I have road the Hiawatha train in the past and was not the greatest experience. However, Amtrak has modified some of the rail lines and had introduced the Borealis line which runs between Chicago and Milwaukee every couple of hours with a very reasonable rate. The trip takes about 90 minutes with four stops (I believe). The website/app is very user friendly to reserve the trip to Milwaukee and then back to Chicago. Since we departed Chicago, we were able to grab couple of seats. It seemed the train was on the newer side with very comfortable seats. The train conductors were professional while friendly doing their job. Overall, I would recommend the Boralis Line between these two cities. read more

We bought a ticket from Glenview to Minnesota. The first hour we were on the train there was no seats for us, even though we paid for a seat. The conductor assured us there would be seats eventually Once we did sit down, it was almost impossible to sit together for a seven hour train ride. A nice gentleman that was swinging right out a bottle of Smirnoff The whole trip did eventually give us his seat. Then proceeded to try to talk to us and have us drink right from his bottle. The train was dirty and also an hour late. When I called customer service from the train they said the train is not oversold. They just sold more seats than people. That sounds the same to me. While we were standing on our way to Milwaukee, I called customer service and was told once I arrive. I may call for a refund . I did call for a refund once I did arrive that was not successful. I sent an email and chatted online with somebody. I was told I had to call before the train arrived at the station to get my money back l. I explained that I had called while I was on the train. I started a ticket with customer service and I have not heard from them in over a week and a . Overall, I would not recommend taking the train. They kept trying to give me a voucher. I explained the train is not for me and I would never go on again. They kept offering a bigger and bigger voucher I just wanted my money back Overall, driving is better read more

arrived at the LA Union station 25 minutes before my train and wasn't 100% sure where the trains were so I asked a man walking near me if this were the correct way to the Amtrak trains. He turned out to be the southwest chief conductor and was quite friendly in helping me get to my train. When I got to my sleeper car, Cynthia, my car attendant, was waiting outside and after scanning my ticket said that she could bring my luggage to my room for me. In all my times of traveling Amtrak, no one had ever offered to help me nor anyone else. In fact, I've watched older people really struggle by themselves while the attendant watches and doesn't help. Cynthia had made the car festive as this was getting close to Christmas. There were snowmen decals on one of the windows, plus cozy festive creamers and sugars by the coffee station. Each evening she had a sign in sheet to choose when we wanted our beds turned down, and every morning we signed in to let her know we were up. As I was traveling alone, I appreciated that she made sure I was alive and well each morning. She'd also announce over the PA throughout the trip when there was an excitement landmark or something ahead. I asked for a couple meals to be delivered to my room and she always brought them prepared with care and seemed to actually enjoy her job. The meals on this route were superior to my experience on the zephyr. They were served with a dinner roll, u like the zephyr. The continental breakfast on this route came with an overflowing bowl of mixed berries whereas the zephyr just had a tiny amount of strawberries. The views aren't as dramatic as on the zephyr but they're still beautiful and worth seeing. read more

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I have been a regular passenger with Amtrak for decades. The Cardinal Train, which runs a route from Chicago to the Virginias and onward to New York City, is my favorite Amtrak route. I always look forward to riding the Cardinal from Chicago to Virginia or West Virginia (depending on the year and travel destination), and I am blessed to be a passenger on this train about once or twice a year. Thank you to Amtrak and Chicago Union Station for being a great and wonderful part of the Chicago community. I look forward to a lifetime of travel with Amtrak and with Chicago Union Station. God bless. read more

This was my first time on the train. Leaving Chicago Union Station was fine. Coming back to Chicago was not so good. The train was full to capacity. The bathrooms could have been cleaned. On both trains the seats were uncomfortable I had to go buy a seat cushion which was very helpful for my tail bone. I glad I bought my neck pillow because the rocking on that trip was horrible. Now back to coming back to Chicago the dining car ran out of hot water and coffee. Then we sat in Toledo, Ohio for 3 hours waiting for someone to come and unthaw the tracks. I was expecting for the conductor to announce the stops but that never happened so I had to Google the last stop in order to find out how many stops I had to go. Will I take amtrak again . Only if I have a room with a bathroom. read more

