Richmond Council asking Amtrak to add bike service

[PotomacCyclist]

From the Virginia Bicycling Federation:

“So get your cities and towns to pass these resolutions, and voice your concerns with the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which oversees DRPT. They are listening. The comment period is now, and the deadline is Dec. 6.”

http://www.vabike.org/ctb-public-input-meetings/

[PotomacCyclist]

If this service had been in place already, I would have taken Amtrak to Richmond or Williamsburg for my triathlon over the summer. Then I could have rented a car down there for short-distance trips (bike check-in, etc.). Driving from Arlington to Williamsburg was an aggravating experience for me.

[TwoWheelsDC]

This will be a must-have for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships.

[mstone]

@TwoWheelsDC 68661 wrote:

This will be a must-have for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships.

For an event like that they’d be better hiring a special car. IIRC, the number of bikes per train for roll-on/off is really low, like 6 or something. If you’re actually expecting a bunch of people to try this for an event, basic service won’t get you very far.

[consularrider]

@PotomacCyclist 68649 wrote:

… Driving from Arlington to Williamsburg was an aggravating experience for me.

Having done the DC to Richmond trip too many times and with many more to come while our son is attending VCU, the only time the trip hasn’t been a PITA, is when I leave at o dark 30 to be on time for an early morning cycling event.

[dasgeh]

So… December BAC agenda item?

[consularrider]

I don’t think there is an Arlington stop – we need to get Alexandria involved too!

[TwoWheelsDC]

@mstone 68675 wrote:

For an event like that they’d be better hiring a special car. IIRC, the number of bikes per train for roll-on/off is really low, like 6 or something. If you’re actually expecting a bunch of people to try this for an event, basic service won’t get you very far.

You’re definitely right…but even just from a PR perspective, anything to bolster the city’s bike creds is a positive.

[mattotoole]

Folks,

Thanks for having this discussion.

The Richmond resolution is great. Let’s get them from every community on or near these Amtrak routes. The DC and Alexandria stations serve the entire region, as do National and Dulles airports. So yes, Arlington, please. Farifax County entities too.

Amtrak sees the value in this, but it’s more complicated than it looks. Right now, we think it’s Virginia’s DRPT (Dept. of Rail and Public Transit) that needs a push. Their oversight comes from the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), whose public comment period is now. A bunch of cities passing resolutions would send a strong message.

Some smart, tight messages from citizens would be powerful too. I’m confident this group could produce some. Stories like PotomacCyclist’s and commuterrider’s are great, along with:

• Last mile connectivity
• Reducing car trips and need for parking
• Key item to facilitate car-free lifestyles
• Making use of trains we already have, vs. giant, expensive new road projects

Please speak at the remaining CTB meetings, and submit your written comments by Dec. 6.

If you want more backstory, let’s have coffee!

[PotomacCyclist]

I just saw these updates from the Virginia Bicycling Federation about the bikes on Amtrak issue:

http://www.vabike.org/one-step-closer-to-roll-on-service/

Nov. 8, 2013: “Following our test on the Capitol Limited, the next step toward getting roll-on service was for Amtrak to lead a task force, to work out all the details. We’re happy to announce that in a meeting today, they agreed to go forward with this.”

http://www.vabike.org/amtrak-roll-on-task-force-thanks/

Nov. 12, 2013: “Our September 3 letter to Amtrak President Joseph Boardman led to a meeting November 8, at Amtrak headquarters in Washington DC. Representatives from Amtrak met with the Virginia Bicycling Federation, Richmond 2015, and Adventure Cycling Association to talk about forming a task force to fully investigate roll-on solutions. The tone was positive all around. Everyone agreed that the task force should include national and state bicycling groups, passenger rail advocates, and state DOTs as well as Amtrak officials, working in teams to develop pilot projects and field progress reports to our various constituents. Willingness to move forward with this task force suggests that all parties see roll-on service as a win-win.”

“Special thanks to our friends at the Adventure Cycling Association, East Coast Greenway Alliance, Allegheny Trail Alliance, New York Bicycling Coalition, Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition, and Washington Area Bicyclist Association.”

