I've used the Amtrak in this area both to go back and forth to Michigan and also to Milwaukee. I am a fairly low maintenance passenger so I haven't had a bad experience so far. I tend to stay in my seat so I don't too ofen encounter the staff. The last time I needed to change the day of my ticket I went to the station the day before and it was an easy switch. I guess it all depends on the staff that day. I like the quiet cars but they don't always have them so that can be a bummer read more

Affordable and relaxing! I use to commute up to Milwaukee periodically for business and preferred to take Amtrak up vs. driving. I only experience extreme delays once and that was due to weather. I had limited contact with the staff at Union Staff, but the contact I did have was always friendly and helpful. I highly recommend you consider using Amtrak for your next trip. read more

Union station is great with so many food options and public transit to the station makes it easy to where you are going in Chicago. My compliant is how confusing and messy it is to get in the train. It should not be complicated. I was waiting to board near the doors to get into he tracks. Then half of the tracks get blocked off. Next I notice the track is posted for my train and realize it is behind the barricade. I wander around to find the entrance to the over crowded waiting lounge (which I was trying to avoid). It doesn't seem necessary for everyone to wait in line inside the lounge when we all get tickets checked before boarding and on board again. read more

I wish there was a negative star available. I bought 2 tickets from Chicago to Seattle. We spent 2 hours getting to Chicago to take the train. When we arrived, I received a text that the train has been cancelled. There were hundreds of people there asking for answers. We were told there was a computer problem and all trains were cancelled and go wait in this line. I was in line for 3 hours just to talk to someone. They said I should just take a refund and do whatever I want because we do not know when the next train will be available because this has been going on for a couple of days. If this has been going on for a couple of days, why didn't I get a call earlier? The Amtrak employee said if I'm hungry, there's pizza in the lounge. Guess what? The only thing in the lounge were dozens of pissed off passengers, two Amtrak employees that don't know anything about pizza and about 30 empty boxes of pizza. I then made my arrangements to go back home which was another 2 hours and bought plane tickets to Seattle at double the price because you know airlines like to screw you if you want a ticket at the last minute. I will never take a trip on Amtrak and will warn all not to take one too. There was no offer to help or compensate from Amtrak. read more

This is a quick ride to Chicago however be prepared to wait if you checked luggage. And don't ask by one for help because Amtrak is not their employer or basically they don't want to help. Overall the ride from Milwaukee to Chicago was smooth but a bit chaotic at the station when we got to our destination read more

After my whole ordeal with Enterprise not allowing me to rent a car from them...my boss & I had to come up with a solution so I could get my ass to Minnesota for work. Well, Amtrak saved my ass. And money. It was only $119.00 each way, which is way cheaper than renting a car & paying for gas. I sat on the bottom of the car. It was very spacious for the 8 hour ride. Service was very friendly on the train, they were willing to get what you wanted. Pillows? Blankets? Snacks? Drinks? You got it. Because they will fetch it for you. Thanks Amtrak. I love you forever. Let's go some where more fun next time. California maybe? read more

So easy for a quick weekend get away. Staff is very friendly but seems only after you ask for assistance/directions. so don't be afraid to speak up. Onboard Wi-Fi and electric outlets are a bonus for those finishing up last minute work/keeping kiddos entertained. read more

The absolute slowest way you can get to your destination. Delays, delays, delays. It's unfortunate that a train carrying 200+ ppl doesn't take priority over a 1/2 empty freighter coming towards the same stretch of track, but they evidently pay less than every freighter and hand cart out there. Just missed my dinner tonight because of their piss-poor service. 7:30 arrival? Nope, more like 10:30. Suck it, Amtrak read more

Amtrak can be hit or miss most trips. The last trip I took on Amtrak was in April on the Blue Water from Durand, Michigan to Chicago and back. Going there was about an hour late because of delays in meeting freight trains between Durand and Battle Creek, and a 10-15 delay in waiting to cross a drawbridge near the Indiana border. The return trip we arrived into Durand 10 minutes early, but the train was sold out so I didn't get to have the extra seat next to me since I always travel solo, so it really is hit or miss. It better to have the extra seat next to you to place my bookbag that I always travel with to make getting on and off the train that much easier, and I would recommend that. read more

Amtrak is pretty affordable and going out of Chicago has timely service for the most part (but that depends where you are going). However, with that said, they are constantly delayed coming from the South. Lately it has been at least 2+ hours. With more and more consumers riding alternative transportation, such as Amtrak, Greyhound & Megabus, these corporations need to get it together and up the ante in the services they are providing. Their demographics are changing with regard to their target consumer and need immediate changes now. I am not going to settle just for okay service just because. If we don't start demanding better service and business ethics these companies will never change their tacky ways. read more

Women working at gates are always screaming & yelling at passengers. I won't ride again! Can't stand yelling & drama at gate!

