If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or have new posts delivered to your e-mail inbox. Thanks for visiting BicycleFrenzy.com!
Amtrak is not usually the first travel method of choice for most Americans these days. Travel by train often takes longer than flying or driving. The trains only travel to a few locations.
Amtrak does have a big tourist potential in the state of Missouri and I’m sure other states will have the same situations but I’m not familiar with them. Amtrak is also a low cost way to travel across the state.
Here in Missouri we have this great Rails-to-Trails system called the Katy Trail. It also has trails like the MKT that connects Columbia to the main trail as well. Amtrak also has train stops at several of the towns along the trail.
Sedalia Missouri is currently the Western most town on the Amtrak line that is also a Katy Trail town. Many Katy Trail users take the train from St. Louis to Sedalia and then ride their bikes back to St. Louis on the Katy. Other times riders take the Katy to St. Louis and ride their bicycles back to Sedalia. It really is a convenient way to experience a large portion of the trail.
Now that a new section of trail is slated to be built between Windsor Missouri and Pleasant Hill Missouri near Kansas City, new opportunities to make Amtrak part of your bicycle trip will soon be available.
Trail users will be able to take the train from Kansas City or Independence to Sedalia and then ride the new tail back home or more ambitious riders could take the train all the way across the state and ride the Katy all the way back. Increasing tourism in many of the Trail and Rail towns along the way.
Amtrak could also greatly benefit from increased passenger numbers. Amtrak does get some state funding in Missouri but more passengers would result in more funding and more accommodations such as more bike racks and possibly even more trains per day.
Have you ever taken the train as part of your bicycle trip? If you have, please share your experiences by leaving a comment.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Levi 01.21.08 at 11:52 am
That would be sweet to go cross-state by train and ride back. I’d like to ride across Pennsylvania sometime (400 miles) but to be eco-friendly I’d end up with 900-1000 miles by bike!
But as far as trains go, I’ve never seen a bike-carrying Amtrak around here. I’ve just been lucky to get my luggage on the train each time (there was only one time I didn’t get a seat.)
Bradly Fletchall 01.21.08 at 12:56 pm
Levi -
The trains only carry 6 bikes at a time I think. So with 3 mostly empty passenger cars (Amtrak isn’t used as much here as I think it should be) you can carry 6 bikes per train.
There is a bit of a movement to do something the Canadians have done on their rail system. They have a bike train that runs between specific locations and only on weekends. The train has an extra cargo car that they load your bike into so they can carry a lot of bikes.
I’m going to do a follow up post about the bike train Friday maybe next week.