With ridership skyrocketing, Caltrain is dealing with significant capacity constraints, particularly for passengers who take their bikes on board trains. Although Caltrain dedicates at least two cars for bikes on every train, some cyclists are unable to board during peak commute times, due to overcrowding.
That issue is why Caltrain is recommending that cyclists explore station parking facilities and other means to continue their “two-wheeled” commute.
A new informational video has been posted online here, alerting passengers about bike parking alternatives. The video offers details on racks, lockers, and other bike storage facilities located at Caltrain stations. The video also offers tips on best practices for storing bikes on Caltrain property.
There are bike racks and lockers available at nearly all Caltrain stations, and the San Francisco station has a staffed facility that allows for free valet parking all day.
The bike parking video follows last year’s video offering tips and tricks on how to bring and store bikes onboard Caltrain. The videos are part of ongoing outreach efforts to educate the public on using bikes on Caltrain.
A third video, addressing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will be posted to the Caltrain website soon. Passengers can submit questions that they’d like to see answered in the FAQ section by filing out this form.
Caltrain currently dedicates two cars on each train for bike storage, resulting in 80 slots for bikes on the rail agency’s Gallery trains, and 48 on its Bombardier trains. Caltrain recently announced an initiative to dedicate a third car on its Bombardier trains for bike storage, which will result in 72 spaces being allotted for bikes.
The rail agency also posted a bike bump form—a tool for cyclists to report when they’ve been denied boarding on trains due to overcrowding issues — online.
According to Caltrain’s latest onboard ridership survey, 6,200 bicyclists ride the train each weekday. That marks a 115 percent increase from the 2,890 daily bicyclists who were taking the train in 2009.
