Our trip from St Paul, MN to Sandusky, OH is tomorrow. We are in a sleeper car for both legs of the journey. We plan on arriving at Union Station one hour before the scheduled departure. Once we get to the station I am hoping someone will direct us where to wait. Since Sandusky is not a manned station we have to do carry on luggage. Is there anyone that we can tip to help with luggage? I am a pre-planner and I am a little nervous about not understanding the boarding process.
First Amtrak Ride Tomorrow
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Cho Cho Charlie
Engineer
Both St Paul and Sandusky offer no luggage assistance. You have to handle your own luggage, and carry it at least as far as to the train car. Depending on how busy they are, the car's attendant might be able to offer help (or not) from that point.
brianpmcdonnell17
Conductor
St. Paul does have baggage service; I just checked luggage there last month. It is downstairs from the main hall and has one booth. If the OP wanted, they could check luggage from MSP to CHI and just carry it on to the CL.
neroden
Engineer
I'm a pre-planner too. And I've been to St. Paul by train. 
People will be very helpful at St. Paul. Talk to the Amtrak person at the ticket counter and ask for information. The ticket counter is on the lower level on Kellogg Boulevard, near the parking.
You wait in the gigantic open waiting room (the "train hall") at the back of the main floor (behind the restaurant, one floor up from the ticket counter). There's a little glassed-in side room for sleeper passengers, and the attendant at the ticket counter can give you the pass code, but it basically just has tea if I remember correctly.
You board at the very very back of the waiting room (if you can see the river out the windows, you're at the correct end of the building). They will announce boarding shortly before boarding time, but it may be hard to hear unless you're right back there at the back. You'll go out of the old building through a door into a sort of extension at the back end, down an escalator (or elevator or stairs) to a very long platform. At that point just keep showing Amtrak employees your ticket and asking Amtrak employees which car to board until you get to the right one. (You are ticketed for a specific sleeper car with a number, so tell them what the number is and they'll keep pointing you towards it.)
You will have to carry all your own luggage until you get to the entrance to the sleeper car. Then the sleeper attendant will help you if you ask.
At Chicago, you can tip a "Red Cap" to help with your luggage. You can go to the Metropolitan Lounge while waiting between trains. You might have several hours' wait if the first train is on time, and you can go wander around the Loop in Chicago a little and come back, go to the station food court and get food, or just hang out in the lounge. Be back half an hour before scheduled departure time. There's an unattended luggage storage room in the Metropolitan Lounge behind the counter; if you're a bit more paranoid, you can leave one person in the Lounge to watch the luggage while the other one goes and gets food.. They'll announce your next train at the Metropolitan Lounge and tell you how to board it.
If you're more paranoid, you can put your luggage in coin-operated lockers at Chicago while you get food; just be sure to get them back well before departure time.. These are located in the checked luggage carousel. And as a previous poster said, you can check bags at the ticket counter in St. Paul from St. Paul to Chicago, pick them up at the carousel in Chicago, and carry them to Sandusky.
Sandusky is actually the point you should be most careful. Make sure you are awake and have packed all your bags some time before the train is scheduled to arrive. They won't stop very long at Sandusky, so as soon as they open the doors, you want to be getting out. The attendant will try to make sure you wake up and get off the train, but do *not* rely on that. I'm guessing you're on the Capitol Limited #30 which arrives at 12:40 AM, but you might be on the Lake Shore Limited #48 which arrives at 4:12 AM. Either train could be late, but be ready to get off 15 minutes before scheduled arrival, to be safe. I guess you aren't actually travelling overnight so this isn't as big an issue as if you were, but I still fall asleep during the day on trains...
People will be very helpful at St. Paul. Talk to the Amtrak person at the ticket counter and ask for information. The ticket counter is on the lower level on Kellogg Boulevard, near the parking.
You wait in the gigantic open waiting room (the "train hall") at the back of the main floor (behind the restaurant, one floor up from the ticket counter). There's a little glassed-in side room for sleeper passengers, and the attendant at the ticket counter can give you the pass code, but it basically just has tea if I remember correctly.
