West Newton could benefit from Amtrak implementing a roll-on/roll-off service for bicyclists who want to ride the Pittsburgh-to-Washington, D.C., train to a town along the Great Allegheny Passage, then bike along the trail, said the leader of a trail organization.
“It's a great way to increase (trail) traffic. There is enough momentum now,” for Amtrak to consider instituting the roll-on/roll-off service for bicyclists, said Linda Boxx, president of the Allegheny Trail Alliance, which is a coalition of seven regional trail organizations that maintain the Great Allegheny Passage. The Great Allegheny Passage is a 150-mile hiking and biking trail connecting Pittsburgh with Cumberland, Md. At Cumberland, the trail connects with the 185-mile C&O Canal Trail that continues into Washington, D.C.
More than 1,000 letters have been sent to Amtrak asking the nation's passenger rail service to put the roll-on/roll service at stops along the Great Allegheny Passage, Boxx said.
The service could be offered at Pittsburgh, Connellsville and Cumberland, as well as C&O Canal Trail towns of Harpers Ferry and Washington, D.C.
West Newton would likely be a stop for bicyclists traveling south from Pittsburgh, which is 35 miles from West Newton, or north from Connellsville, Boxx said.
Amtrak last month conducted a demonstration of the roll-on/roll-off service on the Capitol Limited route last month and was very pleased with the results of that demonstration, said Craig Schulz, senior communications officer for Amtrak government affairs.
“This is a feature Amtrak is actively pursuing. We continue to engage the cycling community in gathering feedback so we can best understand how to make the service work for them, while also limiting any disruption to the regular operation of the train,” Schulz said.
The next step in the process will be to identify a source of funding so that Amtrak can make the necessary modifications to the equipment that would enable a full scale implementation, Schulz said.
“We are working to do that and appreciate the support of the cycling community as we move forward in the process,” Schulz said..
Amtrak does not have a timetable for implementing that service, Schulz said.
Amtrak currently requires bicyclist to disassemble their bikes and place them in a baggage car. With the roll-on/roll-off service, bicyclists could roll their bikes onto a baggage car especially equipped with a vertical bicycle rack.
Joe Napsha is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at jnapsha@tribweb.com or 724-836-5252.
