Reservations required and other safety initiatives in effect; Full Fox Cities Thruway Bus Service also restored
CHICAGO – Beginning May 23, Amtrak and our partner state transportation departments are restoring all Hiawatha Service [1] round-trips between Milwaukee and Chicago. The regular weekday schedule of seven round-trips is now available for booking, with an additional Chicago departure on Friday nights; the Saturday schedule of seven departures from Milwaukee and six from Chicago; and the Sunday schedule of six round-trips.
At the same time, service is restored for two daily round-trip Amtrak Thruway Buses between Green Bay and Milwaukee, with stops in De Pere, Appleton, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. The service provides seamless connections to and from Chicago using Amtrak Hiawatha trains, allowing travelers to make a same-day round trip between these I-41 cities and Chicago, as well as Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airport, Sturtevant and Glenview, Illinois. Amtrak has produced a short video [2] showing how easy it is to use an Amtrak Thruway Bus.
Reservations continue to be needed here on our most popular Amtrak MidwestSM [3] corridor, which is done automatically during purchases of one-way or round-trip tickets through the Amtrak Apps; Amtrak.com [4] on a desktop; using the ticketing kiosks in both Milwaukee stations, Sturtevant or Chicago; visiting staffed ticket windows in Downtown Milwaukee and Chicago or by calling 800-USA-RAIL. Holders of Monthly or 10-ride discounted Multi-Ride Tickets [5] quickly satisfy this requirement by confirming their travel on their choice of Hiawatha trains using Amtrak RideReserveSM [6].
Reservations provide data to properly manage the seating inventory, allowing us to provide sufficient distancing for customer safety.
Customers are encouraged to use the capacity indicator at the time of booking, showing each train’s seating availability. This real-time data is available through departure times and, if bookings exceed comfort levels, customers can change their ticket without incurring a fee (a fare difference may apply).
Amtrak is leading the way by setting a new standard of travel [7] with enhanced safety and cleaning measures. To simplify and safeguard the travel experience, several cleaning, contact-free and convenience measures have been implemented into every part of the customer journey, including:
- Face coverings: Per federal law and Amtrak policy, all customers and employees must wear a face mask or covering that fully covers the entire mouth and nose, fits snugly against the side of the face, and secures under the chin at all times while onboard and in stations. Neck gaiters, open-chin triangle bandanas, face shields, and masks containing valves, mesh material or holes of any kind do not qualify as acceptable face coverings. Face masks can be removed briefly while actively eating, drinking or taking medication. Children under 2 years old are not required to wear a face covering. Refusing to wear a mask is a violation of federal law; passengers may be subject to penalties under federal law, denied boarding, removed from the train and banned from future travel in the event of noncompliance.
- Air Quality: All trains are equipped with onboard filtration systems with a fresh air exchange rate every 4-5 minutes.
- Physical distancing: Signage has been displayed to indicate safe distances in high traffic areas. In addition, protective plastic barriers have been installed at customer counters at our busiest stations.
Amtrak continues to evaluate practices and pilot new opportunities to support personal safety. Visit Amtrak.com [8] for more information about how Amtrak is maintaining a safe environment.
The Peak Fare Surcharge continues to be suspended on Hiawatha Service trains, which are sponsored by the state transportation departments in Wisconsin and Illinois [1] and operated by Amtrak. In a partnership with Illinois’ Regional Transportation Authority [9], purchasers of 10-Ride and Monthly tickets are encouraged to visit MyTransitBenefit.com [10] to learn more about how they can work with their employers to buy Amtrak tickets at a savings using pre-tax income.