You board at the very very back of the waiting room (if you can see the river out the windows, you're at the correct end of the building). They will announce boarding shortly before boarding time, but it may be hard to hear unless you're right back there at the back. You'll go out of the old building through a door into a sort of extension at the back end, down an escalator (or elevator or stairs) to a very long platform. At that point just keep showing Amtrak employees your ticket and asking Amtrak employees which car to board until you get to the right one. (You are ticketed for a specific sleeper car with a number, so tell them what the number is and they'll keep pointing you towards it.)
You will have to carry all your own luggage until you get to the entrance to the sleeper car. Then the sleeper attendant will help you if you ask.
At Chicago, you can tip a "Red Cap" to help with your luggage. You can go to the Metropolitan Lounge while waiting between trains. You might have several hours' wait if the first train is on time, and you can go wander around the Loop in Chicago a little and come back, go to the station food court and get food, or just hang out in the lounge. Be back half an hour before scheduled departure time. There's an unattended luggage storage room in the Metropolitan Lounge behind the counter; if you're a bit more paranoid, you can leave one person in the Lounge to watch the luggage while the other one goes and gets food.. They'll announce your next train at the Metropolitan Lounge and tell you how to board it.
If you're more paranoid, you can put your luggage in coin-operated lockers at Chicago while you get food; just be sure to get them back well before departure time.. These are located in the checked luggage carousel. And as a previous poster said, you can check bags at the ticket counter in St. Paul from St. Paul to Chicago, pick them up at the carousel in Chicago, and carry them to Sandusky.
Sandusky is actually the point you should be most careful. Make sure you are awake and have packed all your bags some time before the train is scheduled to arrive. They won't stop very long at Sandusky, so as soon as they open the doors, you want to be getting out. The attendant will try to make sure you wake up and get off the train, but do *not* rely on that. I'm guessing you're on the Capitol Limited #30 which arrives at 12:40 AM, but you might be on the Lake Shore Limited #48 which arrives at 4:12 AM. Either train could be late, but be ready to get off 15 minutes before scheduled arrival, to be safe. I guess you aren't actually travelling overnight so this isn't as big an issue as if you were, but I still fall asleep during the day on trains...
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BCL
Engineer
There's generally nobody to help you with baggage at an unstaffed station. I suppose some unstaffed stations might have volunteers to help with directions, but I doubt they're authorized to help with bags. Even at a most staffed stations there's no help with carry-on baggage unless you're disabled and need assistance.
St Paul used to have a tradition of red caps (porters) who would assist with baggage.
http://www.twincities.com/2013/07/09/red-caps-celebrated-at-st-pauls-union-depot/
How much are we talking about here, and what's your overall fitness to carry your own stuff?
St Paul used to have a tradition of red caps (porters) who would assist with baggage.
http://www.twincities.com/2013/07/09/red-caps-celebrated-at-st-pauls-union-depot/
How much are we talking about here, and what's your overall fitness to carry your own stuff?
I am traveling with my 12 year old daughter. Originally I thought about 4 pieces of luggage total, but I think I can get that down to 3 so we should be fine. How does it work getting off the train? Is there a spot we need to wait with our luggage? If we keep the luggage in the storage area for sleepers will we need to pull them out before the train stops?
neroden
Engineer
When the train stops -- or even slightly before it stops -- you head for the door you came in through.
There are two types of trains, bilevel and single level. I think you're in bilevels the whole way (which train are you on from Chicago to Sandusky?). Your rooms are probably upstairs and you have to go downstairs to get off the train. Anyway, you get off through the same door you got on through (or possibly the identical door on the other side -- all trains have matching doors on the right and left sides), so if you made it on, you'll know how to get off.
They're not usually in quite THAT much of a hurry, but it would be helpful to do if you're the only people in the car getting off at Sandusky. If a lot of people are getting off, you won't be able to get your luggage before the train stops because there will be a line. The attendant will make sure everyone who is in line gets out of the train with their luggage.
In a sleeper, the attendant is usually (though not always) very helpful and will typically tell you what to do. For smaller stations, they usually ask you to get out of your room, down the stairs, and waiting by the door a few minutes before the train arrives. Sometimes when there's a crowd getting off they ask you to stay in your room until the train stops. Occasionally when something funny happens they will lead you to a different car to get out.
