Amtrak Train Travel | Midwest US

From its bustling Union Station hub in Chicago, Amtrak routes sweep across the Plains and beyond. Speedy Hiawatha trains provide northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin with easy access to Milwaukee International Airport. Other major Amtrak Midwest corridors include Illinois and Michigan Services and the Missouri River Runner link between St. Louis and Kansas City. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Omaha are among the dozens of additional regional destinations.

Many of the country's busiest long-distance trains converge in the Windy City. Links with the East Coast, Texas and New Orleans, the Grand Canyon, California and the Pacific Northwest make Chicago Amtrak's national crossroads.

Seasoned travelers recognize this two-night transcontinental odyssey as America's most beautiful rail journey. Amtrak trains run daily between Chicago and San Francisco Bay via Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake and Reno. Scenic highlights include the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevadas. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Superliner Sleeper Classes, Sightseer Lounge/Cafe Car and Dining Car, First Class Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago and Washington; Trails & Rails interpretive program.

Following a historic route through America's heartland, daily Amtrak trains make the overnight run between Chicagoland and the Nation's Capital. Scenic highlights include the Allegheny Mountains, Harpers Ferry and Cedar Point Amusement Park. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Superliner Sleeper Classes, Sightseer Lounge/Cafe Car and Dining Car. First Class Metropolitan Lounge/ClubAcela in Chicago and Washington.

Daily Amtrak Hoosier State trains connect Indiana's capital with the Windy City; Amtrak Cardinal service extends to New York and intermediate points three days a week. Scenic highlights include the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Viewliner Sleeper Classes, Sightseer Lounge/Cafe Car and Dining Car, First Class Metropolitan Lounge/ClubAcela in Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia and New York. Trails & Rails interpretive program.

The good times roll daily between the Big Easy and the Windy City. The overnight Amtrak train serves communities in five states -- from the Great Lakes to The Gulf of Mexico -- including Memphis, home of Beale Street Blues and Elvis Presley's Graceland. Scenic highlights include the Illinois Ozarks, Mississippi River Delta and Louisanna Bayou. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Superliner Sleeper Classes, Sightseer Lounge/Cafe Car and Dining Car, First Class Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago.

The rugged grandeur of the America's Western wilderness unfolds daily along this Amtrak route that clings closely to the Lewis and Clark Trail. The Wisconsin Dells and Glacier National Park are major stops on the two-night journey. Scenic highlights include the Mississippi River, Rocky Mountains, Columbia River Gorge and the Cascade Mountains. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Superliner Sleeper Classes, Sightseer Lounge/Cafe Car and Dining Cars; Trails & Rails interpretive program; First Class Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago and Portland.

Convenient Amtrak service links downtown Milwaukee with the city's International Airport in ten minutes; Chicago's Union Station in an hour-and-a-half! Services and amenities: limited snack service on selected trains.

From Chicago, daily Amtrak services fan out across the Prairie State and beyond: the Illinois Zephyr to Quincy, IL; Illini Service to Carbondale; the State House to St. Louis, MO; and the Missouri River Runner to Kansas City. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Business Classes; Cafe Car, self-stow bicycle transport.

This legendary overnight Amtrak rail journey stretches along the Great Lakes, connecting the Windy City with Beantown and the Big Apple. Scenic highlights include the Hudson River Valley, Berkshire Mountains, Erie Canal and Lakes Erie and Michigan. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Viewliner Sleeper Classes (sleeper, NYC-Albany-Chicago), Dining Car, Lounge Car, Cafe Car (Boston-Albany), First Class Metropolitan Lounge/ClubAcela in Chicago, Boston and New York.

Chicago-based Amtrak routes running in and around the Great Lakes State include the Pere Marquette to Grand Rapids; the Wolverine to Detroit and Pontiac; and the Blue Water to Lansing, Flint and Port Huron. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Business Classes, Cafe Car.

The "Show Me State" benefits from daily Amtrak service between Kansas City and St. Louis and through service to Chicago. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Business Classes, Cafe Car, heritage interpretive program.

America's majesty is revealed in this epic adventure spread across two nights and half a continent. Daily Amtrak trains parallel the Santa Fe Trail and Route 66 along much of the eight state route. Lying along the Chief's path are "The Indian Capital," Gallup, Santa Fe (via Lamay) and the Grand Canyon (via Flagstaff or Williams). Scenic highlights include the Chicago skyline, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, Apache Canyon and Raton Pass. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Superliner Sleeper Classes, Sightseer Lounge/Cafe Car and Dining Car; First Class Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago; Trails & Rails interpretive program.

Daily Amtrak trips up and down the nation's mid-section trade The Land of Lincoln for the heart of Texas in a single night... with second-night service to California offered three times a week aboard the Sunset Limited. St. Louis, Little Rock and Hot Springs and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex are among the destinations. Scenic highlights include the Mississippi River, Gateway Arch and Ozark Mountains. Services and amenities: reserved Coach and Superliner Sleeper Classes, Sightseer Lounge/Cafe Car and Dining Car; First Class Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago; Trails & Rails interpretive program.