Train Travel DC to RedWing

March 8, 2025 - 8 minutes read - 1599 words

Train Travel DC to Red Wing

Interior of Chicago Union Station entry way to the trains. There is a large, tall arch windown over a wide hallway. There is a sign carved into the stone under the archway that states: TO ALL TRAINS

I recently had to take a business trip to DC. For some admitantly silly reasons, I don’t like to fly in February. I was even less motivated to fly due to recent events with FAA firings and planes crashing.

I also just wanted a train adventure, and it lined up with my birthday, so I decided to book a round trip train ticket from Minnesota to Washington DC. While things didn’t all go to plan, I had a little of the adventure I was hoping for.

Outbound Delayed

The outbound trip was supposed to take place with me boarding the train on Sunday and arriving in DC on Monday. However, on Saturday evening I received a text from Amtrak informing me that my train was delayed. It was sitting idle on a track somewhere in Montana waiting for a broken down freight train to clear the tracks.

I didn’t think much about it. Then, early the next morning I saw that I had another text message from Amtrak letting me know my train was on the way, but 4 hours late. At first I thought, great, I get to take my time getting out the door. Then, my brain kicked in and I realized that there was no way for me to catch my connecting train in Chicago. I looked for other ways to get to Chicago on time, but there were no good options.

The customer service person at Amtrak was extremely helpful and polite. They cancelled my outbound trip and refunded my fare. I booked a flight for Monday and made it to my business obligations on time.

Return Trip

I caught a cab for the short ride to Union Station in DC. I had been to Union Station several decades ago, but I was still struck by its size and beauty.

Interior of Washington DC Union Station great hall entryway facing away from the street. There are 4 large arches with 2 statues of knights in different poses. The arches extend to and through the length of the ceiling, which is huge and very high. The ceiling has 3 hexagonal shapes across the width of the arches, repeating in rows throughout the length of the arch / ceiling. The ceiling is back light with a slightly golden light. The floor is tile, possibly marbe squares with smaller golden squares inlayed at each corner of the large tiles, but rotated 90 degrees from the main tile, making them a diamond shape. There are people walking in the lobby, and some have luggage.

I went to the ticketing counter to see if I needed to check my luggage. The fella at the counter patiently answered my questions and told me that I’d have no problem with putting my luggage in the overhead rack. And he was right. There was plenty of room for my backpack and carry on luggage, and it was a much easier process than boarding on a plane.

DC to Chicago

The seats are very large and wide, and there are no middle seats. I was able to snag a window seat. There’s plenty of leg room and the seats recline quite a way. All this was great to see since I was going to be sleeping in this seat.

I had a lovely seat mate. She had traveled from Chicago to DC and was heading back home, so she was the far more experienced of us. We left the station not long before 5 PM Thursday, and we were scheduled to arrive in Chicago about 8:30 AM Friday.

A steward made an announcement asking us to walk back to the diner car to get our reservations for dinner. I hadn’t planned on eating a prepared meal on the train, but I thought why not go for the whole experience. My seatmate wasn’t interested in the meal, so I walked back the handful of cars to the diner car to make the reservation.

The interior of the Amtrak diner car. There are 4 tables with 4 chairs each. The tables are covered with white tablecloths and have a small vase with a single flower in it. The chairs are upholstered in a red and gold pattern. The walls are wood paneled and the ceiling is white with a few lights. The floor is a wood patterned linoleum. There are 2 wait staff in the car, one is a black

At the meal, I was seated with 2 other ladies who were traveling as singles and who were in the sleeper car. I had an excellent meal of steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, a glass of wine, and a cheesecake for desert. $45 all-in. The conversation and service were delightful. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Then it was back to my seat to start settling in. Quiet hours start at 10 PM and they turn off the lights to the car. I tried to watch a replay of a Liverpool game on my phone, but the internet connection in the West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania mountains is spotty at best. Note to have something downloaded or read an analog book.

I had a fairly restless night of sleep mostly due to not fitting well into the seat. I think it was too big for me. I would’ve benefited from something to support my lower back and to have a larger neck roll. We made a few stops after lights out including in Pittsburg and Cleveland.

