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TRAVEL BACK TO PITTSBURGH FROM DC
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WEBS from IMPERIAL on 5/26/2021 12:18:58 PM:
Does anyone know the best way to get back to pittsburgh from dc? Me and my cousin doing the trip in June and having a tough time finding a way back. Amtrack is booked, Greyhound does not take bikes. Rental cars with bike racks are not easy to find.
 
Rivnuts from Homestead, PA on 5/26/2021 7:18:16 PM:
Consider renting an full-size SUV or a van without a bike rack. I believe you could get both bikes inside these especially if you remove the wheels. I transport my bike for long trips in the back seat of my Lumina sedan by removing the wheels which is easy to do.
 
Indy Rider from Indianapolis on 5/28/2021 11:22:06 AM:
If you shop around the internet, there are several outfits that provide shuttle services. They are all going to be cheaper for larger groups. Four our group of 10, it ended up being slightly less expensive than the train, and will deliver us directly to where our cars are parked.
 
Anonymous on 6/2/2021 7:56:53 PM:
we rented a minivan and it worked just fine, but we booked months in advance. I hear there is a shortage of rental cars/ vans currently. I heard another trail rider recently comment that they had rented a u haul, having been unable to find a rental car. likely this is a little less expensive than a car as well. the train is super slow and the shuttles we checked into were quite expensive (understandably as it is a full days work for someone).
 
John W. from Pittsburgh,PA on 6/2/2021 8:05:02 PM:
Glad the minivan worked! Yeah the shuttles are best when the cost is divided by 3-4 people.

Seems like everyone is gearing up to travel this summer so a rental shortage (and subsequent higher prices) doesnt surprise me at all.

I got my Amtrak Bike Ticket booked but I reserved it like 2-3 months ago.
 
WEBS from IMPERIAL on 6/4/2021 10:19:08 AM:
Thanks for the input. Paying my son to come get me and bring me back to Pittsburgh. No rental cars available and uhaul is sold out.
 
Suzanne on 2/19/2022 2:45:43 PM:
We are trying to book Amtrak tickets for 2 people and 2 bikes for dates in May, DC Union Station to Pittsburg - getting a "Sold out" reply. We are confused as to whether there are other ways to do this? Is packing your bike in a box the only way? Can you check your bike as baggage?? Thanks for any help.
 
Rivnuts from Homestead,PA on 2/19/2022 4:45:12 PM:
The first thing I would recommend, if you have not already done so, is to contact a real live reservation agent at Amtrak to confirm the unavailability of bike reservations. A few times in the past I have found that the on-line reservation system will report no available bike reservations exist for a given date, while a real live agent can find some or at least tell you if there are any available around your desired date. However, patience is a virtue as you will likely wait a fair amount of time to reach a real person as well as wait while they search their own system for available bike reservations.

All that said, I don’t understand why there are so few bike reservations made available since they just direct you to roll your bike into a regular baggage car which I rarely have seen much luggage. Amtrak is doing themselves a disservice by not making more bike reservations available during the touring season. They certainly are not customer-focused in this regard.

There are private parties/companies that will shuttle you back but they are rather costly.
 
John W. from Pittsburgh, PA on 2/20/2022 10:46:33 AM:
And if you are still unable to reserve a bike ticket that is during your desired travel window, you can still purchase a bike box right there at Union Station. I think it’s $15-20. You will need to bring a tool that can turn your bike handles and a tool that can remove your pedals. Amtrak will not provide tools. Then your bike will fit in the box. The only downer is you will have to put your pedals back on and readjust your handlebars when get off at midnight in downtown Pittsburgh.

Like Rivnuts said, seems odd that they limit these bike tickets to what seems like 6-8 per train. They could comfortably double or triple the amount. They could easily do this for half the year to cover the touring season. I don’t think Amtrak realizes how many people pass up on Amtrak because they can’t secure a bike ticket.
 
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