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Amtrak Midwest
St. Louis-bound Lincoln Service train passes the CTA's 35th/Archer station in Chicago, Illinois
St. Louis-bound Lincoln Service train passes the CTA's 35th/Archer station in Chicago, Illinois
Overview
LocaleMidwestern United States
Transit typeInter-city rail
Number of lines11
WebsiteAmtrak Midwest
Operation
Operator(s)Amtrak
Technical
Track gauge4 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, Minnesota, and Missouri.[1] As of May 2024, Amtrak Midwest consists of eleven 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.

Other routes in development include the Quad Cities and Northern Lights Express.

Operations

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Services

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As of May 2023, Amtrak Midwest consists of eleven named trains operating in ten 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 running slightly different frequencies on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.[3]

Route Terminus Via Terminus Weekday round trips Supporting states
MN WI IL MI MO
Borealis St. Paul Milwaukee Chicago 1 ● ● ●
Hiawatha Milwaukee Glenview 6 ● ●
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 Empire Builder, California Zephyr and City of New Orleans. These are federally-funded, have separate equipment, and do not fall under the Amtrak Midwest brand.

Rolling stock

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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]

History

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The Amtrak Midwest logo and brand were unveiled in 2017 alongside the debut of Siemens Charger locomotives on the Hiawatha.[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.

Future

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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]

Planned and proposed services

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Route Terminus Via Terminus Weekday round trips Corridor ID Program Status
Quad Cities Moline Naperville Chicago 2[12] ● Service is funded and expected to start in 2024.
Prairie Marksman successor Peoria Joliet 5 ● Feasibility study complete.[13][14]
Hiawatha extension Green Bay Milwaukee 3[15] ● Planning phase
Varsity successor Madison Milwaukee 4[16] ● Planning phase
Janesville 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 combined Quincy Chicago Milwaukee TBD Proposed
Total 31

Additional frequencies

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Route New weekday round trips Corridor ID Program Status
Hiawatha 3 ● Planning phase
Borealis 1 ●
Wolverine 3 ●
Blue Water 1 ●
Pere Marquette 2 ●
Lincoln Service 1 ●
Illini and Saluki 1 ●
Total 12

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Book Midwest Train Travel". www.amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Illinois Services & Missouri River Runner Timetable" (PDF). Rail Passengers Association. March 4, 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. ^ "Hiawatha Timetable" (PDF). Rail Passengers Association. March 4, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "Amtrak unveils Siemens Midwest Charger". Railway Age. August 28, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  5. ^ Johnston, Bob (February 8, 2022). "First look: Siemens Venture coaches debut for Amtrak (updated)". Trains. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  6. ^ Corselli, Andrew (August 28, 2019). "Two Grants Aim to Improve Amtrak Midwest Network". Railway Age. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  7. ^ Magliari, Marc (August 28, 2017). "New Locomotives Serving Amtrak Customers on State-sponsored Trains in the Midwest". media.amtrak.com. Amtrak. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  8. ^ "Chicago-Rockford". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  9. ^ Ingalls, William (July 6, 2023). "Metra chosen as passenger rail service provider from Rockford/Belvidere to Chicago". wrex.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Jannene, Jeramey (December 6, 2023). "Wisconsin Wins Grants To Study Five New or Expanded Rail Routes". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  11. ^ "Durbin, Duckworth Announce Funding for 12 Rail Corridors in Illinois". www.durbin.senate.gov. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  12. ^ "Chicago-Moline-Iowa City". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Shelley, Tim (July 21, 2022). "A Peoria-to-Chicago passenger rail route could cost upwards of $2.5 billion. Here's why leaders are optimistic it'll happen". WCBU Peoria. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Patrick Engineering, Inc. (July 2022). "Peoria–Chicago Passenger Rail Feasibility Study" (PDF). City of Peoria. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  15. ^ "Chicago-Milwaukee-Green Bay". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  16. ^ "Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Twin Cities – Milwaukee – Chicago". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c "Chicago-Indianapolis-Cincinnati and Louisville". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  19. ^ Teigen, Danielle A.; Porter, Barbie (June 7, 2023). "Commuter train from Fargo to St. Paul would include additional stops in Detroit Lakes, Staples". Detroit Lakes Tribune. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
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