In the morning I woke to see the sky reddening over a pasture somewhere in Ohio or Indiana. The rest of the morning (pre Chicago at 8:30) was going through a mix of pastures, fields (not plowed I was surprised to see), and industrial parks.

Stranger in the Train Station

We arrived in Chicago on time and I got off the train in search of a decent coffee and something to eat. I had a 2.5 hour layover so there was plenty of time to look around before deciding what to eat. They have a Pret in the station, and I liked them in London, so that’s what I went with.

I sat down in the common seating area to refuel. Across from me at another table, there was a woman who I didn’t immediately recognize as homeless. As I looked more closely at her bags and shoes and hair, I could see that she was living a little rough. She had a large Starbucks cup, which probably helped her blend in a bit to the crowd.

I’m eating my hot frattata and drinking my hot coffee watching her and I got to thinking that it must be torture for her to be there amongst all that food and drink, and to know that she can’t have any. I wondered how long you have to live on the street to get used to that - if you ever do.

I went over to her and asked her if she was hungry. She said that she was and I offered her some of my food. She also asked if I could share my coffee. She took the used tea bag out of her large, empty Starbucks cup, and I poured some of my coffee into it. I gave her some money. She told me that meant survival to her. She told me that the previous few days were bitterly cold and she didn’t think that she was going to live.

She needed to talk, so I listened to her story and her worries.

I could tell from her vocabulary and organized speech that she was educated and had not long ago been living a middle class life. She was tall and probably had been very attractive. She had lived in a Chicago suburb, and said that she was unfamiliar with the city other than the outings she and her family and friends took into the city for entertainment. She was scared living there.

And now she’s on the streets of Chicago, going to the train station to get out of the cold and have some degree of safety. She’s smart enough and clean enough to blend in so she doesn’t get kicked out into the street.

How she got there I don’t know. But she’s there instead of in a safe place. She’s there instead of getting treatment for whatever may be ailing her. She’s there until her luck runs out.

How many of us are just a slip away from where she is?

Chicago to Red Wing

How do you move on from helping a human being like you’d help a stray animal?

In my case, there was nothing more that I could do for that person. I went to the ticket office to change my ticket to end in Red Wing instead of St Paul, and waited for the train in the Business Class lounge.

Business Class lounge in Chicago Union Station. There are 2 rows of chairs with upholstered in a blue vinyl type material. There is a small round table between each chair. To the left is wood paneled cabinets and countertops. There is a potted plant sitting in a blue pot on one of the countertops. The ceiling is white and low, with recessed lighting fixtures. The floor is a green stone tile inside a boarder of black stone tiles.

I’ve been wanting to ride the Borealis train since it began service in May. It runs 2 times a day between St Paul and Chicago. Its route runs through Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dells, and mostly small towns. Stops are usually just a minute or two.

I decided to get off in Red Wing because it’s an hour earlier than St Paul and it’s a pleasent drive home. The ride was scenic, but uneventful. There’s no diner car, but there is a cafe car where you can get sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks, and alcohol. I tried a couple of sandwiches during my trip, but I didn’t like either one, so I do not recommend them. Bring your own if you want a sandwich, and you can eat it in the cafe car, or just hang out there if you like.

Interior of the Amtrak cafe snack bar. There is the employee with his back to the camera getting ready for service. In the foreground is the bar, and behind it is the counter with snacks, 2 coffee makers, and upper cabinets. The lower cabinets are steel and the upper cabinets are a wood veneer.

A view of the Mississippi River from the train. The river is wide and there are trees on both banks. The trees are bare since it is winter. The sky is overcast and the water is a dark and iced over near the shore.

Overall Impressions

I highly recommend train travel if you don’t have to be anywhere at a particular time. It’s a leisurely way to travel, especially compared to flying. You can get up and walk around the train, you can go to the cafe car and hang out there and play cards or a board game. Overnight travel is economical in coach, and costs less than airfare. It might be a challenge to try sleeping in your seat multiple nights, but it was just fine for one night. And do try the dinner car if you get the chance. Not only will you have a decent meal, you’ll probably meet some pretty cool people.

I’d like to make a special note that each and every Amtrak employee I interacted with was polite, helpful, and professional. They made the trip a pleasure.

And please join the ranks of folks trying to make America a better, more equitable place. Too many people are falling out of the middle class and onto the streets with no safety net.