The Amtrak Cincinnati train station is one that is familiar to most residents of Cincinnati as it shares historic Union Terminal with the Cincinnati Museum Center.
(AKA the Hall of Justice from Superfriends)
The big problem with Amtrak Cincinnati is that there is only one train per day in each direction, and it is scheduled at about 1:30 a.m. towards Chicago and about 3 a.m. towards Washington DC. So in 2015, when we took our train trip to Denver, we decided to drive up to Toledo the night before and take the train to Chicago from Toledo’s Union Station, where the train leaves at a still early but more manageable 5:22 a.m.
(SEE ALSO: 4 reasons my Amtrak trip was a blast…)
(SEE ALSO: … but I’ll probably never take another Amtrak trip)
Amtrak Cincinnati parking and boarding – how it works
Because the Amtrak Cincinnati arrives and departs in the middle of the night, there is nobody manning the parking gates like there is if you come during the day (to the museums). If you are being dropped off, there is short-term Amtrak Cincinnati parking along the main driveway around the fountain and near the front doors.
If you plan on leaving your car there while you travel from Amtrak Cincinnati Union Terminal, enter either of the parking lots on the sides and park towards the front (nearer the Union Terminal building). Once you enter Cincinnati Union Terminal, the security office is to the left of the building. There is a form that you will fill out with your name, vehicle and contact information
Fill out the form with your make, model and license plate, and you will be charged $6 per day to park.
Cincinnati Amtrak parking if you have a museum pass
If you are members of the Cincinnati Museum center and have free parking with your museum membership, park in the same places, but then when you go into the Union Terminal building and fill out the form, just show the guard your museum pass and enter your member # on the form above, and you will not be charged for parking.
Boarding the Amtrak train at Cincinnati Union Terminal
The Amtrak waiting station is towards the back of the museum off to the right once you go through the rotunda. There are plenty of signs throughout the museum directing you where you need to go
Once you enter the waiting room, even if you already have your tickets and aren’t checking bags, you will need to check in with the agent at the gate.
In our case, we arrived at the Amtrak Cincinnati Union Terminal about 20-30 minutes before our (already delayed) train. But it was a fairly short wait, and then we were called for our Cincinnati Amtrak boarding. They called people in business class or sleeper cars first, and a minute or two later called the rest of the passengers. In our case. half of us were in Roomettes and half of us were in the cheap seats, so we split up there, though you all end up at the same place down waiting for the train (it’s just a matter of which part of the train that you’re getting on).
We had 2 of our kids by themselves in a roomette, and I was worried that there would be some sort of problem with them being considered unaccompanied minors (not to be confused with “unaccompanied monsters“) and we . In our case, nobody checked any IDs for adults or children, either at the check in gate or at the train. The conductor did scan our tickets when we were on the Amtrak Cincinnati train, but there was no problem with having 2 underage kids in a roomette by themselves. I’m guessing that even if we weren’t there, there wouldn’t have been a problem as long as the kids could pass for older.
This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as thepointsguy.com. This may impact how and where links appear on this site. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them
User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Wow, it almost sounds like an adventure :). Honestly, sometimes, taking the train can actually be an adventure and I even had a few of my own 🙂
I was looking for an adventure starting with a train trip. When I looked at the stations, I realized I have a good friend near Charlottesville, Virginia, and booked a roomette with a friend there, then business class seating back.
I leave May 10 and can’t wait!!!
We leave cincinnati for chicago the omaha on sat. a.m. Is it safe to leave a car parked therefor a week ? what about security ? thank you..
Yes I wouldn’t worry about that. Note that there is now an automated parking system that will charge you (I think it’s ~$6 / day).
If we want to leave our car for extended parking at the Amtrak station in Cincinnati, is there a problem getting thru the parking gates at a late hour (train departs from Cincinnati at 1:27am.) Is it safe parking with security?
It’s been awhile since I’ve been down there so I’m not 100% sure. I’d advise you to call Union Terminal to check on their updated policies. When I left my car there, I felt that it was safe but there isn’t a 24-7 guard or parking attendant
Is it easy to find parking spots at the terminal or are their mostly tight spots?
Is there still parking available at the Cincinnati Amtrak station? As I read in your article, there are parking lots on each side of the entrance to the building for $6 per day. I would like to find out if I can utilize this parking facility for a 10-day trip on Amtrak. Please advise
Yes, I believe there is still parking, but as always, it would probably be better for you to call the station directly – either the Amtrak station or Union Terminal / the Cincinnati Museum Center directly. That way you’ll have the most up-to-date information