I’m planning a trip from Lawrence, KS to Kalamazoo, MI using the Southwest Chief with a connection in Chicago. I’ve made this trip before without major issues, but I know the Southwest Chief is often delayed.
Recently, Amtrak reduced my connection time in Chicago from 3 hours to 2 hours. Since the Chicago to Kalamazoo train I’m booked on is the last departure of the day, missing it would mean Amtrak would likely provide an overnight stay in Chicago and rebook me on the next available train.
My concern is that if the next morning train (around 6am) is fully booked, it could significantly reduce my time with family.
I’m considering whether it would be smarter to separately book the 6am train myself as a backup, and then cancel it if I arrive in time for my original connection. However, I’m unsure how this would affect Amtrak’s responsibility for providing hotel accommodation, and whether having a separate reservation would change their obligations if I still miss the original connection.
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