Illinois Service

Last updated

Illinois Service
Amtrak Train No. 383 the Illinois Zephyr pulled by AMTK 17.jpg
The Chicago–Quincy Illinois Zephyr, an Illinois Service train
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
StatusOperating
Locale Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri
First serviceNovember 14, 1971
Current operator(s) Amtrak
Website https://www.amtrak.com/illinois-services-train
Route
Termini Chicago
St. Louis
Quincy
Carbondale
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Track owner(s) BNSF, UP, CN
Route map
Illinois Service
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0mi
Chicago
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La Grange
14 mi
23 km
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24 mi
39 km
Homewood
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Naperville
28 mi
45 km
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57 mi
92 km
Kankakee
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Plano
52 mi
84 km
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82 mi
132 km
Gilman
Mendota
83 mi
134 km
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115 mi
185 km
Rantoul
Princeton
104 mi
167 km
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BSicon ACC.svg
129 mi
208 km
Champaign–Urbana Bus-logo.svg
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173 mi
278 km
Mattoon
Geneseo
142 mi
229 km
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200 mi
322 km
Effingham
175 mi
282 km
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253 mi
407 km
Centralia
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289 mi
465 km
Du Quoin
Kewanee
131 mi
211 km
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309 mi
497 km
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Galesburg
162 mi
261 km
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Macomb
202 mi
325 km
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12 mi
19 km
Summit
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258 mi
415 km
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37 mi
60 km
Joliet
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74 mi
119 km
Dwight
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92 mi
148 km
Pontiac
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124 mi
200 km
Normal
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156 mi
251 km
Lincoln
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185 mi
298 km
Springfield
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224 mi
360 km
Carlinville
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257 mi
414 km
Alton
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IL
MO
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284 mi
457 km
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The Illinois Service, branded Amtrak Illinois, comprises three passenger rail routes operated by Amtrak in the American state of Illinois. The Illinois Service is funded primarily by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and falls under the broader Amtrak Midwest brand.

Contents

Chicago is a terminus for all three Illinois Service routes, which all have multiple daily round trips:

Proposed expansion

Two proposed Illinois Service routes have been accepted by the Corridor Identification and Development Program, both in December 2023:

The Quad Cities and the Rockford-Chicago portion of the Black Hawk were to have been added in late 2015 [5] but were put on hold by then-Governor Bruce Rauner. [6] They were resurrected and funded in 2019 as part of a transportation bill supported by Governor J.B. Pritzker. [7] In 2023, Pritzker announced that the Rockford-Chicago train will be operated by Metra. [8]

In addition to the two new routes, a committee was formed in late 2021 to study and promote extending the Chicago–Quincy route to Hannibal, Missouri. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 stations on 11 rail lines. It is the fourth busiest commuter rail system in the United States by ridership and the largest and busiest commuter rail system outside the New York City metropolitan area. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 31,894,900, or about 147,800 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024. The estimated busiest day for Metra ridership occurred on November 4, 2016—the day of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series victory rally.

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Chicago Union Station is an intercity and commuter rail terminal located in the West Loop neighborhood of the Near West Side of Chicago. Amtrak's flagship station in the Midwest, Union Station is the terminus of eight national long-distance routes and seven regional corridor routes. Six Metra commuter lines also terminate here.

<i>Illinois Zephyr</i> and <i>Carl Sandburg</i> Amtrak trains between Chicago, IL and Quincy, IL

The Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak on a 258-mile (415 km) route between Chicago and Quincy, Illinois. As Illinois Service trains, they are partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Between Chicago and Galesburg, Illinois, the trains share their route with the California Zephyr and Southwest Chief; the remainder of the route (Galesburg–Quincy) is served exclusively by the Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg.

<i>Lincoln Service</i> Amtrak service between Chicago, IL and St. Louis, MO

The Lincoln Service is a 284-mile (457 km) higher-speed rail service operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. The train is a part of the Illinois Service and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The train uses the same route as the long-distance Texas Eagle, which continues to San Antonio and Los Angeles. A connection with the Kansas City-bound Missouri River Runner is available in St. Louis.

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The Iowa Interstate Railroad is a Class II regional railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BNSF Line</span> Commuter rail service in the Chicago area

The BNSF Line is a Metra commuter rail line operated by the BNSF Railway in Chicago and its western suburbs, running from Chicago Union Station to Aurora, Illinois through the Chicago Subdivision. In 2010, the BNSF Line continued to have the highest weekday ridership of the 11 Metra lines. While Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, the BNSF line's color on Metra timetables is "Cascade Green," in honor of the Burlington Northern Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milwaukee District West Line</span> Commuter rail line in Illinois

The Milwaukee District West Line (MD-W) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois, and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to any of its lines by a particular color, but the timetable accents for the Milwaukee District West line are dark "Arrow Yellow," honoring the Milwaukee Road's Arrow passenger train. Trains are dispatched from the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway's American headquarters in Minneapolis.

