Bringing a Bike Aboard the Surfliner to Require Reservation, $5 Fee

Taking a bike aboard Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train will no longer be on a free, first-come-first-served basis when a $5 reservation will be required beginning June 1.

Cyclists have been able to park their bike on the train for free, but spots are not guaranteed and most trains only have room for six bikes. Some trains using older cars that don’t have bike racks load them onto a baggage car big enough for at least a dozen bikes.

When the new policy starts on June 1, riders wanting to roll their bike on the train will have to make a reservation when they purchase their ticket.

Some trains, especially on weekends, can reach their bike capacity well before the final destination. Cyclists that board at stations like San Juan Capistrano that are in the middle of the Surfliner’s route—which runs from San Luis Obispo to San Diego—are in the position of not knowing if there will be room on the train for their bike.

“With reservations for bikes, hopefully it will alleviate those issues,” said Vernae Graham, a spokeswoman for Amtrak.

Amtrak officials are still working on how train conductors will enforce the new policy and hope cyclists will find the $5 fee worth the piece of mind that you won’t be stuck on the station because the bike racks are full.

“There will be a place for you on the train,” Graham said.

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