Superliner Services On Board The Southwest Chief And The California Zephyr
Popular International Train Routes With Omio
Omio uses advanced mapping technology that allows you to find the closest train station to your ideal location. We present the most efficient routes to your chosen destination, thus saving you money and time. Besides the Kansas City Chicago route, we also serve some international routes to suit your travel needs. Our most popular international routes include London to Brussels, Paris to London, Rennes to Paris, London to Leeds, Rome to Florence, Manchester to London, and more. We understand that planning your journey is not an easy task, and thats why we work out the complicated aspects of the journey and give you time to enjoy the best bits of the travel.
Kansas City Union Station
| Kansas City Union Station |
|---|
| Union Depot , West Bottoms |
| Passengers |
Kansas City Union Station is a union station opened in 1914, serving Kansas City, Missouri, and the surrounding metropolitan area. It replaced a small Union Depot from 1878. Union Station served a peak annual traffic of more than 670,000 passengers in 1945 at the end of World War II, quickly declined in the 1950s, and was closed in 1985.
In 1996, a publicprivate partnership undertook Union Station’s $250 million restoration, funded in part by a sales tax levied in both Kansas and Missouricounties in the Kansas City metropolitan area. By 1999, the station reopened as a series of museums and other public attractions. In 2002, Union Station saw its return as a train station when Amtrak began providing public transportation services and has since become Missouri’s second-busiest train station. The refurbished station boasts theaters, ongoing museum exhibits, and attractions such as the Science City at Union Station, the Irish Museum and Cultural Center, and the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity.
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Plan Your Trip To Chicago And Save With These Discounts And Deals
Amtrak ticket deals can range from saving on business and coach class seats for booking early, buy one get one free ticket sales on select routes, discounted rates for traveling to major occasions around the country like Pride celebrations or sporting events, and so many more great deals that come and go throughout the year. Even without deals and promotions, an Amtrak train to Chicago can cost as little as $7 .
For the lowest prices Amtrak has to offer:
- Look through the everyday discounts for seniors, kids, passengers with disabilities, military, veterans and more
- Check out ourdeals, discounts, promotions, limited time offers
- Book early and take advantage of our Saver Fares rates for better prices
Looking to catch the latest Broadway shows in Chicago? If youre an Amtrak Guest Rewards member, you can earn thousands of points by planning your Broadway trip through our car rental and hotel partners on trips.amtrak.com. With over 300,000 hotels and over 29,000 car rental locations to choose from in the network, Amtrak Guest Rewards simplifies the travel planning process without the hassle of scouring the web to plot out the details of your trip.
For the ultimate way to save time and money on your trip planning, Amtrak Vacations has package deals for vacation getaways including a 3-day Chicago Getaway starting at $359.
Amtrak Kansas City To Chicago: What You Need To Know
by Bucket List Adventures Guide | Jun 14, 2019 | Transportation
I was/am new to train travel, and excited to take a train to Chicago from Kansas City. But there are things I wish I wouldve known before I took the trip. All in all it was a very positive experience, but there are a lot of things Kansas City and/or Amtrak could improve.
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Chicago To Kansas City
Took the SW Chief from Chicago to Kansas City. The sleeper attendant we very nice and helpful. The dinner selections were great and I enjoyed some nice conversation with fellow passengers. Boarding from Chicago was nice as you can hang out in the Metropolitan lounge which has multiple floors with comfortable seats and complimentary snacks/beverages.Maybe next time I’ll take it all the way to Los Angeles.
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My wife and I enjoy traveling by train. We booked a family roomette which occupies on entire end on the lower level of a sleeping car. Plenty of room to spread out and relax, enjoying the view on both sides of the train. We boarded in Chicago mid-afternoon and were in Albuquerque 24 hours later. Meals are included with sleeping car passage. The meals are good, particularly the lunch mussels, but not fine dining. Seating is four to a table, so be prepared to converse with strangers. We always find something to talk about. Our accommodations were comfortable and the bedding good during a cold January. The return trip departed an hour late from Albuquerque, in the early afternoon, and arrived in Chicago at 5 pm, two hours late. Amtrak needs to do track work, particularly in Kansas where the road is particularly rough. Be flexible and enjoy.
Amtrak Southwest Chief Route Guide
Southwest Chief Route Overview
The Amtrak Southwest Chief is a classic journey from East to West across the US. It has some of the most scenic views of the Painted Desert an the Red Cliffs of Sedona as well as the plains of Iowa, Kansas and Colorado. You will be treated to views that you will not see from the interstate or highways.
The Southwest Chief will take you from Chicago to Los Angeles via Kansas City, Albuquerque and Flagstaff before arriving in Los Angeles or the opposite direction.
Train Info
| 55 Mph |
Ticket Options
On the Southwest Chief you can purchase tickets in these categories :
- Coach
- Superliner Bedroom
- Superliner Family Bedroom
Amtrak often runs 2 for 1 sales on coach tickets as well as roomettes. If you are planning well in advance, check out our guide to getting 2 for 1 tickets during the BOGO sale.
Meals and Metropolitan Lounge access are included for all sleeper car passengers.
Scenic Views
The Southwest Chief will take you from Chicago to Los Angeles along the midwest route on Amtrak. You will be treated to gorgeous views of the Painted Desert and the Red Cliffs in Sedona.
