Illini (train)
The Illini, extended in 1973, is a 310-mile (499 km) passenger train operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. The train is a part of the Illinois Service rail network and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation and by local governments along the route. The train service uses the same track as another Amtrak route, the City of New Orleans. As of 2006, an additional train, the Saluki, serves exactly the same route at an alternate time. During 1971/1972, the Illini, later extended to Carbondale, had ended at Champaign-Urbana, one-third the distance.
During fiscal year 2011, both the Illini and Saluki services (combined) carried over 310,000 passengers, an 18% increase from FY2010. During FY2011, the two trains had a total revenue of $8,802,288, an increase of 14.7% over FY2010.