Remember\, the OP has a walking distance issue, so we need to consider the distances in the airport or train station as well as getting there. A very easy trip to/from an airport or train station that has very long distances or poor logistics for mobility may be a greater challenge than a slightly tougher connection between 2 terminals that may be easier too handle...actually a considerably more challenging question than it appears at first glance...
Best Airport Amtrak Station connection?
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Not if you can't walk farther than 200 feet.
The hike from the Midway terminals to the Orange Line is long and involves two sets of stairs. The hike from the O'Hare terminals to the Blue Line doesn't have stairs, but it's still pretty substantial.
On top of that, the closest L stations are 2-3 blocks from Union Station and do not have stairs. If you use Washington/Wells (Orange Line), it has an elevator, but you've just added two more blocks to your walk.
I would not recommend Chicago as a transfer point unless someone is willing to pay for an Uber/Lyft from the airport to Union Station.
In THAT case, I'd recommend Midway over O'Hare, as I'll take the inbound Stevenson over the inbound Kennedy any day. (Plus, it's easier to cut around on surface streets coming from that direction.)
cpotisch
Engineer
Ultimately it seems like a cab might be the only option for the vast majority of airports/stations. So really, the main consideration is if it's a short walk to the taxis. Unfortunately, in most cities that have both Amtrak and airline service, the airports are large, and aren't conducive to someone with limited mobility...
the_traveler
Engineer
If you arrange it with the airline beforehand, even transfers at LAX between terminals are no problem!
Last September I flew into LAX on DL into Terminal 3 and connected to AS out of Terminal 6. DL met me at the jetway with a wheelchair and took me to the curb. They arranged for a (private) shuttle that took me right to Terminal 6. Because it was just us, the shuttle waited until the AS rep came out with the wheelchair. She then took me to and thru Security and right to the gate!
In January, I transferred between terminals on AA at both DFW and O’Hare in a wheelchair.
Last September I flew into LAX on DL into Terminal 3 and connected to AS out of Terminal 6. DL met me at the jetway with a wheelchair and took me to the curb. They arranged for a (private) shuttle that took me right to Terminal 6. Because it was just us, the shuttle waited until the AS rep came out with the wheelchair. She then took me to and thru Security and right to the gate!
In January, I transferred between terminals on AA at both DFW and O’Hare in a wheelchair.
cpotisch
Engineer
Yeah, so if he gets assistance from the airport upon arrival, and a Red Cap at the station (assuming the station is manned), the transfer should be easy.
Seaboard92
Engineer
ORD actually has a Metra connection. When I was going to visit my now ex in Seattle after working a train into Union Station. I took the Metra North Central Line into ORD to Ohare Transfer. The schedule isn't great but it works.
The schedule is pretty meh, and it's a hop, skip, and a jump from the terminal.
I barely consider it when compared to the frequency of the Blue Line.
tricia
Conductor
Having done this with my elderly, mobility-impaired father, I'd recommend Milwaukee (for taking the Empire Builder westbound) or Burbank (for connecting to the Coast Starlight northbound, or making any connection at Los Angeles).
bratkinson
Conductor
Given the walking limitation, in my limited airport experiences, I'd go with MKE, PDX, or DEN. BWI would work, too. However, given the walking limitation, all airports will require wheelchair/red cap assistance.
MKE works because it's a short walk from the platform to the free airport shuttle van which runs about every 20-30 mins. But the Empire Builder does not stop at Milwaukee Airport (MKA), so you'd have to take a Hiawatha to MKE or CHI to catch a western train.
At PDX, the light rail station is in the airport, but as mentioned by another poster above, would require a change to the green line and would be your limit af walking to the PDX statiom. The transfer to the yellow line is a 1 block walk...I did it a couple weeks ago.
I haven't been to the new DEN airport yet, so I don't know how convenient that would be.
BWI requires a shuttle van to the BWI station on the NEC. Or, take the light rail line and transfer to the BAL station line at Camden Yard.
I specifically do NOT include either Chicago airport as the distance from either the L (from MDW) or Dearborn subway (ORD) is a 5-6 BLOCK walk to Union Station!
PHL is a contender too, but as stated, you've had your fill of #29/30 and #48/49. Have you tried #50/51? That's the best scenery to CHI in my opinion. The meals are almost the same as on #48/49 'Diner Light' until 5/25.
MKE works because it's a short walk from the platform to the free airport shuttle van which runs about every 20-30 mins. But the Empire Builder does not stop at Milwaukee Airport (MKA), so you'd have to take a Hiawatha to MKE or CHI to catch a western train.
At PDX, the light rail station is in the airport, but as mentioned by another poster above, would require a change to the green line and would be your limit af walking to the PDX statiom. The transfer to the yellow line is a 1 block walk...I did it a couple weeks ago.
I haven't been to the new DEN airport yet, so I don't know how convenient that would be.
BWI requires a shuttle van to the BWI station on the NEC. Or, take the light rail line and transfer to the BAL station line at Camden Yard.
I specifically do NOT include either Chicago airport as the distance from either the L (from MDW) or Dearborn subway (ORD) is a 5-6 BLOCK walk to Union Station!
PHL is a contender too, but as stated, you've had your fill of #29/30 and #48/49. Have you tried #50/51? That's the best scenery to CHI in my opinion. The meals are almost the same as on #48/49 'Diner Light' until 5/25.
the_traveler
Engineer
PVD will be very easy if and when Amtrak starts serving TF Green, but right now it is only served by MBTA.What about PVD? Not the poster here [], but the airport? When Amtrak starts making stops there, it should be easy.
jis
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Milwaukee airport (MKE) has the advantages of being a smaller airport with a circulating shuttle bus to the airport Amtrak station (MKA) from which the Hiawatha can get you to either the Amtrak station at CHI or MKE for any or all of the Western LD trains. While the MKA station is very small (180 feet from the bus stop to the train platform) it has no checked baggage.
