Columbus, WI
Columbus, WI serves Columbus, WI, and is a stop on 2 regularly scheduled passenger rail services.
Station Facts
- City
- Columbus, WI
- Amtrak code
- CBS
- Opened
- 1996
- Routes served
- 2
- Address
- 201 S Ludington St, Columbus, WI 53925
About this station
Columbus, WI is the principal passenger rail facility serving Columbus in Wisconsin. The station first opened to passenger service in 1996 and remains in active use today. It is one of more than five hundred stations in the national passenger rail network and one of 8 regularly served stations in Wisconsin. Travelers researching this station's architecture and history may find heritage rail station archives a useful supplemental reference.
The station serves as a calling point for the trains listed below. Equipment, dwell times, and onboard amenities vary by route — long-distance trains generally include sleeping cars, dining service, and a Sightseer or Cafe lounge, while corridor and commuter trains operate as coach-only sets with a snack vendor or cafe car. Refer to each route's detail page for the equipment typically assigned and the schedule frequency.
Routes calling at Columbus, WI
| Route | Type | Operator | Endpoints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empire Builder | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Chicago ↔ Portland |
| Borealis | State-Supported Corridor | Amtrak (MnDOT/WisDOT) | Chicago ↔ St. Paul |
Popular trips from Columbus
Sample one-way travel times and fare ranges for the most-searched origin-destination pairs touching Columbus, WI. Click through any pair for trip-level guidance, including connecting services and schedule frequency.
| From | To | Route | Time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Intermodal | Columbus | Empire Builder | 1h 23m | $60 – $327 |
| Columbus | Portage | Empire Builder | 1h 23m | $60 – $327 |
| Chicago | Columbus | Empire Builder | 3h 50m | $65 – $352 |
| Columbus | Portland | Empire Builder | 41h 39m | $138 – $747 |
| Columbus | Tomah | Empire Builder | 3h 50m | $65 – $352 |
| Columbus | Red Wing | Empire Builder | 6h 16m | $70 – $378 |
| Milwaukee | Columbus | Borealis | 54m | $19 – $34 |
| Columbus | Portage | Borealis | 54m | $19 – $34 |
| Chicago | Columbus | Borealis | 3h 9m | $25 – $46 |
| Columbus | St. Paul | Borealis | 5h 24m | $32 – $59 |
| Glenview | Columbus | Borealis | 2h 24m | $23 – $42 |
| Columbus | Tomah | Borealis | 2h 24m | $23 – $42 |
| Columbus | Winona | Borealis | 3h 54m | $28 – $50 |
Getting to and from the station
Most major stations include taxi stands, rideshare pickup zones, and connecting public transit. Long-term and short-term parking is generally available at corridor and long-distance stations; small flag-stop stations may be unstaffed and have limited facilities. We recommend confirming station amenities with the operator before traveling, especially for early-morning or late-night arrivals. For ground-transport options at major U.S. terminals, the station-to-downtown ground transport directory is a handy companion.
Tickets & fares
RailRover does not sell tickets. To book travel from Columbus, WI, visit the operating carrier directly. Typical advance-purchase fares from this station start at the lower bound shown for each pair above; same-day walk-up fares typically sit at the upper end of the range. Discount programs (Amtrak Guest Rewards, AAA, military, student, and senior discounts on many corridor services) can reduce these figures further.
Related Station Guides
- A practical visitor's guide to Columbus's downtown transit hub
- Hotels within a short walk of major rail terminals