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topicnews · September 19, 2024

How to find the train schedule from Lafayette to Chicago

How to find the train schedule from Lafayette to Chicago

Alex Haddon
| Specially for Journal & Courier

In 2019, funding for one of Amtrak’s two trains, the Hoosier State, was eliminated.

The remaining train, the Cardinal, runs to Chicago only three days a week. Many people would rather risk their lives on the highway than adjust their schedule to the slow, inconvenient route.

However, if you’re planning to go to Chicago on a Monday, Thursday or Saturday anyway, you may be able to save on parking and gas costs by taking the train. A round-trip ticket from Lafayette to Chicago costs about $80, and some travelers may enjoy the time to relax rather than sit behind the wheel of a car with tense fingers.

“Anything you can do on an Amtrak train you probably shouldn’t do while riding,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari. “Like sleeping, reading, doing homework or watching the cornfields go by.”

What happened to the Hoosier State?

The Hoosier State was created in 2013 thanks to the efforts of rail enthusiasts who lobbied for a daily Lafayette service. There was just one problem: The route was barely 200 miles long. The federal government is only allowed to cover routes that are 750 miles or longer.

A coalition of towns where the route was being built pooled money to finance the line, but when it wasn’t quite enough, the Indiana government stepped in and covered the rest.

At first, things went well in the Hoosier State. It was a novelty with Wi-Fi and better dining options than the Cardinal. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb was photographed by local media riding the train with a plate of fudge in front of him. Local ticket sales increased by 20%.

Arvid Olson, chairman of the Greater Lafayette Commerce Transportation Committee, said the Hoosier State’s speed limit is 59 miles per hour, but when crossing Illinois he has to stop at six major railroad crossings and wait for permission to proceed.

In addition, it is not Amtrak but CSX Transportation that owns the route from Indy to Chicago.

“To put it politely, they don’t really care about Amtrak,” Olson said. “Amtrak is a nuisance to them. They block and get in the way, not because they do it intentionally, but because they just keep trains running.”

The originally planned travel time of three and a half hours between Lafayette and Chicago in the Hoosier State doubled. Punctuality dropped rapidly.

“If you don’t really care, you’re not going to ride the train,” Olson said. “It only takes a few trips to break a customer’s habit, even if they like trains or think they’re cool.”

From 2017 to 2018, passenger numbers fell by 5.5%. The governor said the Hoosier State simply “did not perform as originally announced.”

In January 2019, the Indiana government cut the train’s annual $3 million lifeline. Despite efforts by local bipartisan officials and advocates, the Hoosier State held its final run on June 30 of that year.

Today, most of us take the Greyhound bus to Chicago or venture out on the highway. It’s been so long since there was reliable passenger transit in Tippecanoe County that it’s no longer relevant to people, Olson said.

How to book a ticket to the right place

You can still take the Cardinal to Chicago, but booking a ride can be difficult if you don’t know how.

Before you buy a ticket, Magliari says you need to know the Cardinal’s schedule. If you try to buy a ticket on a day when the Cardinal doesn’t run through Lafayette, such as a Friday, you’ll be offered a Greyhound bus ticket.

When reading the schedule, note that the train travels through Lafayette in two directions. When the Cardinal travels toward Crawfordsville and Indianapolis, it is called train 50 and departs Lafayette at 9:46 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

When the Cardinal travels toward Chicago, Rensselaer and Dyer, it is called train 51 and departs Lafayette at 7:36 a.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Please note that when reading the timetable, the column for train 51 on the right must be read from bottom to top.

So hopefully it goes without saying that you can’t go to Chicago on Fridays.

To plan a trip to Chicago, first set the departure time to the Amtrak station in Lafayette, not the City Bus Center. Choose one of the departure days of train 51, for example Thursday. Set the arrival location to Union Station in Chicago (not the Bus Center).

Then set your return date to one of the days on which train 50 runs, for example Saturday.

To add a connection, simply select “Add Trip” below. Other routes may run more frequently, but if you can’t find another route, search for train routes and their cities. Schedules with stop locations are extremely difficult to find on the Amtrak website, if at all, but they can be found on other websites. You can also use “Schedule Highlights” if you’re not interested in the specific departure and arrival times on the Amtrak Guide website.

After that, the process is simpler. Just choose whether you want a $40 ticket for both trips or a more expensive private room. This may require more effort than booking an Uber or just getting in the car and driving for three hours straight, but you may find the ride more enjoyable.

After all, it’s not just the destination that matters, but also the journey.

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