GREEN BAY, Wis. — Amtrak has begun offering bus service between Green Bay and Milwaukee, connecting with its Amtrak Hiawatha service at two stations in Milwaukee.
The new Amtrak Thruway bus service began Monday, offering two round trips between Milwaukee and Green Bay with intermediate stops in Appleton, Oshkosh, and Fond du Lac. In Milwaukee, the bus serves both the Intermodal Station downtown and the station at General Mitchell International Airport.
The service fills a public transportation gap created when Greyhound ended Milwaukee-Green Bay service in October, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Another example why our rail passenger system is third world, Japan has been running high speed rail safely since 1964, seven years before Amtrak was conceived, when Amtrak took over passenger service in 1971 they claimed they would be in the black in 5 years, 40 plus years later we’re still waiting, with that being said good rail service will never happen here, the infighting between the feds, the bickering between states, the failure of the US to seek Japan’s help in how to run good safe trains.
Green Bay needs AMTRAK “TRAINS” to run on the original C&NW 400 route through West Bend, WI, because of tourism and the Green Bay Packers NFL football team, Because The Packers are the One and Only NFL team That Does NOT have access to Amtrak passenger trains; so just think of the historic past, and the historic rivalry with the Chicago Bears, when there used to be Three(3) routes between Green Bay and Chicago; with the “Valley 400” running to West Bend and Fonddulac and Oshkosh to Green Bay; #2 is the other C&NW route of the “Shoreland 400” going to Sheboygan and Manitowoc and Green Bay, But, this has been torn to pieces and has Not even been made into a hiking trail, yet at least we can rebuild it with new welded rail and concrete ties for 120 MPH again like in the 1940’s; 3rd is The Milwaukee Road-route of both the Chippewa, and Copper Country Limited, through smaller towns like Plymouth and Hilbert, but this is separated between 3 railroads like the CN, the CP, the WSOR, and land-owners, and the Wisc. DNR. So we have to buy them out, and make it a single owner shortline railroad again, then we can run steam locomotives with authentic Pullman sleepers and diners for the football fans of both the Green Bay Packers, and the Bears.
Well, these buses should blend right in with the GB city buses. That is, going around or through town empty.
I rode that bus connection when it was operated by a non-Greyhound regional carrier. I went from Springfield Mass to Appleton Wisconsin and would not have taken Amtrak if not for the “last mile” connection of the bus.
Greyhound pulled out.
Will it pay tied into Amtrak connections?
Seems like subsidized buses are more logical than trains in most places.
I still think they should form a for-profit government owned corporation to operate bus routes that have been discontinued which are needed by people who are too old or afraid to take the train with the goal that someday people will rediscover this wonderful way to travel and the buses will become profitable again. (Have I heard this story before…)
Will the fares charged by Amtrak cover the cost of the bus connection? Are you kidding? Amtrak is a taxpayer support sump. Greyhound, on the other hand, is a private corporation. It has to cover its costs from the farebox or give up on the service. Or go out of business.
Back when Greyhound ran a comprehensive system, one of its routes between Gr. Bay and Milw. ran on hwy 57 paralleling the Chippewa’s route and contributing to the train’s demise.