American can get you from TPA to MKE next wednesday by 10:16am for $162. And although Midway airport is closer to CUS than O'Hare, flights to MDW from TPA are more than twice as expensive.
Edit: There's also a bus called the Airport Express that goes between the airport and Amtrak station MKE in downtown Milwaukee with a minimum of walking, but I think it's only once a day, 11:05 to 11:31am. There may be others but I think they involve longer walks.
American can get you from TPA to MKE next wednesday by 10:16am for $162. And although Midway airport is closer to CUS than O'Hare, flights to MDW from TPA are more than twice as expensive.
Edit: There's also a bus called the Airport Express that goes between the airport and Amtrak station MKE in downtown Milwaukee with a minimum of walking, but I think it's only once a day, 11:05 to 11:31am. There may be others but I think they involve longer walks.
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Either Chicago airport require a significant walk once you arrive on the L plus a significant walk from Union station. The Milwaukee airport station , the airport shuttle, and airport walk are about as short as you will find. BWI connects well on the Amtrak side with elevators on either side of the tracks with both MARC and Amtrak stopping frequently. The shuttle does stop a couple times at the terminal, but then you are on the baggage level in a big airport so lots of walking from the shuttle to the gate.
Devil's Advocate
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A 200 foot walking limit would probably require a golf cart or wheelchair from the plane to the curb followed by a ride share or taxi journey to the station followed by yet another golf cart or wheelchair ride to the platform. Once you've made those concessions the choice of connecting city basically boils down to the availability of redcaps.
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I'm not sure how far the MSP wheelchair/golf cart will go, but if they'll bring you to the bus stop or close to it, the rest of the journey should be doable. I've never measured it, but the 54 bus stops closer than the light rail to the ticket counter, and it should be a relatively easy walk with escalators/elevators available as needed.
The walk from the security exit to either the light rail or bus stop is more than 200 feet, though, and it'd probably be more than 200 feet from security checkpoint/security exit to the gate as well. (Although if you need something that has less than 200' of walking inside the terminal, the only ones would maybe be the very small airports with just one or two gates. Any airport with more than a couple of gates would require more than 200' of walking unless you ask for wheelchair assistance.)
The walk from the security exit to either the light rail or bus stop is more than 200 feet, though, and it'd probably be more than 200 feet from security checkpoint/security exit to the gate as well. (Although if you need something that has less than 200' of walking inside the terminal, the only ones would maybe be the very small airports with just one or two gates. Any airport with more than a couple of gates would require more than 200' of walking unless you ask for wheelchair assistance.)
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The larger airports will have Skycaps to wheel you to the curb, picking up your bags at the carousel. The more I think about this, the easiest on the person with limited mobility is wheeled to the curb for a taxi to take to the next curb and wheeled from there using "Caps" at either end. If 200 feet is the walking limit, then the energy to make all the changes has to be a consideration, plus the stress of doing it. It may cost more, but the ease of doing it and being more relaxed and less exhausted is most important, at least to me when I am transporting limited mobility family and friends.
seat38a
Engineer
LAX sounds like the best for you. FlyAway picks up in front of every terminal. Least amount of walk between the gate and your transport. It will drop you off at the East Portal of Union Station. Also LAX not being a fortress hub to any one or two airlines makes ticket prices generally cheaper.
brianpmcdonnell17
Conductor
It was mentioned on Page 1.
cpotisch
Engineer
200 feet really is not much at all. If the OP really can't pull that off, the airport will almost certainly have to provide a wheelchair. Public transit will also be near impossible. I could be wrong, but I think a cab is pretty much the only realistic option here.
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Cab plus Red and Sky caps is my advice for curb to curb, plane to train or vice-versa.
dogbert617
OBS Chief
ONLY the Amtrak Hiawatha(Chicago-Milwaukee) stops at Milwaukee-Mitchell Airport. Metra does NOT stop atthat airport, and the furthest north the Union Pacific North line runs to is Kenosha, WI. Which is well south of that airport.
The shortest train to airport connection in Chicago after arriving at Union Station(or catching an Amtrak train going out of Union Station), would be taking the Orange Line 'L(subway) to/from Midway Airport. There is a long walkway to/from that station, but there are elevators you can take in lieu of the stairs/escalator if you don't want to go up either of those within the Midway 'L station, and ditto with the walkway connecting the 'L station to Midway Airport. Not sure how far one could get handicapped wheelchairs to take them some of the distance to the 'L station, but you probably could borrow one to go a good bit of that distance into the airport.
Another one that I'm not sure has been mentioned in this thread, is that in Saint Louis one could take Metrolink(light rail) from a stop outside of Saint Louis' Amtrak station straight to Lambert Airport. I know there aren't as many flights out of there as other airports(i.e. O'Hare, Midway), but it is an option. And for commuter rail, one could take the South Shore Line all the way from Millennium Station(aka Randolph Street years ago) to South Bend Airport, in South Bend, IN.
Don Newcomb
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jis
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Yeah for major airport Newark Liberty is it for connection to main line passenger railroad. Actually, Miami is not bad either though only to Commuter Railroad. But you can do a same platform transfer from the TrRail Commuter Service to Amtrak Silver Service at Hollywood station. There are smaller airports that do have better connection than Newark.
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BCL
Engineer
I know it was mentioned, but OAC officially stands for Oakland Coliseum/Airport.
https://www.amtrak.com/stations/oac
But is is a walk to the BART station to take the airport connector up the ramp or on the street. Theres also a bus thats cheaper.
https://www.amtrak.com/stations/oac
But is is a walk to the BART station to take the airport connector up the ramp or on the street. Theres also a bus thats cheaper.