***
Two years ago, they posted a link to this 1955 video about bikes on British Rail, as one example of how bikes could be stored on trains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyz5d3entBw

[Helmets weren’t in fashion back then, but mid-calf argyle socks with shorts were. 4:00 mark and beyond]

***
The comments to this article are interesting, assuming they are accurate. I’m not an expert on Amtrak so I won’t comment on the accuracy.

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2013/06/18/amtrak-looking-to-handle-growing-demand-for-bikes-on-board/

[PotomacCyclist]

@PotomacCyclist 68647 wrote:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/richmond-council-asking-amtrak-to-add-bike-service/article_cd590126-2f41-55d4-8c52-50db194e297c.html

…

‘Last week, the City Council authorized a resolution to officially ask Amtrak to offer roll-on, roll-off bike service on trains coming through Richmond.
In theory, riders would be able to board a train with their bicycle in the D.C. area, get off in Richmond and immediately bike to various attractions, including the planned Virginia Capital Trail that will eventually connect Richmond and Williamsburg.

“There’s this possibility of really tapping into a segment of those who might come but otherwise aren’t coming right now,” said Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District, who introduced the resolution to request the service.’

…

According to their website, the Virginia Capital Trail could be completed by Summer 2015: http://virginiacapitaltrail.org/trail/map/

VDOT site: http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/newcaptrail_welcome.asp

[mstone]

Good grief, what is there to discuss in committee?

[PotomacCyclist]

Well, it’s better than having Amtrak ignore the issue and telling the bike advocates to go away. From the comments on some of the articles I read, there does seem to be certain issues with low-platform vs. high-platform trains and stations. There is also a temporary issue with the train luggage cars, although one person said that new trains are scheduled to enter service in the next few months. As I said before, I don’t have any personal knowledge about the issues, so I can’t say whether those statements are accurate or not.

[mattotoole]

As I mentioned, we’re pretty sure Amtrak is onboard with this. They’re concerned with how it might affect their operations, delay trains at platforms or interfere with passenger movements. They don’t want any other passenger to be inconvenienced. So they have to go through the motions of testing every aspect. BTW platform height doesn’t seem to bother Amtrak as much as platform length, and the train having to make a double stop.

The bigger problem is that these routes serving VA also serve other states, especially in the Northeast. Amtrak has to provide what those states have specified and are paying for. They can’t just give up seats for bike racks, especially if those trains are selling out on some legs, such as NYC-DC. The train that looks half-empty on the way to Lynchburg may have been booked solid all the way from Boston to NYC to DC.

We need to get those other state DOTs onboard, which may actually not be too hard. Our own DRPT has been another story. So write to the CTB before Dec. 6. Tell them you want roll-on service on Amtrak, and explain why. We’ll have a new administration soon, and with change comes opportunity. Certain “obstacles” are likely to be gone.

[KLizotte]

+1 to Matt O’Toole’s post. I used to work for Amtrak and concur that it isn’t as easy as it might appear on paper. Amtrak operates according to contracts established with individual states and doesn’t always own the equipment (therefore leased from the states). The non-Acela trains are more often than not sold out to the point people where are sitting on the floor, esp between NYC and DC, when there is a late train. There is also the issue of safety should the cars have to be evacuated quickly and people often bring an amazing amount of luggage on board. As noted, not all trains are able to stop at level platforms requiring going up stairs and not all platforms are long enough to allow the baggage cars to come up to the platform when stopped. And if memory serves me correctly, the stops were allocated only 3-4 minutes in the schedule (with the exception being places like DC, NYC and Boston). Lastly, taking out seats in the cars means a major revenue loss which Amtrak cannot afford; the company is billions in the red as it is (that’s another long story).

All of this is not to say that it can’t be done just that there are barriers beyond Amtrak’s control and that this is probably a low priority given everything else the company is dealing with on a daily basis (like badly deteriorating tracks on the NE Corridor and no congressional money to fix them).

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