Fastest€53.14
- Amtrak A497612:143h 23m15:37Des Moines Union StationChicago Union Station
Door to door 4h 7mCO2 16.3 kgChanges 0Refundable
Des Moines to Chicago train
Trains from Des Moines to Chicago start at €64.69 and take 4h 7m at their fastest.
The Trains from Des Moines to Chicago starts at €64.69 and takes 4h 7m door to door, run by 1 operator over 495 km, with around 12 departures a day. Fares bottom out about 60 days before departure.
- 4h 7mDoor to door
- 3h 23mMoving
- €64.69From
- 16.3 kgCO2
The cheapest and the fastest on September 29, 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Rail operators
Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.
| Operator | From | Fastest | Typical speed | Flexibility | On board |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Amtrak | €53.14 | 4h 6m | 140 km/h | Refundable | Power outlets, Wi-Fi |
That is the traveling done. What happens after you walk out into Chicago is not something we sell.
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When to book Des Moines to Chicago
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €29.3390 days
- €17.7860 days
- €19.4345 days
- €21.6330 days
- €27.1321 days
- €34.2814 days
- €40.887 days
- €40.333 days
- €56.281 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €17.78.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 217 percent. The most expensive point is €56.28, 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.
Which departure day costs least
Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.
- €30.98Sun
- €27.13Mon
- €26.58Tue
- €28.23Wed
- €36.48Thu
- €34.28Fri
- €33.18Sat
Where you leave from and where you arrive
The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.
Des Moines
Rail
- Des Moines Union Station
- East Des Moines Union Depot
- Des Moines Western Railway Freight House
Chicago
Rail
- Chicago Union Station
- Chicago Ridge
- Chicago station
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 495 km against 495 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 Des Moines at 06:02 and the last at 21:20, across 12 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Trains against the other ways to make this journey
The same corridor, door to door, with every mode that runs it.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | 4h 7m | 3h 23m | 44m | €64.69 | 16.3 kg | 12 |
| Flight | 4h 13m | 1h 3m | 3h 10m | €55.01 | 125.5 kg | 56 |
| Coach | 7h 15m | 6h 31m | 44m | €26.58 | 13.4 kg | 12 |
Questions about Des Moines 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 Des Moines to Chicago take?
The Train from Des Moines to Chicago takes 4h 7m door to door, of which 3h 23m is spent moving. The route runs 495 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 Des Moines to Chicago cost?
The Train from Des Moines to Chicago starts at €64.69 for one passenger, checked on September 29, 2026. A typical fare is €66.34. 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 Des Moines to Chicago?
1 operators run the Train from Des Moines to Chicago: Amtrak. Between them they file around 12 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 Des Moines to Chicago use?
The Train from Des Moines to Chicago leaves from Des Moines Union 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 Des Moines to Chicago?
Traveling from Des Moines to Chicago by Flight costs €55.01 and takes 4h 13m door to door, against 4h 7m 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 Des Moines to Chicago?
Fares for the Train from Des Moines to Chicago bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €17.78. The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time across the window is 217 percent, measured on September 29, 2026. Booking inside the final week has consistently cost more.
How much CO2 does the Train from Des Moines to Chicago produce?
The Train from Des Moines to Chicago produces about 16.3 kg of CO2 per passenger over 495 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 Des Moines to Chicago?
Operators on the Train from Des Moines to Chicago publish Power outlets, Wi-Fi. That is what 1 carriers on this corridor state about their own fleets, across a journey of 4h 7m 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 Des Moines to Chicago on September 11, 2026: 495 km of route against 495 km in a straight line, 12 services a day, 1 operators, a cheapest fare of €64.69, and 4h 7m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
Related journeys
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The trip is the easy half to plan. The days in Chicago are the half people leave until last.
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