By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; March 11, 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 “M” through the conclusion:
Marquette
Chicago – Milwaukee
October 1980 to October 1984
Michigan Executive
Detroit – Jackson
January 1975 to June 1982
Detroit – Ann Arbor
June 1982 to January 1984
Missouri River Runner
St. Louis – Kansas City
January 2009 to Present
Nicollet
Chicago – Milwaukee
October 1980 to October 1989
North Star
Chicago – Duluth
April 1978 to April 1985
Panama Limited
Chicago – New Orleans
November 1971 to February 1981
Pere Marquette
Chicago – Grand Rapids
August 1984 to Present
Prairie Marksman
Chicago – East Peoria
August 1980 to October 1981
Prairie State
Milwaukee – St. Louis
November 1971 to October 1973
Radisson
Chicago – Milwaukee
October 1980 to October 1989
River Cities
Kansas City – New Orleans
April 1984 to November 1993
Saluki
Chicago – Carbondale
October 2006 to Present
St. Clair
Chicago – Detroit
May 1971 to May 1975
June 1976 to August 1980
St. Louis Mule
St. Louis – Kansas City
October 1980 to April 1995
July 1995 to January 2009
Shawnee
Chicago – Carbondale
May 1971 to January1986
State House
Chicago – St. Louis
October 1973 to October 2006
Texas Chief
Chicago – Houston
May 1971 to May 1974
Texas Eagle
Chicago – San Antonio
November 1988 to Present
Turboliner
Chicago – St. Louis
October 1973 to February 1976
Chicago – Detroit
May 1975 to October 1976
Chicago – Milwaukee
October 1975 to October 1980
Milwaukee – Detroit
October 1975 to June 1976
Chicago – Port Huron
June 1976 to October 1976
Twilight Limited
Chicago – Detroit
October 1976 to May 1994
Chicago – Pontiac
May 1994 to May 2000
Chicago – Detroit
May 2000 to August 2000
Chicago – Pontiac
August 2000 to April 2002
Chicago – Detroit
April 2002 to April 2003
Chicago – Pontiac
April 2003 to April 2004
Twin Cities Hiawatha
Chicago – Minneapolis
January 1972 to June 1972
September 1977 to April 1978
Wolverine
Chicago – Detroit
May 1971 to May 1975
June 1976 to May 1994
Chicago – Pontiac
May 1994 to Present
Weekender
Chicago – St. Louis
October 1973 to May 1974