Amtrak adds holiday train for Chicago daytrippers

Early birds can take a westbound Amtrak train from Kalamazoo and be in Chicago by 7:30 a.m. for full day of activities in the Windy City.

The train, added just for the holiday weekend, is the fifth between the two cities.

On Sept. 3-7, five westbound Amtrak trains will depart Kalamazoo three times in the morning, once in the afternoon and once in the evening bound for Chicago. Some of the trains also will stop in Hammond-Whiting and Michigan City, Ind., along with Dowagiac.  

Through the holiday weekend, from Sept. 2-6, five eastbound Amtrak trains will depart Chicago once in the morning, twice in the afternoon and twice in the evening, making stops in New Buffalo, Niles and Kalamazoo.  

One way adult tickets between Chicago and Kalamazoo start at $21. Up to two children ages 2 though 15 ride for half-fare with an adult.

The train is proving a popular way to travel between Kalamazoo and Chicago. Amtrak Wolverine Service trains have been selling out — even after adding additional coach and business class seats on the Chicago-Kalamazoo-Detroit/Pontiac corridor on weekends this year.

For the period October 2009 through July 2010, more than 390,000 passengers rode the route, up nearly 6 percent from the previous year. July ridership for 2010  is up nearly 23 percent from July 2009.  

This route in Western Michigan is shared with the Amtrak Blue Water to and from East Lansing and Port Huron, which is up 15 percent for the year, 50 percent in July.

Amtrak says the holiday experiment is in response to market demands.

Last fiscal year the railroad carried 27.2 million passengers, making it the second-best year in the company’s history. Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day-at speeds up to 150 mph to more than 500 destinations.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Amtrak