The weekend before the announcement of the funding allocation for high speed rail in Wisconsin, I got a taste of riding the rails — a getaway to Minneapolis to visit my daughter.
Though the new funding covers only Chicago to Madison via Milwaukee, and a Minneapolis link is at best years away, there is an alternative that’s been in place for decades. It’s the Empire Builder from Columbus to the Twin Cities.
Here’s How the Trip Went For My Wife and Me
I bought tickets online at Amtrak – Routes – Midwest (or search for Amtrak, NOT Amtrack or you’ll be directed to other travel sites). With AAA and other discounts, the round trip fare was approximately $150 total for two round trips — about what it would cost to drive a car the 500 mile round trip.
We caught the westbound train at Columbus, a 30-minute drive from Madison. Parking right at the depot is free and the staff is friendly and accommodating. The 5:05 p.m. daily departure allows pretty much a full work day, and no dread of a 5-hour drive in the dark.
After staking out our two large reclining seats, I went to the domed lounge car for a glass of wine and a newspaper. I really didn’t get much reading done because the Dells area scenery kept grabbing my attention.
Then it was time for dinner. We had checked at the dining car when we first boarded and were given 6:30 reservations. We were seated with a pleasant fellow who was on his way to Whitehorse, Montana. He had a $750 voucher left over from some incident on a previous drip and he discovered Whitehorse was as far as he could go round-trip in a roomette for $750. He really didn’t have any plans other than look around the scenic mountain community for a day and then catch the return Empire Builder back to Chicago.
On previous Amtrak trips, our dinner partners included other interesting folks, like the farm couple from Ohio going to the Twin Cities to see their son, a small-college basketball coach, receive an award. Others were train buffs, frequent travelers who do many trips a year.
My GPS told me were travelling around 70 miles an hour most of the time; the planned “high speed” version will hit 110.
We arrived on time in St. Paul at 10:30 pm, after very quick stops at Portage, The Dells, Tomah, LaCrosse, Winona and Red Wing. Cabs were plentiful at the station, had we needed one, but my daughter’s house is just ten minutes away, so there she was to pick us up.
She also got up early three days later to get us to the station for the 7:50 a.m. eastbound train. After pancakes, sausage and coffee in the diner, a scenic ride along the Mississippi (countless eagles), a Sunday newspaper, and a snooze in the spacious seat, we arrived rested in Columbus at about 1:30 p.m.
Verdict is In
I recommend the Empire Builder as a fun and practical alternative to driving to the Twin Cities.
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