is bus. Not sure what Greyhound/Bolt/etc.’s baggage restrictions are for oversized bikes like a Big Dummy or a tandem, but I no know that you can check a boxed bike as luggage on the bus pretty easily.

The greyhound bike size restrictions appear to be smaller than amtrak, according to the websites.

I’ll run the numbers on a van/car rental option and do some partially disassembled measurements research…

Thanks.

[CaseyKane50]

@culimerc 85421 wrote:

Anybody know if Amtrak has made any progress since last Oct. on getting Roll On/Roll Off service up and running between here and Richmond and or here and Pittsburgh?

Some news, Deborah Stone-Wulf, Amtrak’s Chief of Sales Distribution and Customer Services, has a Adventure Cycling Association guest post on the Amtrak Bicycle Task Force. She says that they expect to announce the pilot routes “very soon”.

[jopamora]

Crossing my fingers. Might even sacrifice a chicken.

[PotomacCyclist]

Has anyone tried the bike box/checked baggage process between D.C. and Richmond or Williamsburg? How smoothly does it go? Any unforeseen or foreseen hassles or problems? $15 for a box isn’t outrageously expensive. (I was worried that it would cost much more, like $100 or higher.) But does the bike arrive unscathed? Any difficulties at the destination station? Lost bikes?

There are now two annual triathlons in Willamsburg each summer, plus many people may just want to go for casual scenic rides around the Williamsburg/Jamestown area. There’s also a gran fondo this Sunday, the day after one of the triathlons. It would be awesome if the bike box system works fairly well. While I’m not doing any of the Williamsburg events this year, I’ll probably do one or two of them next year. I’d love to avoid the awful experience of driving from Northern Virginia to Williamsburg and take Amtrak instead (then rent a car locally in Richmond or Williamsburg).

http://www.setupevents.com/?fuseaction=event_detail&eventID=2516

FYI – Registration for the Jamestown Gran Fondo is open until tomorrow morning.

[KayakCyndi]

@PotomacCyclist 87556 wrote:

Has anyone tried the bike box/checked baggage process between D.C. and Richmond or Williamsburg? How smoothly does it go? Any unforeseen or foreseen hassles or problems? $15 for a box isn’t outrageously expensive. (I was worried that it would cost much more, like $100 or higher.) But does the bike arrive unscathed? Any difficulties at the destination station? Lost bikes?

There are now two annual triathlons in Willamsburg each summer, plus many people may just want to go for casual scenic rides around the Williamsburg/Jamestown area. There’s also a gran fondo this Sunday, the day after one of the triathlons. It would be awesome if the bike box system works fairly well. While I’m not doing any of the Williamsburg events this year, I’ll probably do one or two of them next year. I’d love to avoid the awful experience of driving from Northern Virginia to Williamsburg and take Amtrak instead (then rent a car locally in Richmond or Williamsburg).

http://www.setupevents.com/?fuseaction=event_detail&eventID=2516

FYI – Registration for the Jamestown Gran Fondo is open until tomorrow morning.

Alas, Williamsburg is a stop without baggage service and so for now, at least according to my understanding, that means no boxed bikes. Richmond would be an option. As far as I’ve heard, boxing the bikes is easy as the Amtrak boxes are HUGE and they arrive in good shape.

Personally, I’m considering a folding bike just to be able to take it on the train to WB until some type of roll-on service becomes available!

[americancyclo]

@KayakCyndi 87561 wrote:

Alas, Williamsburg is a stop without baggage service

It seems from this Amtrak webpage that Williamsburg (WBG) does have checked baggage service, but no bike boxes for sale.
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&code=WBG

[cyclingfool]

@americancyclo 87581 wrote:

It seems from this Amtrak webpage that Williamsburg (WBG) does have checked baggage service, but no bike boxes for sale.
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&code=WBG

Something they might consider remedying given the possibility, nay, likelihood that someone might complete the TransAm W-E in Yorktown and hope to head home or somewhere else by train afterwards.

[Author]

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