Headquarters | 1616 East McCord St, Centralia, Illinois |
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Locale | Benton, Centralia, Du Quoin, Mt. Vernon, Pinckneyville, West Frankfort |
Service area | Clinton, Franklin, Jefferson, Marion, Perry and Washington counties in Illinois |
Service type | Bus service and demand-response service |
Routes | 18 |
Hubs |
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Annual ridership | 60,311 (2021) |
Website | South Central Transit |
South Central Illinois Mass Transit District is a provider of mass transportation in Clinton, Franklin, Jefferson, Marion, Perry and Washington counties in Illinois, with deviated fixed-routes serving numerous cities, as well as demand-response service across the counties. As of 2021, the system provided 60,311 rides over 14,109 annual vehicle revenue hours. [1]
Public transit has existed in South Central Illinois since at least 1892, when the Centralia & Central City Street Railway Co. began operating horsecar service in Centralia. Streetcar service was operated locally in Centralia and Mt. Vernon until 1930 and 1917 respectively, when both cities had their streetcar systems replaced with buses. [2] Local transit also previously had existed in Du Quoin and West Frankfort, provided by horsecar and bus respectively. [3] Since SCT began operations, service has gradually improved with the addition of more service hours, bus shelters and more. [4] [5]
South Central Illinois MTD provides deviated fixed-route and demand-response services. There are 18 deviated fixed-routes, where two provide intra-city transit in Centralia, two provide intra-city transit in Mt. Vernon, while the remained serve intercity trips in the region. As of June 2023, there are two routes which are temporarily suspended. [6]
The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. [7]
Interstate 57 (I-57) is a north–south Interstate Highway in Missouri and Illinois that parallels the old Illinois Central Railroad for much of its route. It runs from Sikeston, Missouri, at I-55 to Chicago, Illinois, at I-94. I-57 essentially serves as a shortcut route for travelers headed between the South and Chicago, bypassing St. Louis, Missouri and Springfield, Illinois. Between the junction of I-55 and I-57 in Sikeston and the junction of I-55 and I-90/I-94 in Chicago, I-55 travels for 436 miles (702 km), while the combination of I-57 and I-94 is only 396 miles (637 km) long between the same two points. In fact, both the control cities on the overhead signs and the destination mileage signs reference Memphis along southbound I-57, even as far north as its northern origin at I-94 in Chicago. Likewise, at its southern end, Chicago is the control city listed for I-57 on signs on northbound I-55 south of Sikeston, even though I-55 also goes to Chicago. A southward extension of I-57 from its current southern terminus to Little Rock, Arkansas is currently in various stages of development.
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