HARRISBURG – Amtrak has worked with PennDOT to expand its carry-on bike program for most Keystone Service departures, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 15, allowing customers to store their bike inside of the passenger coach in a designated space.
In addition, Amtrak has launched this on its Northeast Regional trains, and worked with other various Northeast state partners to offer the program on its State-Supported trains in Connecticut and Northern New England.
“Allowing riders the versatility to bring their bikes on the train is very important to PennDOT,” said Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Jennie Granger. “Increased transit options will change the way people get around their cities while creating cost savings, improved health and wellness benefits and more environmentally conscious choices.”
“Bringing your bicycle onboard a train is part of the journey, as it allows our customers to explore the cities they are visiting,” said Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Roger Harris. “To coincide with the increased popularity of biking in this country, we also wanted to provide our customers with the option of bringing their bike on more trains.”
Utilizing newly-installed luggage racks that convert to bike racks, the expanded bike program will allow Amtrak to provide storage space for up to two bikes per departure, with additional spaces being added as the rest of the fleet receives these modifications. Standard full-size bicycles may be carried on, as long as the front wheel is removed, and stored onboard in bicycle racks. Specific reservations are required.
For carry-on bicycle service, customers are encouraged to arrive at the station at least 30 minutes prior to departure. All panniers and bags attached to the bicycle need to be removed and consolidated before boarding.
Customers should proceed with the “Add Ons” step to add bikes to a reservation. Customers can also call 1-800-USA-RAILCall: 1-800-USA-RAIL to add a bike reservation to an existing reservation.
More than 232,953 bikes have traveled around the country since the program launched in October 2015. The program has also generated more than $1 million in revenue since its inception. For more information about Amtrak’s Bike policy, visit Amtrak.com..