Amtrak - Because the conductors don't announce the stops I had to take a picture of where I was. - Trains Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The inside of the Amtrak trains is another story ... not really clean ... the roommettes and sleeper cars are dirty, full of dust, and carpet smells, and need a lot of updating. The prices are not cheap for a tiny space w bunk beds so I assumed the rooms would be nicer. And the food is hit or miss... some trains have decent food and some just microwave a frozen breakfast that tastes worse than McDonalds. And there are always delays ... but the good thing is once when we were delayed 8-12 hours they reimbursed use for the full fare so it was fair. Taking a train beats driving sometimes and it's very safe. It's a nice break from doing the traveling when you can sit back and enjoy the view. read more

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I absolutely love riding trains. I've had really good experiences in the past with Amtrak. The ride on the sleeper up to our destination was just fine. The ride back, not so much. Our entire car was warm and since we were on the sunny side of the train coming back, it got ridiculously warm. It made it difficult to fall asleep. The car we were in also seemed to have an air recirculation problem, as it smelled of sewage or something not very fun to smell off and on for 1700+ miles. The attendant was great and brought us dinner when we requested it. If you don't like sharing tables in a communal way then breakfast, lunch and dinner might work best if you request dinner in your room(if you have a room). I have a suggestion for Amtrak, allow people to request rooms and sides of trains when they reserve them. Or at least make sure your cars are well conditioned. I hate saying some of this stuff about our only form of cross country mass train transit, because I think trains can be a fantastic way to travel. I will be train traveling again, I just hope it's not the same as our return trip was read more

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Riding the Southwest Chief from Newton KS to Chicago. Train was delayed nearly 3 hours coming from Phoenix. You'd think they could make up at least part of it but we apparently had the worst engineer in the fleet. Not only did we still show up in Chicago 2 and a half hours late, but we are now sitting outside the terminal and can't meet any of our connections so now we're more than 3 hours late. Can't pull in because another train is blocking our way. Amtrak can't tell us anything but to just wait. Meanwhile many of us are going to have extra expense of hiring an Uber to finish the job this incompetent rail can't do. Save yourself time and money and take any other form of transportation if possible. The inconvenience and extension of our travel time beyond 4 hours isn't worth it. read more

Recently took the Amtrak Empire Builder from St Paul Minnesota to Chicago. It does not have Wi-Fi, but we had pretty good cell signal most of the way. There were a few times I had to keep refreshing to get service, but it was better than I expected. They allow you to bid on upgrades and my boyfriend did the lowest one and we got it. When you upgrade to the Roomette, the cafe food is included. We got breakfast and lunch with it. It isn't the best food, but I never expected it to be. The waitress was very kind though and it had nice views out of it. I didn't like that they try to sit you with other people. Since there were 2 of us, both times we had to sit across from other people at our table which was awkward.. even when we were the only people in the cafe.. As for the Roomette, I found it cozy. It had a trash can, storage above, it turned into a bed and a table could come between the chairs. It had a curtain and you can have privacy while you sleep. You could also lock the door. It had an outlet in there and the ability to control the air/temperature. Plus, it had a call button to get an attendant to come to you. If you were in a Roomette, you also got free bottled water and coffee. read more

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We booked two trains, one on Friday and one on Sunday for a weekend trip to Chicago. first train was cancelled, but they put us on a bus which was annoying but fine. second train was just cancelled 8 hours ahead of our departure time with no alternate pick up. seriously? save yourself the trouble and just get bus tickets, it's cheaper and roughly the same travel time. read more

On October 30th 2025 at 8:00am, and amtrak stopped in Lagrange. A lady carrying 3 heavy looking bags was walking across the platform. A tall, skinny, brunette white man with a beard and no glasses was yelling at her "LETS GO HURRY UP!" Are you kidding me??? Either go help her, or shut up! Turns out, she wasn't even boarding that train! Plus, every time I've boarded amtrak, there's no wifi as we're promised Most of the conductors/staff I've interacted with acted all high and mighty and "holier than thou." I hate that amtrak is my only option sometimes. read more

