Photo of Niagara Falls by Alec Soth from the NIAGARA project
What do you think of when you think of Niagara? The Falls, of course, but probably not bikes.
Well, the Toronto-Niagara Bike Train initiative is trying to change that. Bike Train is a new service that allows you to take your bike on VIA from Toronto to Niagara and back. It is only in the pilot project stage so service is limited, and tickets are selling fast. Sunday July 15th is the last day to book tickets for the July 21 inaugural weekend trip. Book tickets online here. An overview of the entire pilot project schedule can be seen here. You can also call 1-888-619-5987 for more information. Tickets are $59 including taxes. Bikes should not exceed 32 kg (70 lbs) or measure longer than 180 cm (6 ft).
Tickets for the July 21 weekend are almost gone, as are tickets for the weekend of August 11. The latter is the weekend of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Peach Festival. The main street (Queen) is closed to all traffic creating a peachy pedestrian mall, and Hillebrand winery hosts a blues concert on Saturday night.
Some Bike Train passengers have been choosing the ($35) one-way option — biking to Niagara on Saturday and then returning to Toronto Sunday or Monday by train. Project coordinators will also be watching how things work on Mondays to help plan for future weekday services. If the pilot proves successful (book your tickets now!) the plan is to move Bike Train beyond weekend service and into other cities, starting with Ontario.
Project Lead and Founder, Justin Lafontaine, is currently working with partners on planning Phase 2 of the Bike Train initiative, which will likely see more departures between Toronto and Niagara in 2008, as well as one or two new pilot routes.
Although none of the project partners or organizers could confirm other potential Bike Train destinations, some of the cities that were mentioned over Chardonnay at the Bike Train press event were; Ottawa, Buffalo, Rochester, Montreal and London.
One of the big challenges is the availability of baggage cars to house the bikes, as some routes — such as Niagara and Ottawa — do not have these as part of their existing train service.
As for what to do when you get there, well, there are just too many events to list. The Shaw Festival happens all summer long. The Niagara International Chamber Music Festival happens from July 23 to August 15 and is billed as; “One of the most important and ambitious summer music festivals in one of the prettiest towns…” And, on Sunday August 19 you can join in the Pedal 100 for Heart and Stroke. I find the Niagara-on-the-Lake visitor’s guide is especially useful (and viewing by monthly calendar the easiest way to get a neat overview.)
Each Bike Train passenger will receive Niagara Region Bicycling Maps when they check in at Union Station. Additional copies will be available at the Niagara Falls train station. Bike Train passengers will also receive the “Bike Train: Guide to Exploring Niagara” along with the map. This guide features customized information for Bike Train passengers, as well as an overview of long-distance cycle routes, attractions and more tourism info. One cycle route Bike Train and partners are promoting is the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail.
Photo courtesy of Simon Wilson
The Waterfront Trail begins in Niagara-on-the-Lake at Butlers Park and stretches 650km to the Quebec border, with 900km of signed trail. Along the Niagara section of the trail you will discover two historic military forts, the Shaw Festival, dozens of shops, restaurants, and wineries.
The off-road section of the Waterfront Trail in Niagara meanders through the Common with canopied trees and beautiful green space, while the on-road portion follows Mary Street and Lakeshore Road to St. Catharines. To see more of Lake Ontario and the lovely neighbourhoods in NOTL, start at Nelson Park and follow the residential streets (Ricardo, Queen, and Niagara Boulevard).
For a more challenging ride, complete the 156 km loop of the Greater Niagara Circle Loop, or ride along the Waterfront Trail from Toronto to Niagara (approximately 125 km one way). You may also connect to the Seaway Trail in New York and ride all the way around Lake Ontario.
If you would like to spend more time sight seeing and visit a winery or two, turn right on Concession 1 from Line 8 to ride on the Upper Canada Heritage Trail. This trail is a converted rail line with rough gravel, suitable for a mountain bike or hybrid with wide tires. Peller Estates Winery sits at the end of the road, but there are other wineries that you will pass along the way as you head into the charming town of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
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Although I am loath to say anything negative about such a positive project, I did come away from the press event thinking: the main focus seems to be on Niagara tourism and cycling…but, what promoting cycling and tourism in Toronto?
Sean Wheldrake, the City’s Bicycle Promotions Coordinator in Transportation Planning, reassures me that the City has begun to develop its bike tourism plan, has developed a partnership with Tourism Toronto, and is a lead partner in the Bike Train initiative.
The other exciting initiative that the Bike Train may help push to the fore is the idea of a complete bike service station at Union Station. For now, the City is simply looking at providing secure indoor bicycle parking at Union. (Note — the winning teams of the Nathan Phillips Square design competition plan on including a bike station as part of the redesign, although I believe they call it a kiosk.)
