Amtrak in Milwaukee

“I’m taking the train” is not something Milwaukee residents say very often, especially since our public transit system does not include the rail option many other cities have. But we do have is Amtrak, the nation’s often-struggling train service, whose limited routes and high prices sometimes make it seem obsolete. Luckily, the short distance to Chicago and the demand for easy transportation between the two cities has made Amtrak in Milwaukee less of a bust. In fact, with the addition of a popular South Side station near Milwaukee’s airport and plans underway for a renovated downtown depot, Amtrak in Milwaukee may be on track to a brighter future.

Amtrak in Milwaukee: Which intercity trains are available?

Amtrak has a tendency to name its routes – a historically quaint but somewhat inconvenient approach. With only two routes in Milwaukee, though, we don’t get terribly confused.

First, and most popularly, there’s the Hiawatha Line, a 90-minute link just between Milwaukee and Chicago. The Hiawatha runs seven times daily, providing a higher degree of train connectivity between the two cities than most folks expect. Though not terribly scenic, the ride is comfortable, fast, and $20 each way to and from Chicago’s Union Station. Some people use it to commute to work a few days a week, some use it to visit friends and family, and others use it as a way to reach Chicago for a day of tourism without the worry of parking or gas. It’s reliable but admittedly more expensive than Greyhound and MegaBus coach connections.

In addition to the Hiawatha Line, Amtrak in Milwaukee also features the once-a-day Empire Builder, a train that will take you all the way to West Coast cities like Seattle and Portland via Minneapolis, Fargo, and Spokane. Designed to be scenic, the Empire Builder is quite pricey for long journeys but more reasonable for those just headed to the Twin Cities (about $75 one way). A lot of college students and their friends take this portion of the Empire Builder to get between the two metro areas.

Amtrak in Milwaukee: You said there’s a station on the South Side?

Yes! At General Mitchell International Airport, a “substation” of Milwaukee’s downtown Amtrak depot was opened in early 2005 to make Amtrak in Milwaukee even easier to use. For residents living closer to the airport than to downtown, it shaves a few minutes off of Chicago-bound trips and makes parking easier. It also allows Milwaukee’s airport to be used as a sort of additional airport for the Chicago area: append $20 and 80 minutes to your Milwaukee arrival ticket, and you’re at Union Station! MKA is the Amtrak code for the airport station while MKE remains the downtown abbreviation.

Amtrak in Milwaukee: What about that dreary downtown Amtrak rail depot?

People who see the rusting Amtrak building next to our main Milwaukee Post Office cringe and wince. It’s anything but a welcoming gateway for Milwaukee visitors – or even for returning residents. Dilapidated to the point of bare functionality, it looks like it’s lost in the dingy early 1970s. One gets the impression that the operators have given up on maintenance.

The good news is that plans are in place for a new depot in the downtown, and renderings were unveiled in 2005. Light and airy, the new station design is intended to complement the adjacent 6th Street viaduct, one of our more attractive recent constructions. As the new Marquette Interchange takes shape, changing the views of downtown to drivers, and as the new Harley Davidson Museum goes up across the river from the current train depot, Amtrak in Milwaukee can try to capitalize on the changing context with its own overhaul. The building should be bold and bright enough to remind residents that, yes, we actually do have a train station!