The ''Illinois Service'', branded Amtrak Illinois, comprises three

passenger rail Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

routes operated by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

in the American state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfo ...

. The ''Illinois Service'' is funded primarily by the

Illinois Department of Transportation The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers fuel ...

(IDOT). Chicago is a terminus for all three ''Illinois Service'' routes, which all have multiple daily round trips: * Chicago– Quincy: two round trips daily, the ''

Illinois Zephyr The ''Illinois Zephyr'' and ''Carl Sandburg'' are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Quincy, Illinois. As ''Illinois Service'' trains, they are partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transport ...

'' and the ''

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

'' * Chicago–

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Lincoln Service The ''Lincoln Service'' is a 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 Trans ...

'': four round trips daily and the only route that serves another state * Chicago– Carbondale: two round trips daily, the '' Illini'' and the ''

Saluki The Saluki, also known as the Persian Greyhound, is a standardised breed developed from sighthounds – dogs that hunt primarily by sight rather than scent – that was once used by nomadic tribes to run down game animals. The dog was origin ...

'', and the only route whose trains have checked baggage service

Proposed expansion

There are plans for two new ''Illinois Service'' routes: * Chicago– Rockford '' Black Hawk'': based on a former service to Dubuque that ran from 1974 to 1981, the route will use

Metra Metra is the 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 242 stations on 11 rail lines. ...

and

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

lines west from Chicago via Elgin * Chicago– Moline ''

Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see #History, History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport, Iowa, Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois, Rock Island, Moli ...

'': uses the existing Chicago–Quincy route between Chicago and Princeton, branching from it west of Wyanet to serve the

via Geneseo The routes were to have been added in late 2015 but were put on hold by then-Governor

Bruce Rauner Bruce Vincent Rauner (; born February 18, 1956) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 42nd governor of Illinois from 2015 to 2019. Prior to his election, he was the chairman of R8 Capital Partners and chai ...

. They were resurrected and funded in 2019 as part of a transportation bill supported by Governor J.B. Pritzker. 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 Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,312, making it the largest city in Marion County. The bulk of the city is in Ma ...

. In early 2022, studies are underway to reinstate Amtrak service to Peoria from Chicago.

References

External links

Illinois Service on Amtrak's websiteAmtrak Illinois on IDOT's website
{{Amtrak routes Amtrak routes Passenger rail transportation in Illinois

Proposed expansion

See also

References

External links