Black Hawk (Amtrak train)

Black Hawk

The Black Hawk at Dubuque in 1981
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Illinois, Iowa
Predecessor	Land O'Corn
First service	February 13, 1974
Last service	September 30, 1981
Successor	Rockford Intercity Passenger Rail (proposed)
Former operator(s)	Amtrak
Route
Termini	Chicago, Illinois Dubuque, Iowa
Stops	6
Distance travelled	182 miles (293 km)
Average journey time	4 hours 10 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	370-372
On-board services
Class(es)	Unreserved coach
Catering facilities	On-board cafe
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)	Chicago Central (CN)
Route map Legend 0 mi 0 km Chicago 18 mi 29 km Elmhurst 85 mi 137 km Rockford 113 mi 182 km Freeport 138 mi 222 km Warren 164 mi 264 km Galena 180 mi 290 km East Dubuque IL IA 182 mi 293 km Dubuque This diagram: view talk edit

The Black Hawk was an Amtrak passenger train service that operated from 1974 to 1981 between Chicago, Illinois, and Dubuque, Iowa, via Rockford, Illinois. The original Black Hawk operated over the Illinois Central route, now the Canadian National's Chicago Central/Iowa Zone.

From 2010 to 2014, plans called for the restored route to follow the same corridor; however, the state government could not come to an agreement with the railroad. Instead, the route would follow Metra's Milwaukee District / West Line from Union Station to Big Timber Road, then the Union Pacific Railroad to Rockford. Restored service to Rockford was planned to begin in 2015, but was put on hold by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. An extension to Dubuque was to open at a later date.

The Rockford service was later funded in 2019 with the support of Governor J.B. Pritzker. In July 2023, Pritzker announced that two round trips a day between Chicago and Rockford would begin by 2027, with the service operated by Metra as Rockford Intercity Passenger Rail rather than by Amtrak.