Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
More recently, some trains have added bike racks in the baggage car, such as the Lakeshore Limited route that I cited above, that you need to reserve in advance.
Amtrak's route network is here:
https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/p...m-Map-1018.pdf
Prior to Chicago, any of the three trains you would likely take:
- California Zephyr including Omaha
- Southwest Chief including Albuquerque and Kansas City
- Texas including El Paso, St Louis
all have the same scheme for bicycles: trainside-baggage and checked baggage.
The trainside checked baggage option is similar to what is described above, you reserve it when you make your reservation, the bike goes in the baggage car and you can only board bikes at designated baggage stations. This and the connecting service in Chicago would be similar - you reserve/pay when you make your tickets and can book a bike all the way through. You need to pick up the bike in Chicago to bring it from one train to the other.
The checked baggage option is where your bike goes into a box. You can get the box and pay for it at the Amtrak station and useful to make sure a box will be available.