EB/Hiawatha connection in MKE

[Mitch]

Hi y'all, I've gotten conflicting answers on this. I've got a trip booked SCD->MKE arriving at 2:57 and MKE ->SVT leaving at 3:00. I did this under the advice of an Amtrak worker who told me the following train will wait for the Empire Builder and that they "work together" if the route numbers end in the same digit, 28 and 338 in this case. However, Amtrak riders have told me that this is not the case and if my train to MKE is that few minutes late I'll miss the Hiawatha train.

Who is correct?

 

[danasgoodstuff]

I just went to the Amtrak website and if you book it as one trip, which is the only way to guarantee the connection, it gives you a 2 hr 48 min layover in Milwaukee. 3 minutes isn't enough time even if the builder is dead on time. I have no idea why anyone at Amtrak would recommend such a tight connection, maybe someone else does.

 

[Trogdor]

Hi y'all, I've gotten conflicting answers on this. I've got a trip booked SCD->MKE arriving at 2:57 and MKE ->SVT leaving at 3:00. I did this under the advice of an Amtrak worker who told me the following train will wait for the Empire Builder and that they "work together" if the route numbers end in the same digit, 28 and 338 in this case. However, Amtrak riders have told me that this is not the case and if my train to MKE is that few minutes late I'll miss the Hiawatha train.

Who is correct?

I don’t know who this “Amtrak worker” is with that info, but there is virtually no scenario out there where a Hiawatha train will wait for connecting passengers from the Empire Builder. “Ending in the same digit” has never been a factor in determining whether a train will hold (other than cases where trains physically join to become the same consist, such as both halves of the Empire Builder, or the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited).

The Hiawatha will leave on time no matter what (unless it has its own delay), as those passengers need to get to Chicago, that consist is needed for an immediate turn for the next Hiawatha (and if it misses its slot in Chicago, will be further delayed by Metra commuter traffic, etc.).

And with Hiawatha tickets now reserved, if you miss your train, it might be more expensive for you to change it to the following one (since that’s not a connection Amtrak will guarantee).

I’d book the official connection. If you arrive really early in Milwaukee (which is possible), maybe you can sweet-talk train 338’s conductor letting you ride with 340’s ticket (if the train has space)…no guarantees. If you’re really late and miss the last Hiawatha, they may make a courtesy stop on the Builder to drop you off. But if your train is pulling into MKE at 3:01 pm, you’ll be seeing the tail lights of 338 rolling away as you step onto the platform.