Columbus station

Columbus station is a railway station that serves Columbus, Wisconsin. The station is served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system, with daily service by the Empire Builder line. Beginning in 2024 Columbus will also be served by an additional Chicago-Twin Cities round trip via the new TCMC route with Columbus serving as the Madison area stop along the corridor until additional trackage through Madison via WSOR's Watertown Subdivision and CP's M&P Subdivision is brought up to passenger grade and an additional station in Madison proper is built.[2] This station and the Portage station serve the Madison metropolitan area, with Columbus reckoned as the official stop for Madison proper.

This article is about the train station in Columbus, Wisconsin. For the former station in Columbus, Ohio, see Union Station (Columbus, Ohio). For articles with similar names, see Columbus Circle (disambiguation).
Columbus, WI
General information
Location359 North Ludington Street
Columbus, Wisconsin
United States
Coordinates43.3408°N 89.0126°W / 43.3408; -89.0126
Line(s)CP Watertown Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport Van Galder (CoachUSA) marketed via MegaBus
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: CBS
History
Opened1906
Passengers
FY 20228,460[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Portage
toward Seattle or Portland
 Empire Builder Milwaukee
toward Chicago
Former services
Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station
Fall River
towards Seattle or Tacoma
 Main Line Astico
towards Chicago
Future services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Portage
toward St. Paul
 Great River Milwaukee
toward Chicago

History

Built in 1906 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road), the station is well preserved, and looks much as did when first built. The station area also includes an older freight station.[3] In 2016, a safety fence was constructed between the two mainline tracks running by the station.

Amenities

Until 2017, the station was staffed Mondays through Fridays by an Amtrak station agent with full ticketing and baggage handling services. On weekends and holidays, the station was only opened and closed by support staff, and tickets had to be purchased in advance. Baggage service on weekends and holidays was self-serve; passengers checked bags train side after tagging their own bags at the station.

Since May 2017, however, the station has been unstaffed, even though a large number of Amish passengers used the station and almost always bought their tickets at the window. According to Rod Musel, who was station agent in Columbus from 2004 to 2017, many Amish passengers were likely to drive to the other two staffed stations in the state, Milwaukee or La Crosse. Baggage service is self-serve seven days a week.[4][5]

As of February 2023, the Empire Builder comes twice a day, heading toward Chicago at 1:47 PM, and toward Seattle or Portland at 5:55 PM.[6]

The depot has a bulletin board with photos of past trips aboard the Empire Builder by former passengers. Also on the wall is a map of Glacier National Park, a popular destination for those travelers on vacation. There is no food service available within the station, but numerous restaurants are located within two blocks of the station. Columbus is not a smoke-break stop for the Empire Builder, and continuing passengers may not step off the train in Columbus.

Statistics
Ridership by Fiscal Year
Fiscal YearRidership
2003[7] 11,951
2004[8] 12,638
2005[9] 14,597
2006[10] 16,085
2007[11] 16,850
2008[12] 18,617
2009[13] 17,338
2010[14] 18,025
2011[15] 15,473
2012[16] 16,259
2013[17] 16,188
2014[18] 12,962
2015[19] 12,906
2016[20] 14,005
2017[21] 13,545
2018[22] 11,414
2019[23] 12,537
2020[24] 7,103
2021[25] 6,019
  • The Empire Builder arriving at Columbus
    The Empire Builder arriving at Columbus
  • View from the street
    View from the street
  • Platform view
    Platform view
  • Closeup of station building
    Closeup of station building
  • Amtrak station sign
    Amtrak station sign

See also

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. Amtrak 2021 Corridor Vision Amtrak May 27, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2023
  3. "Columbia County,WI". www.rrshs.org. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  4. "Columbus Amtrak station will be unmanned starting May 1". Wiscnews.com. Feb 4, 2017. Retrieved Feb 11, 2019.
  5. "Columbus, WI (CBS) | Amtrak". www.amtrak.com. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  6. "Empire Builder Timetable" (PDF). Rail Passengers Association. 2023-01-06. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  7. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2003 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2004-06-09.
  8. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2004 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-03-17.
  9. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2005 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-03-17.
  10. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2006 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-10.
  11. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2007 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-25.
  12. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2008 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-06.
  13. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2009 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-07.
  14. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2010 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-19.
  15. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2011 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-01.
  16. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2012 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-03-19.
  17. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2013 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-18.
  18. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2014 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-25.
  19. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2015 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  20. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2016 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  21. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2017 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  22. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2018 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  23. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2019 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  24. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2020 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  25. "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2021 State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
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