Bring your bike when you hitch a ride on Amtrak's Hiawatha Service
MILWAUKEE -- Amtrak and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced on Wednesday, May 4th an improvement in bicycle service on the daily Hiawatha Service trains between Milwaukee and Chicago. You can now bring your bike on board -- without having to take it apart.
In the past, customers were required to partially disassemble their bikes and ship them in cartons. That's now optional.
In a news release, Jim Brzezinski, Amtrak Senior Regional Director, says the following:
"We have worked with WisDOT by thinking ‘out of the box’ and mounting 15 bike racks in the control unit on each of the Hiawatha trains. This will make bringing your bike along on these trips more welcoming and get you on your wheels and pedaling away immediately after arrival."
Anyone interested in using this new service must reserve space for their bikes by selecting “add bike” when they book their train travel on Amtrak.com, by calling 800-USA-RAIL, using the staffed ticket offices in Milwaukee or Chicago or by using the Quik-TrakSM kiosks at both stations. It's important to note -- there is a $5 charge per bicycle.