Its too bad Amtrack is not up to speed* on the european model of roll on roll off with in train bike racks. Down side: It costs about 1/2 the price as the ticket sometimes. (there are ways around this..) It helps for parents with those huge jogger strollers too (for them there is no charge) If you have a folder you just fold it and put it in a luggage rack: no charge! But the roll on roll off is a great thing if you are a commuter and there is a sudden down-pour or if you just want your bike with you on the train.

* speed is really the wrong word here. For longer jaunts the TGV is often faster then taking a plane if you figure in the PITA of going to an airport.

Little factoid: The Acela was originally designed to go A LOT faster but because of a mix-up in calculations from the English to the Metric ( duh!) the rails were spaced too wide so the top speed is shaved off to keep the damn thing from flying off the rails. As a result its top speed is about one third the speed of Europe's fasted train. Sad.
Lastly, the NYC to Chicago train was FASTER 100 years ago than it is today and was more often on time!

Everybody: "Are we not men? We are DEVO! "