posted
My understanding is that the station is at a remote parking lot & there is a free shuttle to/from the terminal and the Amtrak station. Travelers wishing to board the westbound Empire Builder will have to take the Hiawatha to Milwaukee & transfer. There a 7 trains a day, I believe. The next step will be the extension of Chicago's Metra north from Kenosha. A lot of this is in support of making Milwaukee "Chicago's Third Airport".
Posts: 122 | From: Milwaukee, WI USA | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Grandma Judy: My understanding is that the station is at a remote parking lot & there is a free shuttle to/from the terminal and the Amtrak station. Travelers wishing to board the westbound Empire Builder will have to take the Hiawatha to Milwaukee & transfer. There a 7 trains a day, I believe. The next step will be the extension of Chicago's Metra north from Kenosha. A lot of this is in support of making Milwaukee "Chicago's Third Airport".
The boarding process at airports is a real hassle and I would rather drive three or four hours to another airport so that I can fly direct without changing planes.
To that end, I've flown in and out of Milwaukee several times when going to or from Madison. (Flying from my nearest airport to Madison would require 2 changes of planes.....ughhhh) From General Mitchell Airport I've both rented cars and/or caught the Badger Bus.
EVERYTIME in and out of Milwaukee I've eyed the former Milwaukee RR line and wished for a rail station with a short shuttle from the airport. Now there is a new option for me. How about a quick non-stop flight from Charlotte, NC to Milwaukee, the shuttle to the rail station, a Hiawatha downtown, and an afternoon departure on train 7. Gets me to the Empire Builder without spending a night on the Crescent and then the Capitol first!
Progress in the form of just putting a train station near the airport!
------------------ David Pressley
Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Funny, an airline forum I visit is also discussing this. One suggestion on there was to have through baggage, checked from origin airport through to Chicago Union Station (or vice versa). Thoughts?
(FWIW we used to have such a service in the UK, albeit checking in at Paddington for Heathrow but you had to carry the baggage yourself in the opposite direction. Closed a few weeks ago due to lack of interest and lucrative retail space).
Geoff M.
Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Can anyone give me some advice about long term parking in this vicinity? Would you recommend the Milwaukee airport or Sturtevant? I tend to be frugal and my 10 year old shift station wagon is not high on the theft target list. I tote more luggage than I should.
All the western LD's leave CHI just before the Empire Builder arrives (from my home in St. Paul). If I could drive to an earlier Hiawatha, I could even try the Eagle for the first time.
-Jerry in frozen St.Paul (longing for a train ride to warm sunny places).
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Parking at Sturtevant is free - it's a very small town & no station is open. You mentioned drivin down from St Paul - I'm not sure there is anywhere to stay overnight in Sturtevant - perhaps at the I-94 exit you would take to get to the station. Schlepping your luggage is no fun, but you can park close to the tracks. You will have to cross over to the west side before the train arrives to be able to board the south-bound Hiawatha, I believe.
[This message has been edited by Grandma Judy (edited 01-15-2005).]
[This message has been edited by Grandma Judy (edited 01-15-2005).]
Posts: 122 | From: Milwaukee, WI USA | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
On Hwy 20 there are large amounts of motels/hotels. Hwy 20 is close to Sturtevant.
The downside of Sturtevant is weather. There is NO covered boarding area. If it is raining, you will get wet. The station is open, but no one is there during the day.
BTW, has the time schedule been updated for the Hiawatha? Every year, I book a Hertz car at MKE and, every year, something happens to the Eagle and I miss the 5:00pm Hiawatha out of Chicago, causing me to catch a cab to the MKE airport to pick up my rental car.
Posts: 1418 | From: Houston, Republic of Texas | Registered: Jan 2001
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Thanks for the info on Sturtevant, Judy. I prefer small towns but I am unfamiliar with that area. I assume there is no problem parking for a few days. On trainorders.com it says parking is $5/day at the new airport station. Thats not too steep.
I wasn't thinking of staying overnight. I could easily do the 6 hour drive to catch a 1pm train that would get me to CHI 38 min before the SWC or Eagle leaves. The Hiawathas seem to always run on time. (Hey, if the train is late into Sturtevant I can always hop in my car and intercept the SWC on its way out). As early as I usually get up, I could even catch the 11am Hiawatha and have time to kill in Union station.
[This message has been edited by TwinStarRocket (edited 01-15-2005).]
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
Midwest Express Airline Passengers will getting the Train more now. Specially sense Midwest Express Allows its Passengers to add to their Miles Program
Posts: 40 | From: Tarzana, CA-USA | Registered: Sep 2000
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