This is for the Lake Shore limited, Chicago to Boston. Really awful experience; loudspeakers waking you up at 6:30 am telling you the dining car is open, where you can get a poorly microwaved plate of penne for $12.50, and a bottle of beer for $7.50. For over $700 you'd think you'd be able to get a snack when you want, but on a fully packed train on the Wednesday before thanksgiving, the cafe closes down for 2.5 hours from 2-4:30 so the sole clerk can go on "break." Don't expect a romantic European-style over night train here. Just fly. read more

Zac is right! This is the only Amtrak line in the area that is practical and nearly always running according to schedule. The trains to St. Louis and Minneapolis-St. Paul are too slow, and not reliable. A train to the east coast will cause you to miss whatever you pick a departure date for. I even went to Grand Rapids, so, so near, and the travel time was double the scheduled four hours. Can you imagine? Someone needs to get the trains together - I feel like it will happen, because I have only noticed how much more crowded Union Station gets all the time - and the station in Milwaukee as well, in fact. I hope it was not an unreasonable expectation that the combination of Democrats talking about transportation infrastructure and all of the northern industrial states that have anemic, if potentially excellent, rail transit capacity and efficiency were the main supporters for the new government - I hope it was not an unreasonable expectation that it meant Uncle Sam would spring for some new, fast trains, way more staff and funding for the service, etc. I am very insistent about this - I feel like I am being denied a civil right because our trains are, truthfully, about on par with that of Morocco. read more

Consider other travel options before choosing Amtrak. I had a paid reservation to travel to DC's Union Station from a suburban Baltimore location. When it finally arrived 90 minutes later, a few passengers got off, but no one was allowed to board. 8 of us were left stranded!!! ANOTHER 90 minutes later, a train finally arrived. Amtrak had no explanation as to why this happened. When we finally arrived at Union Station, we were once again left with no choice but to wait as there were no available tracks to accommodate our train. read more

Time to update my review for AMTRAK. I am a frequent traveler on AMTRAK. I have taken the Carl Sandburg to Quincy, IL; the Suluki/Illini to Centralia and back many times; and the Lincoln Service between Chicago and St. Louis many times. All have consistently been comfortable, with a great staff on board and reliable service. Sometimes, there is freight interference, however on my last two trips taken this year during the COVID-19 lockdown, they ran on-time and very efficiently. I found that AMTRAK is safe and takes strong precautions against COVID-19; I felt safe and comfortable all the way. I wore my mask when in view of other people, but if no one was around, I felt I could remove the mask to eat/drink. In my opinion, AMTRK is the safest way to goiter-city while COVID-19 remains a threat. First, one can space out so that no one is nearby. That is huge and not at all like an airplane. One can also use the facility for personal relief as each car has a rest room and they are clean. That makes it better for me since when driving, one never knows about the facilities. I found travel by train comfortable, felt safe, and my planning was perfect using the train. I recommend AMTRAK out of Chicago as one of the very best ways to go. read more

We boarded the Empire Builder in Williston North Dakota last week. We were greeted by name and welcomed aboard by our car attendant Robin. The trip to Seattle took about 24 hours. It arrived on time and arrived early in Seattle. There are staff from the US Parks Service on board who give interesting talks as the journey progresses. You don't have time for more than a quick leg stretch at stops along the way. Our roomette was small but efficient. Meals were included and were good. Especially the dinner. Coffee and beverages are available on the bedroom cars. I had a shower and it was clean, warm, plenty of hot water and lots of clean towels, soap and washcloths. If you book accommodation in a lower part of the railcar you won't have people walking through constantly. Which they do on the top part. Probably we would book a larger bedroom next time due to our age related lack of flexibility. For younger folk the roomette will be fine. This is our second trip with AmTrak on an overnight train. Both times we thoroughly enjoyed our journey with them. We understood that freight trains can take precident on the tracks and that stuff just happens so made no reservations or plans which weren't flexible. Travelling by train in North America, unlike other places, is kind of a rambling method of travel and needs to be treated accordingly. Our experience was great. Would recommend it. Thank you Robin. read more

