Train

I'm trying to reduce my greenhouse gases while traveling. This experiment began last year as I researched alternatives to flying to visit family out West. It ends with my discovery that taking the train is actually nice and that I'll try to take it over flying. It didn't hurt that airline prices went through the roof as the price of oil reached angelic proportions. The real question is if my resolve will hold with oil prices crashing.

Last Christmas I took the Greyhound bus across the country to visit my family in Alberta. I researched and compared prices between the train, bus and carpooling -- all contribute considerably less carbon dioxide than air travel. Trains and buses are fairly close in terms of the greenhouse gases they emit during similar trip lengths. They differ greatly, however, in terms of comfort and romantic history. There is absolutely nothing romantic about the Greyhound. It's right down there with Coffee Time and Dollarama. It's the working class travel solution. My bus trip was a dreary 50 hours of windy roads of blowing snow, sick and coughing neighbours, and stops at Tim Hortons and Burger King parking lots every few hours. Other than the very low price, there is very little that's redeeming about bus travel.

Bike on Exhibition GO Train Platform

A few weekends ago, after finishing the Ride For Heart, Jen and I caught a GO Train from exhibition station out to Ajax for the first Sunday of the GO By Bike initiative. Yes, bringing bikes on GO trains isn't really a new idea, but the purpose of GO By Bike is to help promote the idea to people.

Ajax GO Station

Taking bikes on the GO Train is a great way to quickly get out of the city to enjoy some new scenery for a day ride, or to get a jump on suburban sprawl when starting a bike tour (the rush hour restrictions for bringing bikes on board GO Trains limits their usefulness for multi-modal bike commuting, but that's a whole other story...). We have used the train many times to go on weekend tours of the Oshawa to Port Hope area, Bronte Creek Provincial Park, visiting family in Hamilton, and more.

The GO By Bike program is what lead me to get out at the Ajax GO station for the first time. To be honest, I didn't think there was much reason for me to ever get out there. However, Donald Wiedman, the instigator of this project has worked hard to map out and mark an interesting and safe route from the Ajax GO station, down to the lake along Duffin's Creek, and all the way back to Toronto along the Waterfront Trail. When we got off the train, Donald welcomed us along with another rider to Ajax, gave us some free maps of the area, made some route suggestions and ideas for places to stop, and pointed us in the right direction.

Last Friday, my partner Wendy and I rode down to Port Dalhousie/St. Catharines and stayed overnight at a nice B&B.

The next morning we pedalled down most of the fabulous Welland Canal trails (45k from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, a fully paved recreational trail, highly recommended) and returned to Toronto on the Bike Train via Niagara Falls. (More Photos)

Bike Train organizer Justin LaFontaine, has done an excellent job getting this pilot project off the ground. All 56 spots of the inaugural run were sold out. Congrats!

So, how is it? It's a breeze. Getting your bike on and off the train was easy. Mind you Justin and his assistant have to do some heavy lifting since there are no baggage handlers at the Niagara Falls Station. But they are very careful and friendly.

"Time to put up, or ...", Justin tells me. And I think he's right. But with a bit of help from many of us who enjoy bike touring in the we can make sure VIA will sees the obvious benefits of a long overdue bike/train alliance.

The Toronto-Niagara Bike Train is now accepting reservations!

This is an exciting new service that will allow cyclists to bring their bikes on board VIA Rail trains between Toronto's Union Station and Niagara falls Station. Return fare is $59.00.

It is still a pilot project with limited weekend service in July and August 2007. Perhaps if there is enough demand, this will become a permanent service with expanded schedules and new locations added.

Personally, I'm hoping they can expand to have a Friday evening train. With the current schedule, the earliest train on a weekend arrives in Niagara Falls at noon, meaning half the cycling day is already over. They may also have trouble carrying tandems, recumbents, and trailers, so be sure to call ahead if you're bringing anything other than a "standard" bicycle.