Community Corner

Caltrain to Increase Bike Capacity

This month, Caltrain will equip each train with two bike cars - meaning less "bumps" for bike riding passengers.

Beginning this month, Caltrain will increase bike capacity by equipping each train with two bike cars - leaving bicyclists with less "bumps" from their commute.

Denied boarding of trains due to insufficient bike space--an occurrence commonly called bumping--has been a frequent issue for bicyclists commuting by Caltrain.

A cyclist advocacy group, the San Francisco Bike Coalition, has praised Caltrain for connecting bicycle riders in San Francisco to San Jose along the Peninsula Corridor. However, this group has also acknowledged the inconvenience of limited bike capacity aboard Caltrain prior to this recent initiative.

San Francisco Bike Coalition issued a formal statement saying, "Unfortunately, Caltrain hasn't kept up with demand for bikes onboard and for several years the problem of bicyclists being 'bumped' (denied boarding and left behind) has worsened."

According to this group, bumps were at their highest in April of this year with nearly 300 reported denied boardings.

With two bike cars per train, older Gallery car trains will now have a capacity to carry 80 bikes, and the newer Bombardier trains will have a capacity for 48 bikes. 

According to the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, Caltrain is essential to promoting transportation by bike.

"Bicycling and the train are natural transportation partners, as the bicycle provides an efficient and environmentally beneficial way of getting to and from stations. Caltrain’s bikes on board program has been hugely successful, and has greatly enhanced the utility of Caltrain for bicyclists in the region," the coalition has said in a statement.

Since 1992, when the first bikes were allowed onboard, Caltrain has initiated a number of accommodations for bike riders. According to the railway, since 2008 bike capacity has been increased by 50 percent. The addition of more bike cars per train is the latest in these bike-friendly initiatives. 

By Caltrain's official count, of the 40,000 weekday riders, 3,600 of those riders are cyclists.


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