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Reply to Amtrak

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Beth from St. Louis on 8/6/2008 3:21:24 PM:

For those of you who have taken the train, what are the procedures if you are "rolling on" your bike? What part of the train do you board? How early should you arrive at the train station?

ka3751 from saint louis on 8/6/2008 8:25:53 PM:

If you're making a reservation in advance, tell them you have a bike. Only a limited number of bikes can be taken on the train (I think 4). There is also a $10 charge. It's not necessary to get to the train station early like going the airport. When the train arrives the conductor will probably tell you to go to the last door of the last car. He will take your bike and you can continue to your seat.

Having said that, it is also possible to buy a ticket, with your bike, when the train arrives. If there is room for your bike then there isn't a problem. However there is a small chance they might already have 4 bikes on board.

I took Amtrak with my bike from Jeff City to Kirkwood and thought it was awesome.

Good luck with your trip.

Kim from Independence, MO on 8/7/2008 8:42:00 AM:

BEWARE riding Amtrak with your bike! We followed all the instructions - purchased tickets in advance with bike tickets, etc. However, when we boarded with our bikes in Hermann for the ride back to Sedalia, our bike spots had been given away to some people who boarded before us - without reserved bike tickets. The conductor was NO help. Fifteen minutes into the trip (standing with our bikes and swaying with the train)we finally broke out our own bungee cords and had to bungee our bikes together and to the door handle of one of the bathrooms in the back of the train.

I contacted Amtrak after getting home, and all I have received is an email saying that they would be contacting me. The trip was over 2 months ago.

AMTRAK will give away your reserved bike spots to anyone boarding with bikes!

Paulie from Knoxville TN on 8/8/2008 4:42:53 AM:

Sorry about your bad Amtrak expereince Kim. I guess I've been lucky in the past with friendly,helpful staff and on time trains.

Speaking for myself, I really woundnt care where they had me place my bike as long as I didnt have to disassemble it. Katy riders are lucky, most Amtrak routes make you cram your bike in a box.

Paulie

Dan from High Ridge on 8/8/2008 9:56:26 AM:

I've taken bikes on Amtrak a couple of times. The first time was an awesome experience and the 2nd time was a bad experience. We had reserved bike tickets but they had no place for our bikes nor did they have a way to secure them. We had to argue with the conductor (thus, holding up the train) while standing in front of all the other passengers. So my experience is 50/50 with bikes on Amtrak. It's a great deal for Katy Trail riders but be prepared for problems. Best of luck!

cunninghamair from O''''''''Fallon, MO on 8/9/2008 1:57:16 PM:

We had a good experience in Washington. We purchased our tickets ahead of time from
their website and were nervous--we got there early and were first in line, ready to plead
our case. The conductor didn't blink when he saw us. My advice--they don't stop the
train for long! It's a tall step and the conductor grabbed my front wheel to help me get
on board. As I stepped on, he pointed to the spot where our bikes went, and then
grabbed me by the arm as the train started moving! DItto the disassemble comment--
their website said be ready to loosen your pedals and handlebars and we weren't looking
forward to that--but it wasn't necessary. We propped them up against a couple other
bikes in the front of the car.

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