Lake Cities (Amtrak train)

Lake Cities
The first westbound Lake Cities, left, arrives at Detroit
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleMichigan
PredecessorSt. Clair
First serviceAugust 3, 1980
Last serviceApril 26, 2004
SuccessorWolverine
Route
TerminiChicago, Illinois
Toledo, Ohio
Distance travelled335 miles (539 km)
Average journey time7 hours 30 minutes
Route map
0 mi
Chicago
16 mi
26 km
Hammond–Whiting
89 mi
143 km
Niles
138 mi
222 km
Kalamazoo
160 mi
257 km
Battle Creek
184 mi
296 km
Albion
205 mi
330 km
Jackson
243 mi
391 km
Ann Arbor
273 mi
439 km
Dearborn
279 mi
449 km
Detroit
Pre-1995 route
291 mi
468 km
Royal Oak
296 mi
476 km
Birmingham
302 mi
486 km
Pontiac
335 mi
539 km
Toledo

The Lake Cities was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois and Toledo, Ohio via Detroit, Michigan. It operated from 1980 until 2004, when it was folded into the Wolverine. It replaced the St. Clair, a Chicago–Detroit train which operated in tandem with the Wolverine. The extension to Toledo gave travelers in Michigan the opportunity to connect with eastbound trains such as the Lake Shore Limited without backtracking to Chicago. Amtrak re-routed the train from Toledo to Pontiac, Michigan in 1995.