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BCL
Engineer
OK. Sounds reasonable. Can you and your daughter handle it by yourselves if it were level, well-maintained ground? Are we talking airline check-in sized or perhaps traditional airline carry-on size? Does you luggage have wheels? Maybe even spinners? Can your daughter handle one piece? Riding coach, one of the things that happens immediately is that the attendant makes sure that the largest pieces are stored in the downstairs racks near the door. I'm not sure about sleepers. However, there will likely be nobody to help you get your baggage to the door unless you are demonstrably disabled, such as traveling in a wheelchair. There just isn't the personnel or time to help everyone except at stations with red caps.
I've told the story before, but I've take the Capitol Corridor train to work on and off for a few years. At an unstaffed station I noticed a woman and her young daughter (I'm guessing 8) trying to board the train. They got all their stuff (a stroller, a kiddie-sized roller bag, a large spinner, and a couple of shopping bags) to the edge of the platform. However, the track and platform is curved there and there's a gap. This woman screamed out that she needed help when the doors opened and a conductor popped out the door of the next car. I would say she was a bit on the big side (some may say obese), but hardly incapable of bringing all that stuff on board herself. The conductor just motioned at her to get in, but she yelled out again that she needed help. She then managed to get all that stuff on herself. That's pretty much the way it works. If you can't get your baggage on yourself, it's going to be difficult to get anyone to help you with it unless another passenger is willing to help. The conductors and attendants aren't baggage handlers, although they will often rearrange stuff in the racks.
I need to find somewhere to sit and catch up on stuff tonight, so I'll get some specific photos of where you board at Union Depot while I'm there.
How are you arriving to SPUD? Driving, taxi, light rail, or bus? If driving, do you know which lot you want to park in? That would help as well. It's pretty intuitive, but I can help as best as I can.
norfolkwesternhenry
Lead Service Attendant
my home station is MSP, I reccomend getting there at 7:35 (if the train is on time) because it is very easy: line up, check tickets, get on train, done. There is a very small sleeper lounge in MSP, last time I caught the EB, I got to MSP five min before boarding, and was fine, also, the new CHI metropolitan lounge should really sweet.
BCL
Engineer
OK. For the most part you're on your own when it comes to carry-on baggage and Amtrak. If you can get it on the train yourself, you should be in good shape.
Okay, so I have to split this up between a couple posts as I have a lot of photos.
So, first, I'll assume that you're arriving at the main drop-off location, next to the Kellogg St. entrance. It'll look like this.
To get in, you'll head west (against the direction of traffic) to the first door on your left. When you start walking, it'll look like this:
and the entrance will look like this:
Now, once you enter, if you look slightly to your right, you'll see this:
If you need to visit the Amtrak counter (pick up tickets, ask questions, get the code for the sleeper lounge, etc.) or use the elevator take the hallway on the right to the ticket counter. Just past the Amtrak counter there will be elevator #6. If you need to use the elevator, take it to the floor labeled for "waiting room" or "head house." I didn't go in the elevator or towards the ticket counter, so no photos there.
If not, take the escalator up. There'll be two sets of escalators; this is what the mezzanine between the first set and second set of escalators will look like:
I'll keep going in my next post.
So, first, I'll assume that you're arriving at the main drop-off location, next to the Kellogg St. entrance. It'll look like this.
To get in, you'll head west (against the direction of traffic) to the first door on your left. When you start walking, it'll look like this:
and the entrance will look like this:
Now, once you enter, if you look slightly to your right, you'll see this:
If you need to visit the Amtrak counter (pick up tickets, ask questions, get the code for the sleeper lounge, etc.) or use the elevator take the hallway on the right to the ticket counter. Just past the Amtrak counter there will be elevator #6. If you need to use the elevator, take it to the floor labeled for "waiting room" or "head house." I didn't go in the elevator or towards the ticket counter, so no photos there.
If not, take the escalator up. There'll be two sets of escalators; this is what the mezzanine between the first set and second set of escalators will look like:
I'll keep going in my next post.
