Amtrak Midwest | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Locale | Midwestern United States |
Transit type | Inter-city rail |
Number of lines | 9 |
Website | Amtrak Midwest |
Operation | |
Operator(s) | Amtrak |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Amtrak Midwest is a brand name applied by Amtrak to its state-supported routes in the Midwest states of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Missouri. [1] As of 2024 [update] , Amtrak Midwest consists of ten named trains:
The routes generally form a hub-and-spoke network around Chicago Union Station, with all trains terminating there except for one Missouri River Runner round trip.
An eleventh route, the Borealis between Chicago and St. Paul, is expected to start in 2024 and will add Minnesota to the Amtrak Midwest network. Other routes in development include the Quad Cities and Northern Lights Express .
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As of May 2023 [update] , Amtrak Midwest consists of ten named trains operating in nine service patterns. The Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg share identical routes, as do the Illini and Saluki. The Lincoln Service and Missouri River Runner operate separately except for one daily round trip (trains 318 and 319) in which they are combined. [2] There are 22 Amtrak Midwest round trips each weekday, with the Hiawatha Service running slightly different frequencies on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. [3]
Route | Terminus | Via | Terminus | Weekday round trips | Supporting states | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WI | IL | MI | MO | |||||
Hiawatha Service | Milwaukee | Glenview | Chicago | 7 | ● | ● | ||
Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg | Quincy | Galesburg | 2 | ● | ||||
Illini and Saluki | Carbondale | Champaign–Urbana | 2 | ● | ||||
Wolverine | Pontiac | Detroit | 3 | ● | ||||
Blue Water | Port Huron | Flint | 1 | ● | ||||
Pere Marquette | Grand Rapids | Holland | 1 | ● | ||||
Lincoln Service | St. Louis | Springfield | 3 | ● | ||||
Lincoln Service / Missouri River Runner | Kansas City | St. Louis | 1 | ● | ● | |||
Missouri River Runner | Kansas City | Jefferson City | St. Louis | 1 | ● | |||
Total | 22 |
Indiana is not part of Amtrak Midwest as the state does not sponsor any Amtrak routes, although two Wolverine trips stop at Hammond–Whiting station. Indiana discontinued its only state-supported train, the Hoosier State , in 2019.
State-supported service in the Midwest is supplemented by a number of long-distance Amtrak routes, such as the California Zephyr and City of New Orleans . These are federally-funded, have separate equipment, and do not fall under the Amtrak Midwest brand.
Amtrak Midwest routes generally share a pool of rolling stock, though certain equipment is exclusive to certain routes. In 2017, 33 Siemens Charger locomotives were delivered for Amtrak Midwest. [4] Siemens Venture coaches debuted in 2022, and will continue to be deployed in the coming years. [5] [6]
The Amtrak Midwest logo and brand were unveiled in 2017 alongside the debut of Siemens Charger locomotives on the Hiawatha Service. [7]
Partial restoration of Amtrak's Black Hawk between Chicago and Rockford, Illinois, was funded in 2019 and would have been part of the Amtrak Midwest network. [8] In 2023, Metra was chosen as the operator instead of Amtrak. Metra service is expected to start in 2027. [9] Restoration of the full Black Hawk beyond Rockford to Dubuque, Iowa, has yet to be determined.
