Chicago to Toronto via Michigan?

[astoria]

Hi. I have a bunch of Amtrak Guest Rewards points - call it 20,000 - and I'd like to use them to help make a trip with my wife from NYP to Chicago to Toronto and back to visit friends. I'm a New York City native who's very comfortable with public transit, with cities and with Amtrak.

The key problem seems to be getting from Chicago to Toronto. Air fares are high, and my budget is low. I'd prefer not to take Greyhound. It's ucky.

It looks like I can take a train from Chicago to Detroit, and then a Detroit city bus and two Windsor city buses to Windsor, and then a VIA to Toronto to complete the trip within one day. Is this the best option? Or is there a better way, maybe via Port Huron/Sarnia? And what if I decide to go the other direction and go from Toronto to Chicago instead?

Amtrak suggests I go via Buffalo, but that just seems kind of insane when there's actually a straight line route with trains running along almost all of it!

 

[AlanB]

Unfortunately Amtrak no longer runs the International, which went from Chicago to Toronto. Therefore, what you suggest with the bus bridge, is indeed the only way to make it happen via train for the bulk of your trip.

You can certainly reverse things and go from Toronto to Chicago if you like.

If you would like to read a brief synopsis of someone whose done this trip, check out this trip report from On Track On Line. Scroll down to the very bottom of the first page, Chapter 2.7.

There you will find a paragraph about Brad Smith who made such a trip. Also included are links to the various bus companies that he used, so you can get fare info and schedules.

Good luck and have fun!