While not the cheapest option between Chicago and Milwaukee (Greyhound Express will give you cheap), definitely the fastest and most comfortable. Cost is $24 each way (so $48 round trip) and takes about 90 minutes each way. Discounts available for students with a Student Advantage card, for AAA members, senior citizens, etc. Checked baggage is available, so if you have a durable bag and shop all morning, you can check the stuff you buy, explore Chicago in the afternoon without your shopping spree stuff, and pick up the stuff you bought in Milwaukee when you get back. (Or vice versa, I suppose.) They keep checked luggage behind the counter, so no one will walk off with it. If you can splurge on the tickets, it's definitely the best way to travel between Chicago and Milwaukee. read more

You can bring beer and food on the train! At least you can feast while you wait to arrive to your destination. They also have free WI-FI and plugs for your adapters, both nice features. It is a fun way to travel if you need to get somewhere without a car - it is kind of quaint to pass through all kinds of little towns. Not a horrible experience, with comfortable seats and ample space for your luggage. read more

Love it, just wish this Double decker Amtrak had Wi-Fi Now it's a really looooong train ride :( read more

East Coast to West Coast - TRAVELER BEWARE! The romance of traveling across the country by train... NOT! And it'll cost you more than airfares or driving unless you go coach. The staff are rough and less interested. The accommodation is old, worn and dirty. Rhode Island to Boston Coach seats are comfortable, heaps of leg room and power outlets for laptops, phones etc. Very good. Helpful staff on board. Staff in station (Providence very good. Even managed to save us money and reduce the rooms we needed to move to/from. Boston to Chicago Sleeper cabins are tiny. Smaller than you can imagine. Seats comfortable and have toilet in cabin (doubles as a shelf). Carriage assistant helpful, making up beds and helpful with information. Dining carriage - poor service. 3 hours to eat dinner and people waiting for hours to be seated. Kept being told it would arrive in a few minutes...but didn't. The 2 staff were hopeless. Food sucked anyway when it finally arrived cold. Chicago to Emmerville (Zephyr) Even smaller cabins with no toilet! Paid for upgrade to full size sleeper (Shower & toilet). The toilet smelt of stale urine and difficult to get rid of it - even after we used an ammonia based cleaner. Toilet stopped working in the car anyway so you needed to go to another car. Tracks are rough and will wake you up constantly. The public toilet had blocked up earlier with fecies in the seat! Never cleaned up in 24 hours. Dining car better - same food for 43 days (but warmer) and staff pretty good - well not the big guy who wouldn't get us coffee because he hadn't told us the order in which things are done in the dining car. Then asked us what we wanted to drink! These people are obviously not restaurant workers - just someone working in the dining car. Wrong orders, mixed up and forgotten. Comical entertainment. Be careful at stops - car attendants told us we had 50 minutes at the station but the train 40 minutes early without announcement! Yikes. Great views through Colorado etc. Info from viewing car interesting. In cab staff less helpful but not rude. Luggage arrives dirty and banged about. Glad to be out of it. We'll never travel overnight again with Amtrak. read more

Horrible. First time train was delayed THREE hours, this time ***SIX**** hours. We lost an entire day in Chicago. The workers are incredibly rude. Had to sit separately. The train was filthy and smelled like BO and smoke. I used to love taking the train, but Amtrak you have really let yourself fall into chaos, filth, and employing people who don't give a rip. We are all walking around Union Station confused because you don't indicate that non-priority boarding has a completely separate waiting room. Which your employee finally told us about shittily. We won't be back. read more

Union station in Chicago. Train is delayed. That's not my beef. It's the employees. They purposely station themselves so that passengers can not inquire. Lousy customer service. read more

Your prior LOGO for your App - the Conductor - was warm, friendly and appealing. This was replaced with an UGLY logo - front of the train - which on a cell phone - looks as a vampire skeleton head with big eyes and an unfriendly expression. As an expert in fields of marketing & psychology, I suggest you might want to look into your customer population studies, to see if people prefer warm and human, or cold and scarey-looking. - - btw how did this new "advance" backward happen .. does your CEO know about this? read more

