History
This station used to serve the Southwest Chief until the BNSF merger when Amtrak rerouted the Southwest Chief to the CB&Q to Galesburg. This station is the site of the old Rock Island Line diamond.
When originally built, there were pedestrian tunnels between the terminal and a platform between the first and second track on both the south and east sides of the building. Canopies also covered those platforms. However, the tunnels were later closed and the canopies removed. Finally passenger service on the east side of the building was moved to the third and fourth rails, requiring passengers to cross over the freight tracks to access the trains. Later the number of Rock Island tracks on the south side of the building was reduced from four to one.
Joliet Union Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1978. The station was extensively renovated and made ADA-accessible in 1989–1991. Eastbound U.S. Highway 30, the Lincoln Highway, passes by Joliet Union Station.
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