As part of a pilot program, Metrolink will introduce its first two "bicycle cars," passenger railcars outfitted with space for at least 18 bicycles, instead of two slots like Metrolink's other railcars. The agency hopes this will encourage more bicyclists to take the train to their destination.

To accommodate the additional bicycles, Metrolink crews removed 29 passenger seats on the bottom level of one of its railcars that traditionally seats up to 149 people.

"We hope to attract bicyclists whose public transportation options may be limited by available storage space," said Metrolink CEO John Fenton. "We are committed to growing our ridership; to do that, we have to modify the type of services we offer."

Metrolink used in-house resources to design and retrofit existing cars with additional storage for bicycles. The agency coordinated with bicycle advocates on the design, which was ultimately approved by the Federal Railroad Administration.

Initially, Metrolink's "bicycle cars" will debut on the Inland-Empire line weekend beach trains, where the demand is highest for additional bicycle storage space. Bicycle cars can be identified by yellow decals located on the outside of the rail car.

Metrolink is prepared to add up to 10 additional "bicycle cars" to its fleet, depending on the success of the pilot program.