Caltrain - Bikes On Board

Caltrain has empty seats,
but too little bike space

Photos tell the tale — on the left, the bike car; on the right, a passenger car in the same train at the same time. Click here to view more photos of Caltrain's capacity imbalance problem . . .

Caltrain seeks your input —
speak up for bikes onboard TODAY!

Caltrain is updating their Short-Range Transit Plan (FY2009 to FY2018) but they don't seem to be planning for bikes onboard going forward. This is a serious omission, because there's insufficient bike capacity right now! Please email Caltrain and let them know they need to plan for bikes onboard, for the current service as well as electrified trains, take action here . . .

Make your bump count!

Every time you're bumped (denied boarding due to insufficient bike capacity), use this handy email link to send a message to Caltrain customer service, copying the Caltrain board, staff, and us at the same time. Report all bumps to help move cyclists one step closer toward more bike capacity on Caltrain.

Tips for Cyclists Riding Caltrain

November 2009 Update

Caltrain is making good progress on improvements to its onboard bike service, as follows:

Increase bike capacity from 32 to 40 bikes on gallery bike cars by mid June (completed).
Increase bike capacity from 16 to 24 bikes on Bombardier bike cars by August (completed).
Convert three Bombardier non-bike cars to bike cars with 24 bike spaces by the end of ~~August September October~~ November (delayed again).

In December, all five Bombardier train sets will have two bike cars to carry 48 bikes per train, and about half of the fifteen gallery train sets will have two bike cars to carry 80 bikes per train. Caltrain has specified one-third of the trains to run with two bike cars, though not guaranteed. The other two-thirds of trains will vary unpredictably with 40, 48, or 80 bikes per train. To eliminate bumping, we need consistent 80 bike spaces on every commute-period train.

See our proposal for improving consistency with 72 to 80 bikes per train

SFBC Plan for Bicycle Carriage on Caltrain

SFBC authored a Plan for Bicycle Carriage on Caltrain, and we distributed a draft to Caltrain board members at their meeting on August 7, 2008. For updates since then, please see the Revision History in our Plan.

The SFBC's plan supports: (1) bikes on board to reduce car, bus, and shuttle trips at both ends of a commute, (2) increasing bike capacity as a way to increase Caltrain ridership, and (3) financial gain for Caltrain and transit agencies by expanding the bikes-on-board program.

Caltrain and Bikes in the Media

Media attention about Caltrain's onboard bicycle program has been outstanding.

Caltrain and Bikes in the Media

bike + train = a perfect combination!

photo by Richard Masoner

Caltrain's onboard bicycle program has been so successful that it is unable to keep up with demand. Bicyclists are routinely bumped, and many cyclists have stopped riding Caltrain altogether to avoid the risk of being bumped. The SFBC has formed the BIKES ONboard project to help Caltrain plan for the future to guarantee access on board trains for all cyclists.

BIKES ONboard FAQ — Responses to Misconceptions about Bikes on Caltrain

Caltrain's own bicycle FAQ is not quite right — read our rebuttal and get the straight story here

The Problem with Being Too Successful

Caltrain's bicycle program has been a fabulous success. There are more bicyclists wanting to bring their bikes on board than available bicycle space. Bicyclists are frequently bumped, even when there are plenty of empty seats. Routine bumping discourages bicycle commuters from using Caltrain at all, because 80% of bicycle commuters rarely if ever take Caltrain without bringing their bicycle on board. Routine bumping causes frustration, missed appointments, unreliable service, and wasted time standing on the platform. In the one-year period ending June 2007, 64% of bicyclists reported having been bumped, most of them repeatedly. Frustrated cyclists quit using the train and start driving, resulting in increased congestion on the roads and lost revenue for Caltrain.

Bikes on Trains Is Essential

Caltrain is a national model for intermodal transportation — more cyclists use Caltrain than any other commuter rail service in the United States. This is not surprising, because Northern California is blessed by mild ice-free temperatures and low precipitation. High bicycle ridership in many municipalities has helped generate a bicycle community. Cyclists have been instrumental in encouraging Caltrain to accommodate the growing demand of bikes on board trains. The BIKES ONboard project is working to ensure that Caltrain's future plans continue to incorporate cyclists' needs.

Many cyclists need their bicycle at both ends of their commute, because their starting point and final destination are not near the train station. Often public transportation is either nonexistent, or riding a bicycle is faster and/or more reliable than the available public transportation. Bringing a bike on board the train provides flexibility — cyclists can easily change their commute pattern, or run an errand during the day or on the way home.

Caltrain is Losing Paying Passengers

Eight percent of Caltrain passengers ride their bike to the station, and 7% bring their bike onboard the train. Bicyclists were Caltrain's fastest growing passenger segment, until limited bike capacity thwarted growth in 2006 when routine bumping began. Caltrain may be losing as many as 1000 bicycle boardings per weekday, because there is too little bike space on trains.

Caltrain bike boardings graph From 2003 to 2006, walk-on passengers increased 16%, whereas bicycle passengers increased 41%. From 2006 to 2008, walk-on passengers increased another 16%, but bicycle passengers increased only 5% due to limited space for bicycles on trains.