Has anyone taken a bike on the Amtrak @ Union Station Chicago?
10-18-16, 09:18 AM
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Has anyone taken a bike on the Amtrak @ Union Station Chicago?
Hi all,
I'd like to bring my road bike with me to Chicago this weekend so I can go for a ride Saturday morning. I haven't taken a bike on the Amtrak before - does anyone have experience navigating Union Station with one? Sounds kind of hairy to me, but I'm hoping I can manage it. Any advice would be appreciated!
I'd like to bring my road bike with me to Chicago this weekend so I can go for a ride Saturday morning. I haven't taken a bike on the Amtrak before - does anyone have experience navigating Union Station with one? Sounds kind of hairy to me, but I'm hoping I can manage it. Any advice would be appreciated!
10-19-16, 09:02 AM
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I doubt it will be too difficult to navigate at the Union Station end. Once there, Canal Street on the west side of Union Station has a bike lane. Check to make sure the train you're riding has roll on/roll off service. I'm not sure that all do.
10-24-16, 07:18 PM
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Darn, I am too late to the game here. I hope your trip went well. I did a bike on Amtrak from Union Station to Kalamazoo, MI a month ago. It was really easy. You can roll your bike right through the hallways and ramps at Union Station. I didn't even get any funny looks from passengers from Amtrak or Metra. The folks on Amtrak were super accomodating. A+++ from me. I will be doing this again next spring and summer.
JD
JD
Last edited by jdinspector; 10-24-16 at 07:19 PM. Reason: added a comment
10-31-16, 08:27 AM
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Hi all, thanks for the info! It worked out well - on the way in I was on the City of New Orleans, they took the bike from me and put it in luggage. On the way back I was on the 'local' train, the Illini - very little help from the conductors who advised me to just stand it up in the space for luggage in front of the front row of seats. Less than ideal, but do-able. Union Station itself was totally navigable with the bike. I'd do it again! Two great lakeshore trail rides.
