Amtrak Midwest
Amtrak train routes in the Midwest US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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[update], Amtrak Midwest consists of eleven named trains:
- Borealis
- Hiawatha
- Illinois Service: Lincoln Service, Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, and Illini and Saluki
- Michigan Services: Blue Water, Wolverine, and Pere Marquette
- Missouri River Runner
| Amtrak Midwest | |
|---|---|
| |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Midwestern United States |
| Transit type | Inter-city rail |
| Number of lines | 11 |
| 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.
Other routes in development include the Quad Cities and Northern Lights Express.
Operations
Services
As of May 2023[update], 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 | Ridership FY 2025 | Weekday round trips | Supporting states | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MN | WI | IL | MI | MO | |||||||
| Borealis | St. Paul | Milwaukee | Chicago | 212,909 | 1 | ● | ● | ● | |||
| Hiawatha | Milwaukee | Glenview | 631,990 | 6 | ● | ● | |||||
| Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg | Quincy | Galesburg | 146,049 | 2 | ● | ||||||
| Illini and Saluki | Carbondale | Champaign–Urbana | 319,114 | 2 | ● | ||||||
| Wolverine | Pontiac | Detroit | 438,427 | 3 | ● | ||||||
| Blue Water | Port Huron | Flint | 177,739 | 1 | ● | ||||||
| Pere Marquette | Grand Rapids | Holland | 97,177 | 1 | ● | ||||||
| Lincoln Service | St. Louis | Springfield | 592,735 | 3 | ● | ||||||
| Lincoln Service / Missouri River Runner | Kansas City | St. Louis | N/A | 1 | ● | ● | |||||
| Missouri River Runner | Kansas City | Jefferson City | St. Louis | 196,989 | 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
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] Both the Chargers and the Ventures are owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
History
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 as the Rockford Intercity Passenger Rail.[9] Restoration of the full Black Hawk beyond Rockford to Dubuque, Iowa, has yet to be determined.
Future
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
| 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 2027. |
| 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 and Floridian. | ||
| 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
| 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 |