The train was a great ride and it gave me another view of the cities we usually don't see. It was stunning and as the night came, the beautiful sunset left for beautiful pictures. It was such a peaceful ride. The food was microwaved and really pricey for what they were. The line was really long for ordering anything. So make sure you bring your own! read more

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After delay after delay I won't ever go on Amtrak! They need to revamp there company to ensure better customer service! They have no security or working train stations so if the train is late and you get off on a no employee train station you are out luck! read more

Amtrak is an AWEFUL company!!! Typically the trains are ALWAYS late, but today when we were stuck in Chicago traffic, and arrived to the gate 6min before departure time, we were not allowed on the train, because it had already departed! IT LEFT EARLY!!!! Also, the customer service staff was EXTREMELY rude!!! Do NOT use Amtrak! Save yourself the headache and use Mega Bus! At Least that company isn't AWEFUL!! read more

So during a major holiday, I took a trip that involved a transfer at Chicago Union Station. Before I go any further, let me extol the virtues of the Metropolitan Lounge. If you're coming in on Coach, then you should purchase from the Train Conductor a Pass to the Metropolitan Lounge (~$20). You can store your luggage there in a semi-secure room. There's a *small* snack bar. AND THERE ARE SHOWER FACILITIES!!!!! I'll just say this about those shower facilities: When I stepped out I was grinning from ear to ear! Only a jacuzzi would have offered a more luxurious experience. Because it was a major holiday, most of the food court was shut down. But not all of it; and as I was getting my food, I did a double-take because there was a bird flying through the joint! Fast, and at head level. Apparently, I'm not the only one that has commented on that bird because when I made a pointed reference vis-à-vis the clerk at the Metropolitan Lounge, she just laughed; evidently that bird is a semi-permanent resident of the joint. This was a major holiday, so I was pleasantly surprised by the number of Illinois/Chicago trains that were operating that day. This trip was the first time that I had booked a sleeper car berth and that booking was why I had access to the Metropolitan Lounge. By the way, when you book a berth in a sleeper car you are allowed to board the train first. Also; when exiting the train at your stop, there isn't a line to wait in either. Allow me to now segue to my complaint: No one told me about the sleeper car attendant. Because this was my first time on a sleeper car, it did not occur to me until well after the fact that I should have tipped the attendant *SOMETHING.* I plead guilty to being slow-witted. (And what should have I tipped the attendant? DAMNED IF I KNOW!) read more

Train from Jackson MI to Chicago... Not a great experience. One hour delay on the way to Chicago so it shortened our day trip and delayed an hour on the way home. 6 hours in Chicago and 11 hours on the train. I think I'll drive or fly next time The people at Jackson station were not friendly at all. read more

I'm writing this review out of anger and my first ever Yelp review. That aside I will say Amtrak does get you from point A to point B. However, when you wake up my dad who is sleeping in an empty set of seats just to make things comfortable for him and my mom and tell him to move back when we won't be getting any passengers before we get off in the middle of the night, that is just plain stupid you are just doing that to be a jerk. I will not be taking any Amtrak trains anytime soon. read more

This rating is for the station, not the train ride. Today my boyfriend and I are headed back home from Chicago to St. Louis. Our checkout from our airbnb was at 11 and our train didn't leave until 5:15. So we decided to pay to have our bags held and explore the city for a bit. No biggie is what we thought. We get to the counter to check the bags and go to pay. I used my US Bank Visa debit card. This card has been acting up and some card readers won't be able to read it. So she swipes the card and it declined. My boyfriend explained the card issues and asked if she could swipe again. The agent then says, "Oh, we don't accept US Bank cards." Which makes absolutely no sense. It's a Visa card. Plus we used it to purchase the tickets. All of my boyfriends cards are US Bank but fortunately I had a non US Bank credit card. Though this ticked my boyfriend off and he wanted to know why she said they didn't accept US Bank cards. The agent talked back and said, "Look, you can get mad all you want. You don't pay me Amtrak does." She then procedded to talk about us to her coworkers in front of the line. We left and went to customer service where they said all we can do is call customer relations. We did and they said they will file a complaint. Okay that's fine. So then we go on and explore the city for a bit. Come back and hang out at the station until they call for our train. We line up and stand for a while. Then we are off to the train. We have to follow a guy with a sign, but as soon we get out into the main area, it's a free for all. People are everywhere and we've lost our line person. Not a huge deal but still kind of annoying since it doesn't state on your ticket where you have to go. So then we go to an agent and ask which area do we go to board. She says, "Oh that's Amtrak, you need to go to guest services." We then go to someone else who might know and get steered in the right direction. The train ride was excellent. Just sucks that we experienced some pretty crappy customer service. A lot of the agents didn't seem to know what was going on or just didn't seem to care. read more