Amtrak Midwest is slated for expansion in the coming years, with several new routes and frequencies in various stages of development. In December 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration accepted a number of Midwest routes into its Corridor Identification and Development Program. Each route in the program is granted $500,000 for service studies and is prioritized for future federal funding. [10] [11]
Route | Terminus | Via | Terminus | Weekday round trips | Corridor ID Program | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Borealis | Saint Paul | Milwaukee | Chicago | 1 | ● | One round trip is fully funded and expected to start in 2024. Will supplement the Empire Builder . Additional frequency is proposed. |
Quad Cities | Moline | Naperville | 2 [12] | ● | Service is funded and expected to start in 2024. | |
Prairie Marksman successor | Peoria | Joliet | 5 | ● | Feasibility study complete. [13] [14] | |
Hiawatha Service extension | Green Bay | Milwaukee | 3 [15] | ● | Planning phase | |
Varsity successor | Madison | Milwaukee | 4 [16] | ● | Planning phase | |
Jamestown | TBD | Proposed, unfunded | ||||
Twin Cities 400 successor | Saint Paul | Eau Claire | 2 [17] | ● | Planning phase | |
Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg extension | Hannibal | Quincy | 2 | ● | Planning phase | |
Kentucky Cardinal | Louisville | Indianapolis | 4 [18] | Unfunded | ||
Cardinal supplement | Cincinnati | Indianapolis | 4 [18] | Unfunded | ||
Indianapolis–Chicago trunk | Indianapolis | Lafayette | 8 (combined) [18] | ● | Planning phase | |
Twin Zephyr successor | Saint Paul | Naperville | TBD | Proposed | ||
Cleveland-Chicago trunk | Cleveland | Elkhart | TBD | Proposed, would supplement the Lake Shore Limited. | ||
Northern Lights Express | Minneapolis | Superior | Duluth | 4 | ● | Local funding met, awaiting federal funding. |
Alexandrian successor | Fargo | St. Cloud | Saint Paul | 1 | Feasibility study is funded. Would supplement the Empire Builder. [19] | |
Wolverine extension | Detroit | Chicago | Milwaukee | TBD | Proposed | |
Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg - Hiawatha Service combined | Quincy | Chicago | Milwaukee | TBD | Proposed | |
Total | 32 |
Route | New weekday round trips | Corridor ID Program | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Hiawatha Service | 3 | ● | Planning phase |
Borealis | 1 | ● | |
Wolverine | 3 | ● | |
Blue Water | 1 | ● | |
Pere Marquette | 2 | ● | |
Lincoln Service | 1 | ● | |
Illini and Saluki | 1 | ● | |
Total | 12 |
The Empire Builder is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great Northern Railway and was retained by Amtrak when it took over intercity rail service in 1971.
Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. It is the fourth busiest commuter rail system in the United States by ridership and the largest and busiest commuter rail system outside the New York City metropolitan area. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 31,894,900, or about 152,400 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023. The estimated busiest day for Metra ridership occurred on November 4, 2016—the day of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series victory rally.
The Hiawatha Service, or simply Hiawatha, is an 86-mile (138 km) train route operated by Amtrak on the western shore of Lake Michigan between Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, the name was historically applied to several different routes that extended across the Midwest and to the Pacific Ocean. As of 2007, twelve to fourteen trains ran daily between Chicago and Milwaukee, making intermediate stops in Glenview, Illinois; Sturtevant, Wisconsin; and Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. The line is partially supported by funds from the state governments of Wisconsin and Illinois. The line utilizes the CPKC Railway's C&M Subdivision and Metra's Milwaukee District North Line.
Chicago Union Station is an intercity and commuter rail terminal located in the West Loop neighborhood of the Near West Side of Chicago. Amtrak's flagship station in the Midwest, Union Station is the terminus of eight national long-distance routes and seven regional corridor routes. Six Metra commuter lines also terminate here.
The Hiawathas were a fleet of named passenger trains operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad between Chicago and various destinations in the Midwest and Western United States. The most notable of these trains was the original Twin Cities Hiawatha, which served the Twin Cities in Minnesota. The train was named for the epic poem The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The Illinois Service, branded Amtrak Illinois, comprises three passenger rail routes operated by Amtrak in the American state of Illinois. The Illinois Service is funded primarily by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and falls under the broader Amtrak Midwest brand.
The Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak on a 258-mile (415 km) route between Chicago and Quincy, Illinois. As Illinois Service trains, they are partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Between Chicago and Galesburg, Illinois, the trains share their route with the California Zephyr and Southwest Chief; the remainder of the route (Galesburg–Quincy) is served exclusively by the Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg.
