Ok so I have 2 commutes I do weekly, a 20 miler into the nearest city for work, and one into buffalo 60 miles away. I really want to mix in public transport in with the long one to buffalo, I looked into nfta metro and found that I would have 4 connections that would have to be perfectly on time to catch all of them, or taking the Amtrak train which would be less time than if I drove there in a car!
Problem: buffalo Amtrak doesn't have bike racks, I'm going to petition for them.....any ideas to make my case more convincing to the company?

Right now I'm driving to college in buffalo, parking in the overnight lot and biking around the city and to where I stay with friends. I have to go home every week to take care of horses.....and an Amtrak ticket would be cheaper than gas spent and would give the car back to my mother

If you have a full-sized bike (meaning not a folding bike) you will need to get a bike ticket and a bike box for the bike. That's the only way to travel on Amtrak with a full-size bike, if I recall correctly. Your other option is to get a folding bike which is treated as carry-on luggage on Amtrak. Asking Amtrak to change their policy can work. That's how folding bikes became carry on luggage, but I seriously doubt they'll budge on full-size bikes.

I used to take my folding bike from Champaign, IL to Chicago every week via Amtrak. It was great.

Good luck on your quest.
--sam

Yup, folding bike is your best bet.

I use a folder for traveling here in Europe and it's hella easy on trains. I don't have to buy a separate ticket as you would for a full size bike, it comes on as carry on luggage. It's light, compact and stores in a hotel room corner easily.

Yeah, sadly the only option for easy train travel in many cases is a folding bike. This sounds like one of those cases.

If you're not familiar with folding bikes, check into the folding bike forum here on bikeforums.net. Lots of knowledgeable folks there with regard to the various brands and options. Believe it or not, there is probably a folder that fits your needs (if you have the money to spend on it).

I also just realized that I may have misread your original post. Do you mean that the Amtrak station doesn't have a bike rack so that you can lock the bike there? Is your plan to bike to your local Amtrak, lock the bike. And then once you're at your destination, ride a bike that you have locked up there? This could work, but if you go this route, I would only suggest beater bikes that you don't care about. And if you mean to petition Amtrak for a bike rack for this purpose, I think it's worthwhile goal for sure. You might also check in with the local municipal government to see if they have bike rack program for public buildings. If so, they might provide a bike rack near the Amtrak station if Amtrak can't do it themselves.

There is also the option of a full size bike with S/S couplers which would fit inside a normal size suitcase. Unfortunately bikes like this are usually pretty expensive. Surly has a frame with S/S couplers for $1,200 (frame only).

A folder is a good choice. I use one all the time between Michigan and Illinios. It's going to prove cheaper and more convenient in the long run than what you are doing.

Marc

A folder is a good choice. I use one all the time between Michigan and Illinios. It's going to prove cheaper and more convenient in the long run than what you are doing.

Marc

Not true. It depends on the line. Best bet is to call amtrak. The cascades route for example has roll on bike service, though you still have to pay $5 each way for you bike.

Not too good for a routine commute; it can take an hour each way to assemble and disassemble, and you've got to drag the case along afterwards.

The Amtrak trains in California have (full sized) bike racks, so it can't be a company-wide policy or anything. You flip your bike up vertically and lock it to one of the racks on the wall. I've never used it, so I'm not sure if you need any sort of ticket to do so.

Maybe you can point to this as something the trains in your area should adopt?

Actually it can be company wide policy, since Amtrak California is a completely different entity owned by Caltrans. Hence the different livery, better trains and generally better service. They share ticketing, scheduling info, etc with Amtrak and coordinate things with Amtrak but they make their own decisions completely independent of the Federal agency.

To make things even more interesting, the Capitol Corridor route, though funded by Caltrans, is governed by a six county Joint Powers Authority that this route travels through; this route is run and managed by BART.

Hence, public participation in Amtrak California planning is very easy for interested parties. If you want more bike facilities on board, make your appeal to the California Transportation Commission (which funds this stuff), Caltrans Division of Rail and even the various bicycle advisory committees at the Caltrans district level. For Capitols Corridor, show up at the CCJPA meetings. Easy as pie.

Federal Amtrak, unfortunately, is a horrible, dark morass of bureaucracy. I've never figured out when / how / where Federal Amtrak board meetings are. There's supposedly a passenger advisory committee, but I've never been able to find details on their communications or meetings either.

For completeness: Bikes roll on free on California Amtrak.

Like Lalato, I'm not sure if you want a rack at the station or a rack on the train. I think the former would be slightly more achievable but neither is going to happen on a timeframe that will satisfy you. The folding bike is probably the only option with results possible within a calendar you already have.

Agree w/ the folding bike suggestion and I want to echo pdlamb's comment -- there are folding bikes that bundle up quickly, then foldable/packable bikes (including the S&S couplers) that can do it but are a project. There are big differences in how easy to fold and how easy to carry folded the various "folding" bikes are.

As far as the petition, I think your best route would be to engage some local advocacy group to see if you can find some expertise, enthusiasm, and force multipliers. And be sure you're petitioning the right folk, e.g. just because the Amtrak stops there doesn't mean it's an Amtrak station.

It's not even a consistent policy within California, but depends on the particular train. I've used the commuter Amtrak train from Oakland to Sacramento with the nice racks you mention at the end of the train cars. Just wheel the bike aboard and hook the wheel in the rack - very convenient and no extra charge.

OTOH, trying to use the Amtrak train to get back to the Bay Area from the Paso Robles bike rally was a very different experience. Bicycles, other than folders, had to be boxed and were only accepted at the few stations that had full baggage car service (which doesn't include Paso Robles). So one had to ride down to San Luis Obispo, hope that the Amtrak station had boxes available for sale (or scrounge one from a local bike shop), do some disassembly to fit the bike into the box, buy an extra cost ticket for the bike, and pick a destination station that also had baggage car service.

For completeness: How about, "bikes roll free on limited routes." I can not take a bike on Amtrak in far northern CA. For example. I can not take mu bicycle from Dunsmier (the north-most station, which is still well over 60mi south of the OR border) to Chico CA. I can also not take a bike from Chico, CA on the journey south to the Bay Area.

So, for completeness: How about, "bikes roll free on limited urban routes."

Thanks for the clarification re California, folks. Wasn't aware of the Caltrans issue, and I was speaking purely from my experience on the Pacific Surfliner.

Christ, what a pain.

Let's make things more complicated!
I can take my bike from Seattle to Portland with roll on service, $5 each way. I can also take my bike from Seattle to Portland but have to box the bike and pay the $10 or $15. The difference is the route. Roll on with the Cascades route, boxed with the Coast Starlight route.

I highly suggest the OP call Amtrak, as that is often the only way of knowing for sure.

Folders as other's have mentioned are a good option but they can be expensive. Less expensive option is to get a garage sale beater bike and lock it with a u lock at your home station so it will be waiting for you when you take the train home

If you ride your bike to the Buffalo station get a second beater to leave there. One stays at home station and one at Buffalo to take you on the post train leg of your trip.

Thanks for the clarifications on California Amtrak. I'm glad that there are roll-on options available somewhere. Unfortunately, the rest of Amtrak isn't nearly that progressive from my experience.

My vote in this case would be fore a folding bike... if there is money available for it.
--sam

Thanks for the advice! Yeah I called Amtrak and the buffalo/Niagara falls route doesn't have anything for bikes, unfortunately. I'm thinking of leaving a bike at each location, haha because even after college I'll be making that commute every week for my career. I was kinda dissapointed when I found out that the Amtrak would be more trouble than it's worth...though I may use the service without the bike, and have one at each location (apartment/house).