Joliet Union Station is a commuter and long-distance railroad station in central Joliet, Illinois serving both Amtrak long-distance and Metra commuter trains. It is at the junction of the former Rock Island Line, Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe, and Alton Railroad main lines. Therefore it has two different milepost numbers depending on how far each route is to Chicago. On The Metra Rock Island District Line, Joliet is 40.2 miles (64.7 km) away from LaSalle Street Station, the northern terminus of the line in Downtown Chicago. On The Metra Heritage Corridor and Amtrak routes, 37.2 miles (59.9 km) away from Chicago Union Station, the northern terminus of the line.
The Rock Island line runs via Blue Island, Illinois to LaSalle Street Station (track owned by Metra), while the Metra Heritage Corridor line runs via Summit, Illinois to Chicago's Union Station (track owned by Canadian National). The Blue Island trains leave from a single track on the south side of the station, while four tracks on the east side serve Amtrak, Metra Heritage, BNSF freight, and Union Pacific freight trains (BNSF owns the western two tracks, while UP owns the eastern two). CSX takes over ownership of the Rock Island tracks just west of the station, with trackage rights from the Iowa Interstate Railroad.
Five Amtrak trains on the Chicago – St. Louis corridor stop in Joliet daily each way: the Texas Eagle and the Lincoln Service. This was also a stop for the Ann Rutledge until April 2007.
Train service to Joliet was begun by the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, a predecessor of the Rock Island Line, in 1852. Joliet Union Station was designed by architect Jarvis Hunt in the Beaux Arts Classical style, and was built in 1912. The City of Joliet owns two thirds of the station and Metra owns the other third. The former waiting room, with crystal chandeliers and forty-five foot ceilings, is now a banquet hall with accommodations for up to 350 guests.
Read more about Joliet Union Station: History, Future, Bus Connections
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