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:
- Illinois Service: Lincoln Service, Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, and Illini and Saluki
- Michigan Services: Blue Water, Wolverine, and Pere Marquette
- Hiawatha Service
- Missouri River Runner
| Amtrak Midwest | |
|---|---|
 Amtrak Midwest-branded Lincoln Service train at Springfield Station in 2019 | |
| 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 |
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.
Operations edit
Services edit
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Services
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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.
Equipment edit
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 edit
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.
Future edit
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 edit
| 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 | |||||
Additional frequencies edit
| 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 |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Book Midwest Train Travel". www.amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Illinois Services & Missouri River Runner Timetable" (PDF). Rail Passengers Association. 4 March 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Hiawatha Timetable" (PDF). Rail Passengers Association. 4 March 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Amtrak unveils Siemens Midwest Charger". Railway Age. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Johnston, Bob (8 February 2022). "First look: Siemens Venture coaches debut for Amtrak (updated)". Trains. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Corselli, Andrew (28 August 2019). "Two Grants Aim to Improve Amtrak Midwest Network". Railway Age. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Magliari, Marc (28 August 2017). "New Locomotives Serving Amtrak Customers on State-sponsored Trains in the Midwest". media.amtrak.com. Amtrak. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Chicago-Rockford". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ Ingalls, William (July 6, 2023). "Metra chosen as passenger rail service provider from Rockford/Belvidere to Chicago". wrex.com. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ Jannene, Jeramey (6 December 2023). "Wisconsin Wins Grants To Study Five New or Expanded Rail Routes". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "Durbin, Duckworth Announce Funding for 12 Rail Corridors in Illinois". www.durbin.senate.gov. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "Chicago-Moline-Iowa City". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ Shelley, Tim (21 July 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 1 June 2023.
- ^ Patrick Engineering, Inc. (July 2022). "Peoria–Chicago Passenger Rail Feasibility Study" (PDF). City of Peoria. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Chicago-Milwaukee-Green Bay". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|rowspan=ignored (help) - ^ "Twin Cities – Milwaukee – Chicago". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Chicago-Indianapolis-Cincinnati and Louisville". Amtrak Connects US. Amtrak. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ Teigen, Danielle A.; Porter, Barbie (7 June 2023). "Commuter train from Fargo to St. Paul would include additional stops in Detroit Lakes, Staples". Detroit Lakes Tribune. Retrieved 12 June 2023.