I just stepped off the Southwest Chief in Chicago, IL and my trip from Fullerton, CA was incredible. The staff at both train stations were helpful and friendly and professional and knew their business! Everyone from baggage claims to ticket takers to lounge attendants in Chicago and Fullerton made me feel I was a respected and appreciated guest. I booked a roomette. My cabin attendant, Micah, was AMAZING! He made my trip comfortable and I felt safe and pampered in his care. Our dining staff were friendly, food was good (very rich, more food than I could eat!), and the train was clean and in good working order. The metro lounge in Chicago was beautiful. It has been recently renovated and was so comfortable and clean! The snack and bev offerings were nice, and the restrooom was clean. Plenty of space to kick back, and lots of places to charge devices. The trip across country was so much less stressful on the Cheif than flying. Comfy accommodations, scenic views, great value. 10/10 will be traveling Amtrak again. read more

very disappointed, we were scheduled for departure at 8:25. then they moved the train back days before to 10:25, totally fine. we arrived at 10:25 and waited until 12:25 till we finally leave not even fixing the issue. the train went 59 miles and hour the entire way. there is no reason to take 2 hours to fix and issue then not fix it and become two hours behind. we had a bulls game scheduled at 7 o'clock and the train doesn't arrive in station till 7:15. the delays kept moving back. At first it was 6:15 arrival then 6:20 and so on up until 7:15. we are very mad that a train supposed to arrive at 5 is now pushed back 2 and a half hours. people have places to be on top of the jacked up food prices. I will never travel with amtrak again. read more

On the outgoing leg of our trip the train was about 20 minutes late arriving. While traveling the extra conductors sat directly behind us. All had their cb radios on at top volume. Every few seconds those little radios would screech and squawk about something, you couldn't really tell because of the distortion of the loud sounds. Cafe car was along out of everything. Then we cruised slowly for a majority of the trip- they blamed freight traffic. Mmm hhmmm. On the trip coming home the train was over 40 minutes late, pulling into the destination station a full 1 hour and 47 minutes late. The seats aren't comfortable, they leave the bright lights on after dark, even though there is overhead lights for each seat. No way to adjust any kind of airflow, so it gets stagnant fast. If you enjoy comfortable, uneventful travel with a consistent schedule, you DO NOT want to go on Amtrak. No, if you value your time find another way. Amtrak offers exactly nothing when they are late, delayed, etc. read more

Let me tell you, The crew on Southwest Chief train #3 on 3-4 to 3-6 were amazing!! Especially this specific Employee, John Alaimo. He went above and beyond to make sure we were well taken care of. He was very friendly, polite and he's definitely a ppl person with great attitude and customer service skills!! Please Amtrak, give this man a raise and don't let him go. He's definitely a keeper. John, if you ever see this, THANKYOU!!!! read more

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This is my first Empire Builder ride since the pandemic. There are several reviews about the ride, so I will focus on other aspects. Ticketing for my trip was a challenge. The web page offers different possible combinations of travel at different prices. I was confused because one possible return trip was $100 less than another for the exact same train trip. It's a good thing I am an Amtrak Guest Rewards member, so I could call the special phone number and speak with a very knowledgeable staffer. It turns out that on the return trip from Seattle I saved $100 by booking a trip from Seattle to Spokane, then get the sleeper the rest of the way on a separate (but still through) ticket. I had to wait to get into the sleeper car until we got to Spokane, but that was fine with me. Next time I might try to do the same thing from Chicago and see if I save money by waiting to get into the sleeper till later in the day. The good thing about getting the sleeper at Spokane is that that sleeper is at the rear of Empire Builder and you get a terrific view from the back door window. The regular sleeper from Seattle is near the front of the train. Speaking of Amtrak Guest Rewards, I've taken several trips for free from miles I got from train travel, as well as points for shopping. They add up quickly. Amtrak personnel are the absolute best. Everyone I encountered was professional and took their job and us customers seriously. Certain US congressmen made Amtrak get rid of some nice things: greeting with a bottle of champagne, wine and cheese tasting and contests for riders, chocolates, and juices. They also make Amtrak fire the on-board chefs and pre-cooked meals from a commisary are now provided. Needless to say, those congressmen don't get my vote. I got some great video of the flooding on the Mississippi River for my YouTube channel, and there was spectacular scenery all along the way. I look forward to going again next year. read more

