By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; March 4, 2021
Amtrak is 50 years old this May. That’s a half century of train operations. Many of us are not aware of the number of Amtrak trains that have come and gone in those decades. Some contributors of Wikipedia have done yeoman’s work compiling lists of past and present Amtrak trains with a plethora of information about each route. Below is an abbreviated part of that work, focusing on Amtrak trains serving the Midwest, routes beginning with the letter “A” through the letter “L”:
Abraham Lincoln
Chicago – St. Louis
May 1971 to November 1971
Milwaukee – St. Louis
November 1971 to September 1973
Chicago – St. Louis
October 1975 to January 1978
Ann Rutledge
Chicago – St. Louis
February 1976 to October 1976
Chicago – Kansas City
January 1978 to October 2006
St. Louis – Kansas City
October 2006 to January 2009
Arrowhead
Minneapolis – Superior
April 1975 to February 1977
Minneapolis – Duluth
February 1977 to April 1978
Badger
Chicago – Milwaukee
October 1984 to October 1989
Black Hawk
Chicago – Dubuque
February 1974 to September 1981
Blue Water
Chicago – Port Huron
September 1974 to June 1976
October 1976 to Present
Blue Water Limited
Chicago – Port Huron
October 1975 to June 1976
October 1976 to October 1982
Calumet
Chicago – Valparaiso
October 1979 to May 1991
Campus
Chicago – Champaign
November 1971 to March 1972
Carl Sandburg
Chicago – Quincy
October 2006 to Present
City of New Orleans
Chicago – New Orleans
May 1971 to November 1971
February 1981 to Present
Eagle
Chicago – San Antonio
October 1981 to November 1988
Chicago – St. Louis
November 1988 to January 1990
Encore
Chicago – Milwaukee
October 1984 to April 1985
Heartland Flyer
Oklahoma City – Fort Worth
June 1999 to Present
Hiawatha
Chicago – Minneapolis
November 1971 to January 1972
October 1972 to May 1974
Hiawatha Service
Chicago – Milwaukee
May 1971 to June 1976
October 1989 to Present
Hoosier State
Chicago – Indianapolis
October 1980 to September 1995
July 1988 to December 1999
July 2003 to June 2019
Illini
Chicago – Champaign
November 1971 to March 1972
December 1973 to July 1981
Chicago – Decatur
July 1981 to July 1983
Chicago – Champaign
July 1983 to January 1986
Chicago – Carbondale
January 1986 to Present
Illinois Zephyr
Chicago – West Quincy
November 1971 to April 1994
Chicago – Quincy
May 1994 to Present
Indiana Connection
Chicago – Valparaiso
October 1979 to January 1986
Inter-American
Chicago – Loredo
January 1973 to October 1981
International
Chicago – Toronto
October 1982 to June 1983
June 1983 to April 2004
Kansas City Mule
St. Louis – Kansas City
October 1980 to April 1995
July 1995 to January 2009
Kentucky Cardinal
Chicago – Louisville
December 1999 to July 2003
Lake Cities
Chicago – Toledo
August 1980 to April 1995
Chicago – Pontiac
April 1995 to April 2001
Chicago – Detroit
April 2001 to April 2002
Chicago – Pontiac
April 2002 to April 2004
Lake Country Limited
Chicago – Janesville
June 2000 to September 2001
LaSalle
Chicago – Milwaukee
October 1980 to October 1989
Limited
Chicago – St. Louis
May 1971 to November 1971
Lincoln Service
Chicago – St. Louis
October 2006 to Present
Lone Star
Chicago – Houston
May 1974 to October 1979
Loop
Chicago – Springfield
April 1986 to June 1996
Routes beginning with the letter “M” will be shown in a following section.