Please clean the sleeper cars. I don't think it's too much to ask to put clean pillows in the rooms after people leave. Found so many hairs and sticky handprints everywhere. It's gross. read more

ALWAYS late. Been taking the Amtrak for years from Chicago to Carbondale. Never once have we been less than an hour late. Very unfortunate, especially if you need to catch a metra train, or there is a time sensitivity. Would not recommend if you can avoid. **driving is most definitely faster and in most cases cheaper** read more

I am a student at Western Illinois University and I ride the Amtrak 382 & 383 Routes frequently from Macomb to Naperville. This route is a very quick and painless way to travel without having to drive. The tickets are reasonable and ALL of the conductors are very professional and courteous. The trains are ALWAYS ON TIME and on occasion are even early. If you are looking to visit a WIU-Macomb I would highly recommend Amtrak! read more

Amtrak - Amtrak 382 Carl Sandburg - Trains Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love traveling by train, but I haven't for a while, ever since waking up in the morning in western Ohio when I was supposed to be on the East Coast by then. I was supposed to have lunch with a friend in Washington (which I was visiting in order to make another ineffectual protest against our country's practice of messing up life for innocent people in the Middle East) at 1:30. I arrived around 9 p.m., and the whole process got quite complicated because the friend observes the Jewish Sabbath and my phone didn't work in the mountains so it was hard to get in touch with him and explain what was going on. I was also annoyed by Amtrak's attempt to placate us with canned stew at dinner time. Champagne and caviar would have been better. I did however appreciate the conductor's inexplicably informing us over the PA system, once we had arrived at Union Station, that "Elvis has left the building." He probably had always wanted an occasion on which to say that. On the other hand, the Lake Shore Limited to NYC from Chicago has some beautiful passages in the Catskills and on the way into the city, and a lovely part in the Indiana Dunes where it's surrounded by orchards. And one day the diner staff had casually scrawled "sausage and egg" on a cardboard placard at breakfast time, but it came out "SAVAGE EGG." it was certainly worth the risk of a little delay to see that. read more

My co-worker rode on Amtrak last weekend to Montana from Chicago. After hearing about his trip with his family I will not ride Amtrak. Ever. The total trip from Chicago to Montana is approx 29 hours. Imagine his Horror when he got up from his seat to use the washroom. In his exact words "The restrooms were filthy". They were so gross he did not even want to use the Restroom. But on a 29 hour trip he (and his family) had no choice. Amtrak - what are you doing ? read more

Don't get it. How much did our tax dollars pay for the high speed rail??? Still delays and sitting on the tracks, nothing changed.

Literally stuck in Homewood on the tracks while we wait for more important trains to pass, stuck for 20 minutes. You would think a million dollar company​ would figure out logistics to run on time. If Japan can run a bullet train and never be late these dumbasses can figure it out too. But don't worry, if you ask questions about ETA the employees will just brush you off. Literally don't take Amtrak unless absolutely have too. The worst! read more

The experience was mostly fine, and I appreciate the trains being filled to half capacity to account for the pandemic (the extra space was nice as well). At the same time, they are 100% not enforcing their own mask policy. The person across the aisle from me took his mask off to cough his lungs out and then fell asleep with it next to him on the seat. If I had to guess about 50% of people wore masks, and the conductors did nothing to correct this. If you're not concerned with the public health measures that the company itself claims to enact, then the ride is comfortable and quick enough. read more

I am satisfied with this Amtrak because of the service the quickness how clean the area is I rather take this then greyhound

Overall, the experience was not that bad. Although, the entire ride was so hot until when they let us off (after a 19 hour ride from New Orleans, LA to Chicago) and they did not turn down the lights until 1 am because of "safety reasons" but all the other cars lights were almost fully off. Very displeased with the poor climate control and lighting issues. Food was great and staff was very friendly! read more