Amtrak Polar Express

[Electroliner 1935]

Amtrak will be operating a Polar Express Train from Chicago Union Station as per the News Wire of 11/23. 

Rail Events Productions Inc., in conjunction with Amtrak will be operating Polar Express trains from Chicago’s Union Station beginning Dec. 19 – Jan. 3. Hosting as many as four daily departures on the weekends, the Polar Express will use Amtrak equipment on a two-hour round-trip route through downtown Chicago. 

Does anyone know its route? It leaves from Track 1 so I presume it might take the route toward Milwaukee. Where will it reverse? Will it use a Cab car (depowered FP40) to avoid turning? Any info would be appreciated.

[Dragoman]

Have you tries contacting Rail Events Productions Inc., who are apparently organizing the trips?

[schlimm]

They operate all over:

http://www.raileventsinc.com/polar-express

here is the CUS link:

https://www.chicagothepolarexpressride.com/

[daveklepper]

The only information they give is point-to-point in downtown Chicago with changes in direction programmed.  This in answer to the FAQ "Where does it go?"

Anyone really know?

[Firelock76]

Why the North Pole, of course!

[bartman-tn]

On weekends, the trips are about every 1 hour and 40 minutes.  With boarding and such, say an hour train ride.  Since it is Amtrak out of Track #1, you can almost assume heading toward Milwaukee for about 30 minutes.  At normal speed, this would be just north of Glenview.  Looking at the schedule, it is easy to see a few conflicts with a Hiawatha train and even a few Metra trains.  Polar Express trains often go slow, so I would say they head out to about Western Avenue to stay on the most tracks with the most routes to stay out of the way of things.  Stopping short also prevents them from crossing the UP/CNW line with all of those Metra trains.  Even with this, it will be tight at Canal Street where trains often back up.  Someone please report when they start running this coming weekend.