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I need to take Amtrak nationwide regularly for business. The train staff are generally good, friendly, and helpful, but the Amtrak company as a whole is terrible. Onerous ticketing processes, regular predictable train schedule alterations, poor mobile app, and less than zero customer support. It could be so much better, but it's not. read more

Have used amtrak for years. Amtrak sent a promotion offer to book another passenger for a roomette that was booked. At least that is what the promo indicated. Called and was told that it was only for new bookings. The promo offer did not specifically state that. It was like a bait and switch. Had booked a roomette reservation and in order to take advantage could cancel the reservation for $350 and rebook. The promo code should have clearly indicated it was only for new bookings, not existing ones that one wanted to add another person. Very poor advertising on their part. read more

As I write this, fellow citizens of Chicago (and unlucky travelers through it), I sit cramped in an Amtrak seat--three hours past our scheduled departure. It's 9:38 PM. My knees ache, my breath is short, and my will to live is all but gone. At every turn, we've been insulted by the incompetence of Amtrak Chicago (and perhaps the entire operation). We arrived 45 minutes early, like obedient sheep awaiting culling. As departure approached, there was no sign of boarding--just silence. Were we late, or was the train? Finally, a voice from the underworld crackled overhead: delays. "Wait in the lounge". That's when the biblical trials began--delay after delay, each more vague than the last. My wife is pregnant, goddammit. Do you know what it's like to navigate this chaos with a hormonal pregnant woman? I wouldn't wish it on Hitler or Mussolini. After 97 soul-crushing minutes, we were herded back into line. A short 15-minute wait later--hooray!--we boarded with flickers of hope. But Amtrak is a master of bait-and-switch. The train moved--then stopped. Then rolled backward. Why? Only God knows. At 9:44, there's still no real update, just the same meaningless "small traffic delay" we've been fed for an hour. I urge--no, beg--you, good people: boycott this farce. Burn your tickets. Fly. Uber. Crawl. Invest in walking shoes before you give another cent to this sham of a company. Sticky Ricky out. read more

Currently waiting on a train that's delayed 3.5 hours. When trying to get information from the ticket agents, I was met with hostility, defensiveness and a really crappy attitude. One of the agents dismissed my mentioning that passengers were upset to not have more information about what was happening and she answered "I don't work for them, I work for the Lord." Bizarre, obnoxious behavior that makes no sense at all. If you had any plans to take Amtrak out of Chicago Union Station, cancel them immediately and avoid using them at all costs for future travel. read more

Unbelievable... Booked for a train trip to Connecticut two months in advance, and now two days before departure they send an email saying the train from Chicago has been canceled...TWO DAYS FROM BEFORE DEPARTURE???? Highly angered and disappointed by this lackluster service​ read more

On November 3rd , 2025, I booked a reservation on the Floridian number 41 train to Jacksonville Florida. I had requested a Handicap Senior Seating, but was informed by to the ticket agent, " There are no such seating on this train." Of course I knew he was not being truthful. While on this train today November 4th 2025, I tried to explain to the 2 female staff members that I needed a handicap seat to keep my right leg elevated due to a serious medical situation, I was refused whit attitude by the 2 staff members. Actually in a harsh manner in my opinion. So now I'm traveling to Jacksonville Florida being very uncomfortable but the he staff members don't care. Yes I'm in pain and my leg seriously hurts. So I don't remmend travelling on this train number 41 especially with the 2 female staff members. So No thumbs up and definitely no Star review. Actually a double thumbs down . Unfortunately no added pictures. read more

Amtrak / Railbookers ,my Travel adviser name is Kelly Abel ,this is the best customer service I have had in a very long time. Kelly provided all of the information I needed ! As a Travel consultant she gave me relevant and current information on an impending train trip for my alumni! She took the stress away !!!! kudos to you Kelly on being the best of you ! What a wonderful young lady ! read more

All aboard! I have taken the Hiawatha train from Chicago to Milwaukee more times than I can count. At $25 each way, it really is the best way to get to and from, especially if you don't have a car. The train makes a few stops between CHI and MKE, and is about a 75 minute ride each way. It's typically not crowded which makes it easy to grab a seat. Each window seat has outlets to charge phones, laptops, etc. The legroom is great!! Way better than an airplane. There is wifi, but it's pretty hit or miss. There is also a 'quiet car' which is nice if you want to squeeze a nap in. I've never had a late or cancelled train. They run 3 or 4 trains a day each way, so you can even take it in the morning and hop on a train home in the evening. Awesome experience overall, and will continue to be my go-to when traveling to Milwaukee! read more

