Carbondale station

Carbondale station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. The southern terminus of Amtrak's Illini and Saluki routes, it is also served by the City of New Orleans. Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach service between Carbondale and St. Louis, Missouri connects with the City of New Orleans. Carbondale is the southernmost Amtrak station in Illinois.

Carbondale, IL
Carbondale station in July 2010
Location401 South Illinois Street, Carbondale, Illinois
United States
Coordinates37.7243°N 89.2165°W / 37.7243; -89.2165
Owned byCanadian National (Illinois Central)
Line(s)CN Centralia Subdivison
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsAmtrak Thruway Motorcoach
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeCDL
History
OpenedJuly 4, 1854
Rebuilt1903; 1981
Passengers
2014129,446[1]  4.7%
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Fulton
toward New Orleans
 City of New Orleans Centralia
toward Chicago
Terminus Illini and Saluki Du Quoin
toward Chicago
Former services
Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station
Makanda
toward New Orleans
 Main Line DeSoto
toward Chicago
Murphysboro
toward St. Louis
 St. Louis – Carbondale Terminus
Du Quoin
Via Du Quoin
toward St. Louis
Texas
toward Gale
 Gale – Carbondale
Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot
Location111 S. Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, Illinois
Arealess than one acre
Built1903 (1903)
ArchitectBacon, Francis T.
NRHP reference No.02000457[2]
Added to NRHPMay 9, 2002

History

Illinois Central Railroad (IC) service to Carbondale began on July 4, 1854, with a wooden passenger depot. A second station was built in 1903 as part of a series of improvements by the railroad in Carbondale, which included a roundhouse, office buildings, and a bandstand and park. Railway architect Francis T. Bacon designed the brick and limestone station.[3]

Amtrak took over intercity passenger service from most private railroads, including the IC, on May 1, 1971. Initial Amtrak service to Carbondale was by the Chicago-New Orleans City of New Orleans (renamed Panama Limited that November) and Chicago-Carbondale Shawnee, each with one daily round trip.[4]:94 The City of New Orleans name returned in 1981. That year, Amtrak constructed a new station of standard design some 800 feet (240 m) to the south.[3] The Shawnee was merged with the Chicago-Champaign Illini and Saluki on January 12, 1986, keeping the Carbondale terminus but the Illini name.[4]:101 A second daily Illini round trip, the Saluki, was added on added on October 30, 2006.[5] The Saluki was named for the mascot of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.[6]

The town purchased the former station from the IC in 1989; the exterior was restored in 1992, followed by the interior in 1996.[3] The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 9, 2002 as the Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot.[2] The building now houses the offices of Carbondale Main Street and Carbondale Chamber of Commerce.[7]

In November 2019, the city was awarded a $14 million federal grant to construct the Southern Illinois Multi-Modal Station, which will replace the 1981-built station with a large train and bus depot on the same site.[8]

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2014, State of Illinois" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. "Carbondale, IL (CDL)". Great American Stations. Amtrak.
  4. Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
  5. Erickson, Kurt (October 28, 2006). "Deal clears way for Amtrak service". Journal Gazette. p. A3. Retrieved November 30, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  6. Hale, Caleb (October 18, 2006). "It's official: Saluki Train hits the tracks". The Southern Illinoisan.
  7. Redmond, Tom (December 4, 2001). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  8. "BOST ANNOUNCES CARBONDALE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING" (Press release). Office of Mike Bost. November 6, 2019.

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