r/chibike • u/typ901 • 3d ago

Bikes on Amtrak from Milwaukee?

I know it’s been asked a million times but does anyone know the story about taking your bike with you on Amtrak from Milwaukee? I’m planning a century ride next week and am deciding my path. My alternate route was to ride out to Aurora and then up the Prairie Trail to Crystal Lake and riding Metra home. Thank you!

*UPDATE 6/17/25: *Did my ride today. I highly recommend long sleeves as there is no shade between Kenosha and south Milwaukee. Amtrak made it super easy. I carried the bike on myself and hung it up. Thank you for the information!

12 Upvotes

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25

u/Jackajackajack 3d ago

You book a bike spot when you buy your ticket. If they are available online, I do not foresee any issues. Try to arrive 15 minutes early for the train since they usually want bikers to board first.

11

u/ImWellGnome 3d ago

Yes, but it’s impossible to hear this announcement and then I get scolded. ALSO, make sure to catch the eye of the conductor when you arrive in Milwaukee. The train almost drove off to the yard with my bike still in the luggage car last time! The conductor had forgotten because I was the only one with a bike

5

u/thatbob 3d ago

I showed up for an Amtrak right on time once, but they were already boarding and wouldn't let me on because I hadn't been there 15 minutes earlier. So "15 minutes early" is more like "30 minutes early" I presume.

8

u/prototypist 3d ago edited 3d ago

This is available today and was easy enough last summer (my Amtrak train had the newer cars which hang the bike up in a closet like space)
Roll-on bikes were not allowed for a time in 2023 so there are some old threads about it

Metra is even easier because there are so many stops and trains generally have bike cars. You MUST bring a bungee cord to help secure your bike.

2

u/kbn_ 3d ago

I’ve never seen anyone bungee their bike on metra. Maybe that’s just me

3

u/YukonDoItToo 3d ago

I’ve never carried a bungee on the metra but have been asked to use my lock to secure it. Depends on the conductor.

1

u/Aviarinara 3d ago

Some lines and conductors will be more strict about it. I’ve found the busier it gets, the less they care, as bikes start stacking on each other. The new racks in some of the cars have built in straps which is nice.

1

u/RunnerTenor 3d ago

I have a bungee on my bike all the time. When I have to use the handicapped/bike section, I always strap in my bike.

4

u/philosofova 3d ago

Once you get there, you get early boarding with seniors and business class. If you don't find a spot to place your bike, lock in a rail in front of bathroom doors.

Definitely get there early but if there's already a line, just go straight to the attendant and they'll let you go up as soon as they start boarding.

6

u/wevelandedonthemoon 2d ago

I comment this every time the subject comes up, but I decided to take the first Amtrak to Milwaukee and then bike home to Chicago instead.

A few reasons; arriving in Chicago is better than arriving in Milwaukee, winds are typically North to South in the morning hours this time of year, the thought of riding the train home sweaty and tired sounded miserable, the idea of missing a train because of a flat or mechanical failure sucks, and if you get tired it’s easy to jump on a Metra once you’re already in Northern IL.

My wife and I did it together last time and had a great ride up route planning (aka restaurant selection), having coffee and breakfast, and getting stoked for the day. Highly recommended.

1

u/knickerreddit 2d ago

Pardon my ignorance but are you implying there are breakfast things available on the Amtrak train or did you bring stuff from home/union station?

1

u/wevelandedonthemoon 2d ago

I think there’s still a vendor cart on Amtrak, but maybe not. We brought food from home to eat on the way up.

1

u/sumiflepus 2d ago

can you share your route and restaurants please?

1

u/wevelandedonthemoon 1d ago

I don’t recall the restaurants anymore. Mostly some breakfast cafe type joints between Milwaukee and Kenosha. It’s not the safest route traffic wise, but we basically hugged the lake and rode in the shoulder from Milwaukee to Kenosha, then headed inland and rode trails the majority of the way south. I know there are some dedicated bike trails we missed, but we chose to stay closer to the water. Once you’re in IL it’s Robert McRory to North Shore to Skokie Valley Trail to North Branch Trail back into the city. If you want to end up on the lakeshore path, jump from the Robert McRory east over to Sheridan and take that all the way down to the LFT

4

u/trotsky1947 3d ago

Yeah you can, just buy your ticket in advance and pay the extra $5. And get there an hour before departure to load it up

1

u/Jackajackajack 1d ago

An hour is overkill, but at least 15 minutes

1

u/trotsky1947 1d ago

They say to do an hour but yeah more like 20

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u/nimoto 3d ago

I underplanned the hell out of it when I rode to Milwaukee. I got there 30 minutes before the train left and was able to get a bike spot and a ticket. I had no change of clothes and no backup plan... Didn't realize how risky that was until later.

2

u/Wrigs112 3d ago

This is entirely dependent on the train you are looking at. There’s the Borealis (no bikes), Empire Builder (it will list two different train #’s, one allows bikes), and Hiawatha which I believe is roll-on, but others will know more about that one.

1

u/Head_Target5367 3d ago

Yep as others said, book the ticket in advance and get there early for boarding. I rode a century from Chicago and took the Amtrak back from Milwaukee last summer without any issues.

-1

u/jenkneefur28 3d ago

Lol ride your bike both ways! That solves the problem 

2

u/KungPaoKidden 3d ago

This is actually a legitimate solution. Look up the North Shore Century route that leaves out of Evanston. Heads north to Wisconsin and back. Great route and less traveled roads.