City staff will conduct a Union Station Bike Parking survey over the next two weeks. The survey will be 100 samples, person to person, and focused on bicycle parking. The survey was requested by Councillor Adrian Heaps, Toronto Cycling Committee Chair.
Currently for tourists though, the most dangerous chasm in the existing bike network has got to be the strip along Queen’s Quay where the Martin Goodman Trail ends and the chaos begins.
du Toit Allsopp Hillier (DTAH) associate, Adam Nicklin, told me that this strip of the Martin Goodman Trail will be completed (as we saw in the August 2006 pilot) by summer of next year. Right now the Environmental Assessment work plan is in the beginning stages and should take about 9 months to complete.
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More press on the Bike Train initiative is available here.
Lafontaine would also like to give many thanks and credit to the many sponsors below.
Founding Partners:
• City of Toronto
• Government of Ontario
• Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce
• VIA Rail Canada
Project Partners:
• Tourism Niagara
• Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation
Media Partner:
• Pedal Magazine
The project is also supported by over 20 tourism bureaus, non-profit organizations, government agencies and businesses.
Councillor Adrian Heaps, Cycling Committee Chair, wears spandex and loads bikes onto VIA Bike Train.
Crossposted to I Bike TO
8 comments
Hoisting a bicycle up above waist level and putting it in a separate baggage car is kind of a hindrance.
In Germany, many regional trains have bike racks in certain cars and extra wide doors:
http://www.brianwasson.com/trips/trains/class2bikecar.jpg
http://www.rodgerrealm.com/prague/DSCN0221.jpg
For the most part, North American railways are really behind the times when it comes to real intermodality, and bike racks are just one example.
VIA normally requires the bicycle to be boxed with handle bars turned and pedals removed (supply your own tools), and only trains with baggage cars. Amtrak requires this on some trains, on a few others, like Amtrak California actually have bike racks (leave it to California).
I’d love to take my bike to Ottawa or Kingston (both very bike friendly places) on a whim (I have friends in both cities) – and both those cities’ stations are not walkable to their downtowns, but certainly bikeable. I hope that this is successful enough to make VIA think about it more.
I got my ticket for the return trip on the 21st. Photos and a full report will be posted on my blog, Bike Lane Diary.
Well, as for Europe-style bike trains, I think that will come … or at least a nice ramp.
I don’t know the particulars, but apparently VIA has made some “modifications” to one of its baggage cars (no. 8612 for those who keep track of these things)specifically for the Bike Train. What these modifications are (if any) will become known when the train starts operating, and how the bikes will be loaded will become known as well. I’m sure they won’t have each bike owner hoisting their bike up to the car floor on their own … that’s what the baggage handlers are there to assist with, and they will likely be doing the hoisting. A great idea, and to its credit, VIA has shown some ingenuity in taking up ideas like this (also the Snow/Ski Train in Alberta in the winter) despite its meagre support from the Feds.
There needs to be a “cottage train” during the summer! Right now there’s only one train a day to cottage country and it doesn’t run on Saturday mornings. There should be a friday evening train and a couple on Saturday mornings.
The VIA baggage handlers hoist the bikes for you. You have to arrive a bit earlier than the other passengers too.
The hope is that VIA will count this as a success, get more funding from the province, and expand it throughout Ontario immediately.
Both the ministers of tourism and transport for Ontario were on the press junket and very supportive.
Oh and the new LRT cars the City is getting should (better!) have bike racks in them.
This biketrain is a great idea- in Montréal, only two of the five AMT commuter train lines (Deux-Montagnes and Dorion/Rigaud) allow you to take your bike on the train, but even so it’s a fabulous way to get out of the city and go for a cruise, out in the Oka hills or along the Ottawa river in Hudson. It’s a great way to get in some good out-of-town riding without having to brave the immense distances and high speeds of suburbia. Depending on the destination (imagine a Calgary-Banff/Lake Louise train) the biketrain concept would likely appeal to more than just cyclists, as well.
Clearly rural/natural environments exert a big pull on Canadians, and it seems that urban living can only become a more attractive proposition with a handy escape option.
The bikes in trains going into the Niagara Region is great news, there are many amazing places to bike in the region. It would be even better if there were a bike path all along the shores of Lake Ontario with connections to Lake Erie. It would also be awesome if they offered train services with bikes up to the Georgian Bay/Muskoka area and even all the way up to Algonquin. I personally am thankful that at least GO allows bikes in their trains as long as it’s not in or out of Toronto during rush hours.