Luggage on Hiawatha Amtrak MKE to Chicago?
 

We are visiting family in Wisconsin and Chicago for 10 days and ending our trip with a wedding. As a family of 4, we'll have a fair amount of luggage including a larger suitcase to hold formal clothes for the wedding. We'll rent a car at MKE for the Wisconsin portion of the trip.

We wanted to avoid the cost of a one-way car rental and drop our car back at MKE, then take the Amtrak Hiawatha on a Wednesday mid-morning from Mitchell Airport to Union Station in Chicago.

Our question, the Amtrak website says no checked luggage on this route. The dimensions for an allowed bag are smaller than the bags we will have. We have never ridden Amtrak -- any advice on whether a larger wheeled suitcase would work on this route?

Thank you!
BMarieL

Don't know that train in particular - but from NYC there is checked luggage on very few trains. Most trains require people to haul their own luggage and there is room for larger pieces of luggage at the end of the car.

But it also depends on the size of the luggage - if you are considering a HUGE bag - like 30" - you might have a problem finding a place to put it.

I have taken the Hiawatha to/from Union Station to MKE - I think you will be fine...

Are you renting the car at the Milwaukee airport (MKA) or downtown Milwaukee (MKE)? The Intermodal station (downtown) has checked baggage service for all of the Hiawatha trains.
Even if someone is getting off at the airport to pick up a rental car, the rest of the family can ride on into MKE to pick up the checked baggage.
On the return stop at the MKE station to check your bags to CHI (2 per person) even if all of you board the Hiawatha station at the airport after dropping off the car.

Take it all ONTO the train. If you can get all that luggage and four people into an automobile then there will be enough room to stow it and you will not have to wait for anything checked at he other end.