Amtrak Hiawatha is an excellent and well-used "traditional" passenger rail line. Milwaukee<->Chicago in 91 minutes. Almost never late or slow, zero gate securit

Amtrak Hiawatha is an excellent and well-used "traditional" passenger rail line. Milwaukee<->Chicago in 91 minutes. Almost never late or slow, zero gate security or even ticket checks, convenient Passbook-compatible e-tickets checked by the conductor, comfortable seats, sufficient legroom, 110VAC at every window, takes you to the middle of Chicago with direct or easy access (> 3 bus stops) to every major CTA line and the Metra Electric. The only things I'd really change are the price ($48 round-trip is a bit steep as a college student) and the lack of wi-fi. The vast majority of commuting professionals have cellular modems though. It's really great to be able to move between cities in reasonable time without owning a car, buying gas and insurance, or trying to find somewhere to park for less than the price of a firstborn son anywhere useful in Chicago. I've pulled out my iPhone speedometer app on the train and it clocks at around 80 in the middle of nowhere, 65ish in the northern Chicago suburbs.