Bike-Train Happiness: Amtrak Allows Cyclists to Bring Bicycles on Milwaukee-Chicago Trains

This is great news! Milwaukee is a fun city for cyclists and now Wisconsin cyclists can also hop a train to come to Chicago. Win-win. 

May 03--Amtrak has begun letting passengers bring bicycles on the Hiawatha trains that run between Milwaukee and Chicago.

The service, quietly launched last weekend, costs $5. Reservations are required. As many as 15 bicycles can be brought on each train.

Amtrak previously had accommodated bicycles, but they had to be partly disassembled and shipped in cartons. The new service could be attractive both to commuters between the cities, and to bicycling enthusiasts taking advantage of a convenient way to explore new riding territory.

"People in Milwaukee may not realize this, but Chicago is years ahead of us in terms of on-street bicycle facilities," said Dave Schlabowske, deputy director of Wisconsin Bike Fed, a bicycling advocacy organization. "They've got protected bike lanes all over the place -- not just regular bike lanes but protected bike lanes. So riding in Chicago is so much easier than people might think."

Milwaukee will see the effects too.

"Illinois visitors play a huge role in our tourism, and cycling is a big part of that as well," Schlabowske said. "So for them to be able to hop the train, come up, and have their bikes with them is an even bigger deal."

He said the Wisconsin Bike Fed has been pushing for Amtrak to offer the service between Milwaukee and Chicago for at least five years. Similar programs already are available on the East Coast, Schlabowske said.


Full article: http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/12203021/amtrak-lets-passengers-...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on May 4, 2016 at 9:24am

Great news! Thanks for sharing, Yasmeen.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on May 4, 2016 at 9:41am

So nice Amtrak finally made it easier to get our bikes back in one piece.

Laughing at the one time I rode up to Milwaukee with a group from thechainlinlk and had difficulty taking someone's pedal off. Alas, the train was leaving and we just crammed the bike in the box despite ripping up the box and ruffling feathers.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on May 4, 2016 at 9:46am

boxes are silly. I'm glad Amtrack is finally ramping up. About time! :-)

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on May 4, 2016 at 9:59am

We raided a local bike shop's trash bin to save money on boxes we would otherwise be forced to purchase and throw away at the end.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on May 4, 2016 at 10:16am

Here's the update from John at Streetsblog as well as some important information you'll need to know if you are planning a trip e.g. reservation required. 

http://chi.streetsblog.org/2016/05/04/trying-out-new-roll-on-bike-s...

Permalink Reply by Greg Valent on May 5, 2016 at 8:21am

Read John Greenfield's article. Amtrak is supposed to start roll-on between Chicago and Grand Rapids MI, too.

Permalink Reply by Mike Murray on May 5, 2016 at 8:40am

Fun.... From Milwaukee you can  take the Ferry to Muskegon and then ride the Muskegon to Grand Rapids Trail.....

Permalink Reply by Ed Barsotti on May 5, 2016 at 3:15pm

A few years back, we (Ride Illinois, then League of Illinois Bicyclists) put together an informal guide on using Illinois' decades-old bikes-on-Amtrak policy.  After some general info, six Illinois Amtrak towns are featured (accommodations, attractions, suggested routes) for day/weekend trips or longer. 

Since that time, it is much more common to be able to "park" your bike in open spaces on each car - instead of in the overhead racks.

The guide can be downloaded from http://rideillinois.org/maps/bike-on-amtrak-guide (yes, the photo is of Metra, not Amtrak).

Permalink Reply by mike w. on May 6, 2016 at 1:52am

i once saw a conductor on the Hiawatha at Milwaukee refuse to let a passenger board with a disassembled bike, even though the car was mostly empty. The said conductor then threatened to put me off his train when i questioned his decision. The conductor always has final say as to whether or not you get to ride on his train. Your best hope is that the conductor isn't having a bad day.

Permalink Reply by Marcelo Marcos on May 6, 2016 at 5:31am

I've already ran out of El train and Pace Bus to get to Palos trails (last stop on orange line and last stop on pace. I've also ran out of Metra to get to the Oswego's Saw Wee Kee trails (last stop in Delaware). Only natural progression would be to get on the Amtrak to hit some Milwaukee trails. Little Switz here I come. Great news! :)

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