Dont miss the painted mural of the Southwest Chief as you get off for a break in La Junta, CO. It is directly across the street as you get off the train. This is usually a fresh air break.
Major Sites
Major Stations
The major and notable stations on the Amtrak Southwest Chief are Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque, Flagstaff and Los Angeles.
States Visited
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Safely Explore The Show
Discover the Show-Me State in a way that you can only experience from the train. Visitors can travel on the Missouri River Runner, running daily between St. Louis and Kansas City. In addition, Kansas City is a stop along Amtraks storied Southwest Chief, running daily between Chicago and Los Angeles. Along the way, both trains stop in many charming communities filled with rich history and unique attractions.
Onboard, enjoy wide and spacious seats, free WiFi, and miles of scenery. Visit the café car and grab a snack. And rest assured, Amtrak is committed to your health and safety. There are enhanced cleaning protocols and limited bookings to support physical distancing. Additionally, Amtrak provides an efficient onboard air filtration system with complete air exchange every 3-5 minutes.
Arrive Downtown at Kansas City’s Union Station and explore the grand Beaux-Arts masterpiece. Originally opened in 1914, the Grand Hall has a ceiling that soars 95 feet high and features three glittering chandeliers, each weighing 3,500 lbs. A six-foot-high clock hangs from the ceiling at the nexus of the Grand and North Halls. Attractions within the station include Science City, the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium, the Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre, the popular Model Railroad Experience, City Stage and more.
West Coast: Coast Starlight
The daily Coast Starlight links Los Angeles and Seattle on a two-day, one-night itinerary, and its another consensus favorite. The top scenery is between Los Angeles and San Jose, a stretch formerly known as the Daylight route, where the track hugs the spectacular California Coast between Oxnard and San Luis Obispo, including some more isolated sections. Timing for daylight is good in both directions. The other daytime segment, between Klamath Falls, Oregon, and Portland crosses some nice mountain areas: Its no match for the California Zephyr, but it makes a good bookend on the two-day trip.
Two other short West Coast Amtrak routes offer good scenic potential:
Pacific Surfliner: Two daily trips duplicate the Coast Starlight itinerary between San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles, and they add 11 daily runs on the coast-hugging Los Angeles-San Diego segment as well.
Amtrak Cascades: Service runs between Eugene, Oregon, through Portland and Seattle, to Vancouver, B.C., including some nice scenic spots. No train makes a through trip between Eugene and Vancouver, but five operate daily between Portland and Seattle two extending to Eugene and two different trains run to Vancouver.
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Kansas City United States
Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by population and area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had an estimated population of 491,918 in 2018, making it the 38th most-populous city in the United States. It is the most populated municipality and historic core city of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the KansasMissouri state line and has a CSA population of 2,487,053. Most of the city lies within Jackson County, but portions spill into Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. The city borders Kansas City, Kansas , and the Kansas counties of Johnson County and Wyandotte County. Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a Missouri River port at its confluence with the Kansas River coming in from the west. On June 1, 1850, the town of Kansas was incorporated shortly after came the establishment of the Kansas Territory. Confusion between the two ensued, and the name Kansas City was assigned to distinguish them soon after. – Wikipedia
Things to do in Kansas City
East Coast: The Adirondack
The general consensus for the best of the scenic Amtrak routes in the east is service on the Adirondack, between New York and Montreal. The 11-hour day trip operates daily in both directions, and gives you a double-header of great views: It travels along the east bank of Hudson River between New York and Albany, where you pass the Palisades, West Point, and wooded hills. It also travels along the West bank of Lake Champlain, a popular summer activity lake-valley area nestled between the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains.
The northbound trip is daylight through the scenic areas throughout the year. The southbound trip sees more daylight in summer in winter you hit the Hudson valley after dark. In the fall foliage season, Amtrak usually adds a dome car to the train between Albany and Montreal, which operates every other day in each direction. And if you want off before getting to Canada, you can still see all the highlights by starting or ending your trip at Rouses Point, in New York.
Elsewhere in the east, several other Amtrak one-day trains operate through scenic areas:
The Pennsylvanian: This Amtrak route operates daily between Pittsburgh and New York, but the scenic areas are over the former Pennsylvania main line between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. This trip includes the famous Horseshoe Curve daylight viewing is best eastbound.
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Amtrak Kansas Leaders Discuss Extending Route Connecting Dallas Okc Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. – Its been more than 40 years since Wichita has had a passenger train service. That could change in the next few years. The proposal would extend the Heartland Flyer from its current Oklahoma City service into both Wichita and Newton, which would then connect passengers to the current Southwest Chief which services bigger cities, such as, Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque, Flagstaff and Los Angeles.
Extending the Heartland Flyer route into Kansas is still in early stages and depends on two main factors: whether the federal government will pitch in to help pay for it and how Amtrak invests with the host railroads in Oklahoma and Kansas.
Amtrak says the project could cost upward of $500 million from the federal government. Once finished, the projects upkeep and operating costs would eventually fall onto the states. But Amtrak President Stephen Gardner says the economic impact would be significant.
With an annual economic impact of more than $64 million and $1.9 billion in economic activity that would come from capital investments made to make this route possible, he said.
The extension would include three round trips each day from Dallas to Oklahoma City to Newton, connecting the Southwest Chief line that runs from Chicago to L.A. The question comes: Will there be enough riders to make the investment worth it? Looking at the Southwest Chief route, Amtrak and local officials think there will be.
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