Illinois Service

The Illinois Service, branded as Amtrak Illinois, is a United States passenger rail network that consists of five trains operated by Amtrak along three corridors to provide frequent daily service between Chicago and other cities in the U.S. state of Illinois, plus St. Louis, Missouri. The Illinois Service is funded primarily by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

The Illinois Service is made up of the following routes:

  • The Illinois Zephyr (380/383) and the Carl Sandburg (381/382, added 30 October 2006): Chicago to Quincy
  • The Lincoln Service (300 through 307, formerly known as State House before 30 October 2006): Chicago to St. Louis
  • The Illini (392/393) and the Saluki (390/391, added 30 October 2006): Chicago to Carbondale

Each line provides train service at least twice each day except for Lincoln Service, which runs 4 times daily in each direction. Lincoln Service train #301 does not stop at every station.

Amtrak's Hiawatha Service (329 through 342) between Chicago and Milwaukee is not considered an Illinois Service route since it is funded jointly by IDOT and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).

4 Amtrak long distance routes also run alongside the Illinois Service corridors; however, not all Illinois Service stations are served by the following trains:

  • The California Zephyr (5/6) to Emeryville, California outside Oakland and Southwest Chief (3/4) to Los Angeles: along the Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg before splitting off at Galesburg
  • The Texas Eagle ((21/321/421)/(22/322/422)) to San Antonio (daily) and Los Angeles (three times a week): along the Lincoln Service
  • The City of New Orleans (58/59) to New Orleans: along the Illini/Saluki

Famous quotes containing the words illinois and/or service:

    “An Illinois woman has invented a portable house which can be carried about in a cart or expressed to the seashore. It has also folding furniture and a complete camping outfit.”
    —Lydia Hoyt Farmer (1842–1903)

    “For those parents from lower-class and minority communities ... [who] have had minimal experience in negotiating dominant, external institutions or have had negative and hostile contact with social service agencies, their initial approaches to the school are often overwhelming and difficult. Not only does the school feel like an alien environment with incomprehensible norms and structures, but the families often do not feel entitled to make demands or force disagreements.”
    —Sara Lawrence Lightfoot (20th century)