I can't stop thinking about my experience this past weekend, travelling to the Philly Bike Expo on my Bombadil and the train. It definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities of this kind of combo travel, but perhaps more important it exposed weaknesses in the train transit system that will need further development. But overall it was a great experience.
This was my first (of hopefully many future) bike-train trip(s). Does anyone else have experiences travelling with your bike by train? How would you rate YOUR train service in terms of bike-friendliness? My key observations about Amtrak, NJ Transit and SEPTA (greater Philly area): - In the hall of shame is Amtrak, which although they allow folding bicycles at all times, they prohibit roll-on/roll-off along the Northeast Corridor line (even during off-hours), a situation that frankly is unacceptable. This is our national rail system, our taxes subsidize this system, and yet their mindset is so far behind the times, it's frustrating. In fact, I wrote a letter to the Northeast Regional Office of Government Affairs at Amtrak (Peter Cohen) last winter, requesting special permission to roll my bike onto the train to Washington to represent my state of NJ at the National Bike Summit. Not only did Mr Cohen not reply, after receiving my second inquiry he referred me to a customer service rep, where I got the stock party-line answer "We don't have the equipment to handle this"... which is a gutless and LAME response. (Thumbs DOWN!) - NJ Transit allows folding-bicycles at all times, and full-size bikes (roll on/off) during off-peak hours. The new double-decker trains are very well-suited for bikes (in the accessible/wheelchair area) and score high marks!!; the older single level trains are less well- suited, and require placing bikes in seating areas in close proximity to other passengers, often encroaching on the aisle. The conductors were VERY helpful... this was much appreciated (thumbs UP!) - SEPTA trains have a policy similar to NJ Transit, and these trains are single level with no special accommodations for bikes, other than to occupy an accessible seating space (like NJ Transit's older trains). Conductors were polite and very accommodating (thumbs UP!) The encouraging news is that Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood and the League of American Bicyclists are leaning on organizations, including Amtrak to change their policy, and to make it feasible for full size bikes to roll on and roll off Amtrak trains. One day I hope to hop on a train (with my Riv), and perhaps visit a few people on this forum. Peace, BB -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
