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The long-awaited construction at the downtown Milwaukee Amtrak station appears to have begun. However, the front entrance is almost completely blocked, and short term parking at the station has been moved west of the 6th street viaduct. Hertz has about a dozen cars parked at that station, but there is no place for those purchasing tickets or meeting passengers to park within a block of the station unless you are lucky enough to find street parking on St. Paul . The new airport station is a little more passenger-friendly right now. Unfortunately you cannot buy tickets or check bags at the new station, and the Empire Builder does not stop at the airport station.
Posts: 337 | From: Goshen, IN | Registered: Jun 2006
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Yeah, I definetly like the new airport station here in Milwaukee. I live like 20 minutes from there and use it frequently. I mean $5.00/day parking beats whatever you can find downtown. As OP said, you can't check bagage or catch the Empire Builder there, but you can take the Hiawatha the short distance between MKA-MKE and check your baggage there and catch 7/8. The conductors seem friendly and usually can help you with the baggage up the stairs on the Hiawatha trains (even though I wish they'd run Superliner coaches on there to make that easier!)
The drawings for the new MKE station look impressive -- I just hope passengers/Amtrak/Greyhound take care of the new station and don't let it delapidate like the old station.
I also hope someone gets on the ball and does some work to extend the Kenosha Metra line to Milwaukee (which will supposedly also use the new MKE station!) like I keep hearing about! They will need the extra trains once they start ripping up I-94 between the state line and MKE in 2009 and less and less people will want to deal with that headache.
Posts: 100 | From: Milwaukee, WI | Registered: Feb 2006
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I had the pleasure of being in Wisconsin last weekend. Sadly I was driving myself all the way this time and came in via I-39 and Rockford, IL to avoid Chicago. In the past though I have regularly flown or taken Amtrak to Milwaukee and then used either Badger Coach or rental auto to get over to Madison. I am very excited by the additional travel options the new Milwaukee Airport station opens up.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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