<i>Black Hawk</i> (Amtrak train) Former Amtrak intercity rail service

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naperville station</span> Train station in Naperville, IL

Naperville is a train station in Naperville, Illinois, served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. Amtrak trains stopping at the Naperville station include the California Zephyr, Illinois Zephyr, Carl Sandburg and Southwest Chief. It is also one of two stations in Naperville that serves Metra's BNSF commuter line, and an abundance of Pace bus routes. Naperville station was originally built in 1910 by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. On April 26, 1946, the station was the site of a collision between the CB&Q's Exposition Flyer and Advance Flyer. On April 26, 2014, a memorial entitled Tragedy to Triumph was dedicated at the train station. The sculpture by Paul Kuhn is dedicated not only to the crash victims but also to the rescuers at the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plano station (Illinois)</span> Amtrak intercity train station in Plano, Illinois

Plano station, also known as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Depot is an Amtrak intercity train station in Plano, Illinois, United States. The station was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1993.

<i>Prairie Marksman</i>

The Prairie Marksman was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago's Union Station and East Peoria, Illinois. The route was an indirect successor to the Rock Island's Peoria Rocket.

Illinois High Speed Rail refers to a set of planned high speed rail lines connecting Chicago Union Station to various parts of the state and beyond. Two lines already offer increased speeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Illinois gubernatorial election</span>

The 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor of Illinois, concurrently with the 2018 Illinois general election and other midterm elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Bruce Rauner ran for re-election to a second term in office, but was defeated by Democratic nominee J. B. Pritzker. This was one of eight Republican-held governorships up for election in a state that Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election.

The Quad Cities is a planned Amtrak Illinois Service intercity passenger train that will operate between Chicago and Moline in the US state of Illinois. The train will duplicate the route and stations of the Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr between Chicago and Wyanet using track owned by BNSF. On the Wyanet–Moline segment, which will include a station at Geneseo, the train will use track owned by Iowa Interstate Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moline station</span>

Moline station is a proposed train station in Moline, Illinois, intended to serve as the terminus of the Quad Cities Amtrak line. Construction has begun and the station was initially expected to open by 2019, though it remains incomplete as of 2024.

<i>Borealis</i> (train) Amtrak inter-city rail service

The Borealis, referred to as Twin Cities–Milwaukee–Chicago (TCMC) during planning, is an Amtrak inter-city rail service that operates daily between Chicago, Illinois, and Saint Paul, Minnesota, via Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The first service began on May 21, 2024, under the Amtrak Midwest brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amtrak Midwest</span> Amtrak train routes in the Midwest US

Amtrak Midwest is a brand name applied by Amtrak to its state-supported routes in the Midwest states of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Missouri. As of May 2024, Amtrak Midwest consists of eleven named trains:

The Rockford Intercity Passenger Rail is a proposed Metra inter-city rail service between Chicago and Rockford, Illinois. The project is being led by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) funded with $275 million through the Rebuild Illinois capital plan. The route is expected to begin by late 2027, reinstating rail service to Rockford for the first time in over 40 years after the discontinuation of Amtrak's Black Hawk in 1981.

References

  1. 1 2 "Governor Blagojevich Announces Amtrak Carl Sandburg to Start Running October 30th". Amtrak. National Railroad Passenger Corporation. October 8, 2006. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  2. "Governor Blagojevich Announces Amtrak Lincoln Service to Start Running October 30th". Amtrak. National Railroad Passenger Corporation. October 14, 2006. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  3. Rodriguez, Jolie (December 7, 2023). "Peoria a step closer to Amtrak passenger rail service". 25 News. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  4. Doxsee, Alec (December 7, 2023). "Quad Cities-Chicago rail corridor receives $500K grant". WQAD . Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  5. Bowen, Douglas John (December 5, 2013). "NARP: New Amtrak Midwest routes advance". Railway Age. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  6. "Rauner puts plan for Amtrak service from Chicago to Rockford on hold". ABC 7. February 8, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  7. "Rail group celebrates 'big win' for Amtrak line from QC to Chicago". WQAD.com. October 23, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  8. Neveau, James (July 6, 2023). "Metra to restore rail service between Rockford, Chicago for first time in 40 years". NBC 5 Chicago. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  9. Edlund, Clare (January 4, 2022). "Hannibal coalition works to attract downtown Amtrak station". WGEM. Retrieved May 13, 2024.