Cedar Rapids to Chicago train

Trains from Cedar Rapids to Chicago start at €43.24 and take 3h 2m at their fastest.

Cedar RapidsCedar RapidsChicagoChicago

The Trains from Cedar Rapids to Chicago starts at €43.24 and takes 3h 2m door to door, run by 1 operator over 331 km, with around 11 departures a day. Fares bottom out about 60 days before departure.

Checked September 10, 2026Priced for September 29, 2026One passenger, all fees included

  • 3h 2mDoor to door
  • 2h 18mMoving
  • €43.24From
  • 10.9 kgCO2
Real services

The cheapest and the fastest on September 29, 2026

Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.

Fastest€40.49
  1. Amtrak A359319:162h 18m21:34Cedar Rapids stationChicago Union Station

Door to door 3h 2mCO2 10.9 kgChanges 0Refundable

Carriers

Rail operators

Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.

Every operator we sell on this corridor. Speed is the carrier's own typical cruising speed, not the average over this route.
OperatorFromFastestTypical speedFlexibilityOn board
Amtrak€35.543h 1m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
  • Amtrak

That is the traveling done. What happens after you walk out into Chicago is not something we sell.

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Booking window

When to book Cedar Rapids to Chicago

The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.

  1. €16.6890 days
  2. €13.3860 days
  3. €15.5845 days
  4. €17.2330 days
  5. €19.9821 days
  6. €24.3814 days
  7. €29.887 days
  8. €31.533 days
  9. €38.681 days
Cheapest lead time
Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €13.38.
How much it moves
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 189 percent. The most expensive point is €38.68, 1 days out.
What that means
Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 60 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
Day of the week

Which departure day costs least

Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.

  1. €24.38Sun
  2. €19.43Mon
  3. €18.88Tue
  4. €20.53Wed
  5. €24.38Thu
  6. €24.93Fri
  7. €23.28Sat
Terminals

Where you leave from and where you arrive

The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.

Chicago

Rail
  • Chicago Union Station
  • Chicago Ridge
  • Chicago station
The journey

What the journey actually looks like

Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.

How far it really runs
The route covers 331 km against 331 km in a straight line, a detour of 2 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
First and last departure
The first service of the day leaves Cedar Rapids at 06:02 and the last at 21:26, across 11 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
The alternatives

Trains against the other ways to make this journey

The same corridor, door to door, with every mode that runs it.

Door to door means the whole journey, including reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. Fares are the cheapest sold on each mode.
ModeDoor to doorMovingAt the endsFromCO2Per day
Train3h 2m2h 18m44m€43.2410.9 kg11
Flight4h 1m51m3h 10m€39.6783.9 kg32
Coach5h 14m4h 30m44m€18.888.9 kg11

Questions about Cedar Rapids to Chicago

The questions people actually ask about this trip, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.

How long does the Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago take?

The Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago takes 3h 2m door to door, of which 2h 18m is spent moving. The route runs 331 km. The difference between the two times is reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end, which every time on this page includes.

How much does the Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago cost?

The Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago starts at €43.24 for one passenger, checked on September 29, 2026. A typical fare is €43.79. Both are the total including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so the price here is the price at checkout.

Who runs the Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago?

1 operators run the Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago: Amtrak. Between them they file around 11 departures a day. The operator table on this page compares them on fare, journey time, cruising speed, fare conditions and what is provided on board.

Which terminal does the Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago use?

The Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago leaves from Cedar Rapids station and arrives at Chicago Union Station. Allow about 44m for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one. That time is already inside every door to door figure quoted on this page.

Is the Train the best way from Cedar Rapids to Chicago?

Traveling from Cedar Rapids to Chicago by Flight costs €39.67 and takes 4h 1m door to door, against 3h 2m by Train. Which is better depends on whether the money or the hours matter more on this trip. The comparison table on this page shows every mode side by side.

When should I book the Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago?

Fares for the Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €13.38. The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time across the window is 189 percent, measured on September 29, 2026. Booking inside the final week has consistently cost more.

How much CO2 does the Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago produce?

The Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago produces about 10.9 kg of CO2 per passenger over 331 km, which works out at roughly 33 grams per passenger kilometer. That figure is for the whole journey and for one traveler, not for the vehicle.

What is provided on board the Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago?

Operators on the Train from Cedar Rapids to Chicago publish Power outlets, Wi-Fi. That is what 1 carriers on this corridor state about their own fleets, across a journey of 3h 2m door to door. Where a carrier publishes nothing, this page lists nothing for it.

Where these numbers come from

Observed service A carrier record shows this named operator serving this named pair, and we carry that through unchanged.

Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modeled number pass for a filed one.

Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon

On this page
Every figure above was computed for Cedar Rapids to Chicago on September 10, 2026: 331 km of route against 331 km in a straight line, 11 services a day, 1 operators, a cheapest fare of €43.24, and 3h 2m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.

Related journeys

The trip is the easy half to plan. The days in Chicago are the half people leave until last.

A guided tour group

Anything to book in Chicago before you go?

Timed entry, guided walks and half-day trips out of Chicago, with free cancellation on most of it.

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