Amtrak was somewhat helpful when our entire train was late and my brother and I missed our connecting train due to a freight train accident that occured in Texas. However when rebooking us they were not friendly or helpful when we were trying to rebook our train. And when they rebooked us we got put into coach. Our tickets were in first class sleeper cars and we were put into coach. Thus the long trip was not the best and this train ride was a long ride, an overnight ride. I wouldnt recommend this company if you need a reliable train service since I was on a time crunch due to having academic internship that I needed to attend however it was a good first lesson learn train experience. The customer service was a mix emotion of staff. Some were helpful while others were not. If you get assigned a ticket spot when being rebook due to an incident that is not due to yourself, best of luck because the ticket person is not friendly or helpful. read more

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I booked a roomette for a 19 hour trip and that was well worth it because I needed to lie down and take a couple naps. Bathrooms are small comparable to those on an air plane. There is a shower in the sleeper car which is there if needed to freshen up. I did, however, miss both my complimentary meals. I went to the cafe cart for dinner at 5pm and breakfast at 8am... they said they were closed. But thank you to my car attendant who was able to get me an orange juice with a cup of ice-- it was much appreciated. I would say just order with the car attendant and let them serve you... there seems to be a narrow time slot to when the cafe is open of about 30 minutes... read more

The seating was very nice. It was a tiny bit confusing on where to sit specifically, but nothing too bad at all. The internet, however- WiFi was advertised and there is a WiFi you can try to connect to, but it doesn't work. Nowhere does it tell you it doesn't work, we found out after boarding for a five hour ride by asking a staff member. The food doesn't have terribly many options, but the options they do have are quite promising. read more

If I could give 0 starts I would. I used this train multiple times a month for 6 months seeing my long distance gf. It was delayed every single time. Sometimes it was delayed for hours then canceled. Avoid this at all costs! I refuse to take this crap service ever again. read more

3 HOUR delay!! Whyyy, we were supposed to get to our destination at 8 pm. Its now 10 pm with no news of when were leaving. Our new arrival time will now be 11 pm or for godsake 12 am. We've been waiting here since 6:30 pm!! YALL AVOID AMTRAK AT ALL COST!! we were warned by a local that trains are always late and we didnt believe them and booked ahead anyway. AVOID, save your time and your money. We only have 3 days in illinois. NOW 5 Hours of that time is wasted because of AMTRAK read more

Unless you are on a trip of less than 6 hours, a sleeper car is a must. But you'll definitely pay through the nose for that. We went Coach from Flagstaff to Chicago in June of '24, and it took from 4am Sunday until 3pm Monday. No real sleep, had to bring non-perishable foods in cooler that stayed cold for only 10 hours, and NO WI-FI ON THE TRAIN! Oh, and bring a couple of packs of disinfectant wipes because, although the bathrooms themselves were not terrible, most people that used them were. Only way I'd take a cross country trip again is a sleeper car and bringing a 110v plug in cooler, because the food provided by Amtrak is expensive, and not that great. Prices change, so make sure you check that first. read more

Never again, not ever. A 5 hour train trip turned into a 12 hour ordeal. Train was filthy, multiple unexplained delays, staff all REEKED of marijuana. No matter the destination, next time I would rather walk. read more

Incompetent customer service, no way to check price on website, when you call they give you lower price and then send a quote with higher price twice the cost, dont use read more

Amtrak's shortcomings aren't the fault of the workers. This is what happens when Congress runs a transportation system. On the one hand, it can be a great way to travel, more comfortable than air travel, safer than driving, and it's pretty much a good deal. On the other hand, they often don't have enough workers to operate food and beverage service, the WifFi and electrical plugs often don't work, and the seats could be more comfortable. Some routes are better than others. read more

Over 45 minute delay waiting for a freight train twice. Passenger trains should take priority and we were never told how long the delays would be or when we would arrive read more