The Chicago Hub Network is a collection of proposed fast conventional and high-speed rail lines in the Midwestern United States including 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of track. Since the 1990s, there have been multiple proposals to build a network from Chicago to destinations such as Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Kansas City, St. Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Louisville. In addition, the rail lines from the Chicago hub would connect through to cities in Canada. Eastern routes from Chicago would also blend into the Ohio Hub network. In addition to providing better connections between Midwestern cities, the projects are intended to reduce or eliminate the operating subsidies that American passenger train routes currently require.
The Illini and Saluki are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak along a 310-mile (500 km) route between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. They are part of Amtrak's Illinois Service and are primarily funded by the state of Illinois. The service provides two daily roundtrips; Saluki being the morning trains and Illini the afternoon trains. The route is coextensive with the far northern leg of the long-distance City of New Orleans.
The Milwaukee District North Line (MD-N) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois and its northern suburbs, running from Union Station to Fox Lake. Although Metra does not refer to any of its lines by color, the timetable accents for the Milwaukee District North line are pale "Hiawatha Orange" in honor of the Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha passenger trains.
The Milwaukee District West Line (MD-W) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois, and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to any of its lines by a particular color, but the timetable accents for the Milwaukee District West line are dark "Arrow Yellow," honoring the Milwaukee Road's Arrow passenger train. Trains are dispatched from the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway's American headquarters in Minneapolis.
The Black Hawk was an Amtrak passenger train service that operated from 1974 to 1981 between Chicago, Illinois, and Dubuque, Iowa, via Rockford, Illinois. The original Black Hawk operated over the Illinois Central route, now the Canadian National's Chicago Central/Iowa Zone.
Glenview station is a Metra commuter rail and Amtrak intercity rail station in Glenview, Illinois, United States, north of Chicago. The station is located at 1116 Depot Street, 17.5 miles (28.2 km) from Chicago Union Station, the southern terminus of the lines. The facility opened in March 1995 as a replacement for a since-demolished 1950s era station. The new station, designed by Legat Architects of Waukegan, cost approximately $3 million and was funded from a number of sources, including Metra, the Illinois Department of Transportation, Amtrak and the village of Glenview.
Naperville is a train station in Naperville, Illinois, served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. Amtrak trains stopping at the Naperville station include the California Zephyr, Illinois Zephyr, Carl Sandburg and Southwest Chief. It is also one of two stations in Naperville that serves Metra's BNSF commuter line, and an abundance of Pace bus routes. Naperville station was originally built in 1910 by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. On April 26, 1946, the station was the site of a collision between the CB&Q's Exposition Flyer and Advance Flyer. On April 26, 2014, a memorial entitled Tragedy to Triumph was dedicated at the train station. The sculpture by Paul Kuhn is dedicated not only to the crash victims but also to the rescuers at the site.
Elgin is one of three stations on Metra's Milwaukee District West Line in Elgin, Illinois. The station is 36.6 miles (58.9 km) away from Chicago Union Station, the eastern terminus of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Elgin is in zone 4. As of 2018, Elgin is the 116th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 411 weekday boardings.
The California Zephyr is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area, via Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno. At 2,438 miles (3,924 km), it is Amtrak's longest daily route, and second-longest overall after the Texas Eagle's triweekly continuation from San Antonio to Los Angeles, with travel time between the termini taking approximately 511⁄2 hours. Amtrak claims the route as one of its most scenic, with views of the upper Colorado River valley in the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada. The modern train is the second iteration of a train named California Zephyr; the original train was privately operated and ran on a different route through Nevada and California.
Siemens Venture is a type of locomotive-hauled passenger railroad car built by Siemens Mobility for the North American market. The cars are derived from the Siemens Viaggio Comfort cars used in Europe, with adaptations for North American operations. The cars entered service with Brightline in 2018 and with Amtrak Midwest in 2022. They have also been ordered by Amtrak for national and other state-supported routes, Via Rail, and Ontario Northland. The Venture cars will also be used on Amtrak’s Airo trainsets.
The Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago (TCMC) service, unofficially referred to as Great River or Borealis, is a planned Amtrak intercity passenger train that will operate daily between Chicago, Illinois, and Saint Paul, Minnesota, via Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Service is expected to begin in 2024 under the Amtrak Midwest brand.
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