Amtrak and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) are announcing an improvement in bicycle service on the daily Hiawatha Service trains that is now in effect and is literally “out of the box.”

The past requirement of each customer partially disassembling their bikes and shipping them in cartons is now optional, instead of mandatory. This enhancement provides customers with a new way to travel with their bikes between Milwaukee and Chicago.

“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,” said Jim Brzezinski, Amtrak Senior Regional Director, State Corridors. “This will make bringing your bike along on these trips more welcoming and get you on your wheels and pedaling away immediately after arrival.”

“No assembly required, starting now for bicyclists,” said John Alley, WisDOT Transit, Local Roads, Railroads & Harbors Manager. “This saves our bicycling passengers money and makes their everyday journeys or vacation trips to explore Milwaukee and Chicago so much easier.”

Customers 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. There is a $5 charge per bicycle.

More details are on the Amtrak Passenger Service Notice.

With almost 800,000 passengers last year, the Hiawatha Service is the busiest Amtrak corridor in the Midwest, offering seven daily round-trips Mondays through Saturdays and six round-trips on Sundays under a sponsorship shared by WisDOT and the Illinois Department of Transportation with Amtrak. More information is at AmtrakHiawatha.com.

(Source: Amtrak)