2017 Highlights
View the 2017 blog here
2017 Route
New York, NY
Did you Know: With more than half a million people passing through its concourses every day, Penn Station is the busiest rail hub in North America.
Fun Fact: When the original Penn Station opened up in the summer of 1910, it used nearly 550,000 cubic feet of stone, 27,000 tons of steel, and 15 million bricks during construction.
The Route
July 31, 2017 - Penn Station, NY --> Essex Junction, VT --> Burlington, VT
August 2, 2017 - Burlington, VT --> Port Kent, NY --> Plattsburgh, NY --> Montreal, QC
Montreal, QC
Did you Know: Montreal's Central Station has a simplistic design reflective of the modernist and Art Deco Movements, designed by John Campbell Merrett.
Fun Fact: Nearly 11 million rail passengers use Montreal's Amtrak Station every year.
The Route
August 4, 2017 - Montreal, QC --> Toronto, ON
Toronto, ON
Did you Know: Prince Edward, Prince of Wales officially opened Toronto's third and current Union Station to the public on August 6, 1927, in a lavish ribbon cutting ceremony using a pair of gold scissors.
Fun Fact: Union Station was designated as a National Historic Sit of Canada in 1975, and a Heritage Railway Station in 1989. In 1999, Union Station was inducted into the North America Railway Hall of Fame as being significant in the course of railway history.
The Route
August 5, 2017 - Toronto, ON --> Niagara Falls, ON --> Buffalo-Depew, NY
August 6, 2017 - Buffalo-Depew, NY --> Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Did you Know: The Chicago Union Station is the hub for mid-western corridor services and long-distance trains serving the West.
Fun Fact: Union Station is the only example in the United States of a "double-stub" station, where 24 tracks approach from two directions and most do not continue under or through the station.
The Route
August 7, 2017 - Chicago, IL --> Kalamazoo, MI
August 8, 2017 - Kalamazoo, MI --> Chicago, IL --> Denver, CO
Denver, CO
Did you Know: Amtrak returned to the Denver Union Station with the arrival of the eastbound California Zephyr on Friday, February 28, 2014.
Fun Fact: The Mizpah Arch, which was deemed a traffic hazard torn down in 1931, served as a gateway to the station. The arch originally featured the word "Welcome" on both sides. Later, the departure side was changed to "Mizpah," a Hebrew word expressing the emotional bond between people who are separated. The Mizpah Arch provided metaphoric service to millions in its day. Built by a consortium of local business interests for $22,500, the arch used 70 tons of steel and cladding and 2,194 light bulbs.
The Route
August 10, 2017 - Denver, CO --> Glenwood Springs, CO
August 12, 2017 - Glenwood Springs, CO --> Sacramento, CA
August 13, 2017 - Sacramento, CA --> Oakland, CA --> San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
The Route
August 15, 2017 - San Francisco, CA --> San Jose, CA --> Santa Barbara, CA
August 16, 2017 - Santa Barbara, CA --> Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Did you Know: Los Angeles is the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States.
Fun Fact: As of 2014, more than 60,000 travelers, commuters and visitors pass through the station every day.
The Route
August 17, 2017 - Los Angles, CA --> Kansas City, MO
August 19, 2017 - Kansas City, MO --> Jefferson City, MO
August 20, 2017 - Jefferson City, MO --> St. Louis, MO
St. Louis, MO
Did you Know: In 2008, the St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center, a $26.4 million state-of-the-art intermodal facility in downtown St. Louis, opened to serve Amtrak, Greyhound, light rail, and city buses.
Fun Fact: The Gateway Station was funded fifty-fifty between the local and federal government. Local resources came from capital improvement sales tac and refinancing of bond issues.
The Route
August 20, 2017 - St. Louis, MO --> Marshall, TX
August 21, 2017 - Marshall, TX --> Jackson, MS
August 22, 2017 - Jackson, MS --> New Orleans, LA
August 24, 2017 - New Orleans, LA --> Hattiesburg, MS
August 25, 2017 - Hattiesburg, MS --> Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Did you Know: Opened in 1907, Washington Union Station is Amtrak's headquarters and the railroad's second-busiest station with annual ridership of just under 5 million.
Fun Fact: American architect and planner Daniel Burnham designed the station in order to remove the jumble of rail lines from the center of the Mall.