Amtrak's "new" business class seats are unbelievably uncomfortable--hard as a rock, with no recline or footrests. The only real difference from coach is that some seats have awkwardly positioned tables. It's hard to believe Amtrak went back to the drawing board and still ended up with the failure that is the Siemens Venture cars. My neck has been hurting for three days because of this design. Amtrak, please do better. read more

I took the Amtrak from Ann Arbor to Chicago and back and had a great experience. The Amtrak platforms at Chicago Union Station are clean, organized, and super easy to navigate. I was here on a Monday (Memorial Day), so it was extremely sparse and not all that populated, so I can't speak to how busy it might be normally. I absolutely loved my Amtrak experience to and from Chicago, which also just so happens to be my first Amtrak experience ever! It went so well, I already have another Amtrak trip to and from Chicago booked for later this month and I'm seriously looking forward to the Amtrak journey again! read more

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I haven't been on Amtrak for close to 20 years. I decided I wanted to ride to Indiana in comfort plus my ticket was non-stop to my destination. What I thought would be a seamless and shorter ride than the South Shore train it didn't turn out how I expected. My Amtrak train was very late. I ended up waiting in the train station an extra hour or two for my train. Once I got on the train I was able to relax a bit. The train ride itself was nice and comfortable. At night they dim the lights until the morning so people can sleep. There's also food available on the train but I didn't have time to try it. Overall, it was a great experience. I would do it again! read more

Amtrak - Trains Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Union Station needs to do better!!! I was here November 2024,December 2024, and there's always an issue!! I'm here today ,January 27,25 waiting on train 1333 scheduled to depart at 11:05 and of course there's an hour delay!!! And the gentleman who delivered the news of the delay is rude,unapproachable, and shouldn't be working with the public!!! I never have these issues at any other station or airport!! Granted some things are out of the stations control, but the things Union can control, please do better!!! Dissatisfied Customer!!!!! read more

We traveled for the first time and it was an amazing experience. We had a private room which included all meals and drinks. We waited in the VIP Lounge prior to departure and from the start, everyone was inviting, caring, and professional. Alex was a wonderful train concierge/attendant. Flavio and another dining host was also awesome. From the conductors to the entire staff, everyone was kind. The only take away was that Amtrak does not have WIFI which was surprising -but we used our own hotspot which worked out fine. read more

#Amtrak is a joke. Their customer service is nonexistent. It takes hours to get a representative on the phone. You have to leave a message for a call back and when they do call back many hours later you might be on hold for an hour before anyone picks up. Their online booking will change your reservation details without notifying you. It appears that you have to call them once you receive your etickes and make sure that what you selected and paid for online is what they actually gave you. We booked tickets for disabled specifically requesting lower level online. They emailed the tickets, they did not indicate either upper or lower level, but we checked lower level during the booking process and at no time did they ever say that they were giving us upper level and the disabled person would have to climb stairs. Now all they can say is "your ticket doesn't say lower level". Well, it doesn't say upper level either. Having never used #Amtrak before, it never occurred to me that they let you book one way and then change it without notice or that, since you can not reserve seats in advance, they would specifically state which level you were on (but only if it was the lower level). I was told by one representative that it has been their experience that you should double and triple check your tickets from them and even then you should call them to verify that they are correct. Wow. My sister actually did call and discussed her disability and the need for accommodation, she was assured that any assistance would be given and any accommodations would be made, they didn't tell her that we had been switched to the upper level non disabled seat. When she boarded the train in Memphis no one from #Amtrak even bothered to assist in carrying her oxygen equipment up the stairs. She was helped by other passengers. Now #Amtrak is saying that they will be happy to accommodate her disability and allow her to sit on the lower level for the return trip if we upgrade to a room for an additional $500. WTF kind of racket is this?!? You change our reservations so you can get $500 more from us? How is this even right?!? I would NEVER recommend #Amtrak to anyone. You would be better off on a bus or just staying at home. My sister requires oxygen from lung damage sustained from COVID-19 last spring. In order to qualify for her insurance to provide her with a portable oxygen machine, even though she has been declared permanently and totally disabled, she has to be oxygen dependent for two years. Airlines will not allow you to travel with canisters on the plane. This is why she was on the train. read more