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Once you get up to the top of the stairs, you'll get to an entryway. It'll look like this, except less blurry.
Go through the doors, and you'll enter into this. Note that if you want to go into the sleeper lounge, it's straight ahead. You'll need to get the code from the Amtrak counter. However, I much prefer waiting in the main waiting room.
To get to your gate, take a left there:
and walk all the way down to the C gate:
From there, they will scan your ticket and let you onto the platform. There's both an escalator and an elevator down, whichever you prefer. I don't have any photos, as it's closed except when the train arrives.
If you turn around and walk back to where you entered the main room, you can keep walking straight ahead through here:
Walk through that first main entryway, and there's some bathrooms on your right hand side, along with some vending machines. However, there's another (better) option for food if it's open, which I'll discuss in my next post.
Go through the doors, and you'll enter into this. Note that if you want to go into the sleeper lounge, it's straight ahead. You'll need to get the code from the Amtrak counter. However, I much prefer waiting in the main waiting room.
To get to your gate, take a left there:
and walk all the way down to the C gate:
From there, they will scan your ticket and let you onto the platform. There's both an escalator and an elevator down, whichever you prefer. I don't have any photos, as it's closed except when the train arrives.
If you turn around and walk back to where you entered the main room, you can keep walking straight ahead through here:
Walk through that first main entryway, and there's some bathrooms on your right hand side, along with some vending machines. However, there's another (better) option for food if it's open, which I'll discuss in my next post.
If you keep walking ahead, you'll go through a second set of entryways, looking like this:
Once you walk through that second set of entryways, you'll see an old ticketing counter on your left:
If you go up to it, you'll find that it's been converted into a coffee shop!
They're open from 7 am until roughly 9 pm (they sometimes will close a bit early if business is slow) Monday through Saturday, and 7 am to 2 pm on Sunday. And it's tasty! I got the chocolate chip muffin and the Mama's Juice, which is a mix of lemonade and pineapple. Very tasty!
Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any further questions or comments, and let us know how the trip went!
Once you walk through that second set of entryways, you'll see an old ticketing counter on your left:
If you go up to it, you'll find that it's been converted into a coffee shop!
They're open from 7 am until roughly 9 pm (they sometimes will close a bit early if business is slow) Monday through Saturday, and 7 am to 2 pm on Sunday. And it's tasty! I got the chocolate chip muffin and the Mama's Juice, which is a mix of lemonade and pineapple. Very tasty!
Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any further questions or comments, and let us know how the trip went!
Nice pics Jeb, and this gem of a Station seems vastly under used!It reminds me of Union Station in KCY and Union Terminal in Cincinnati!
Are there plans to fill that wasted space?
Are there plans to fill that wasted space?
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The main waiting area will probably never be permanently filled. They rent it out for events, and they like to keep it relatively open otherwise. They're looking at finding one or two more businesses, but other than that they're keeping it open.
Megabus, Greyhound, Jefferson Lines, some casino buses, and Metro Transit all use the station along with Amtrak, so there's traffic throughout the day.
Megabus, Greyhound, Jefferson Lines, some casino buses, and Metro Transit all use the station along with Amtrak, so there's traffic throughout the day.
Cho Cho Charlie
Engineer
I didn't think one can check luggage through, if one's destination (Sandusky) doesn't have the service, regardless if your departure (St Paul) does?
The train is running late so the attendant recommend we don't check the bags. I guess if we were on time we could have checked them to Chicago and then carried them on for the train to Sandusky. We are not having any issues with the bags. Union Depot is a gorgeous building! We also had the juice that was recommended and it was very good. Thanks again for all your tips!
You're welcome! Enjoy the trip!
BCL
Engineer
Everything is done manually, so it's really up to an agent. Plenty of people have mentioned having checked in baggage to EMY, even though the final destination was a bus stop in San Francisco without baggage service.
Sandusky is a nice station but unmanned. Their are normally plenty of taxi's. You might be able to pre arrange taxi service if you go on line, they might be able to offer some assistance. The station is opened every note and in a safe area. The local police are often on hand to keep an eye on things.
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