| Springfield | |||||||||||||||
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The former Chicago and Alton station, currently utilized as the Amtrak station in Springfield. |
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| Station statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Address | N. 3rd and Washington Sts. Springfield, IL 62701 |
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| Lines |
Amtrak: |
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| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1895 | ||||||||||||||
| Accessible | |||||||||||||||
| Code | SPI | ||||||||||||||
| Owned by | SPCL Corporation (subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad) | ||||||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||||||
| Passengers (2010) | 190,172[1] 12% | ||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||
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The Springfield Amtrak station, a brick railroad depot built in 1895, serves Springfield, Illinois, the state capital. It is at mile 185 on Amtrak's Illinois and Missouri Route. As of 2007, it is served by five trains daily each way: the daily Texas Eagle, and four daily Lincoln Service schedules.
The station was originally constructed by the Chicago and Alton Railroad, and was served by a successor company, the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad, until the start up of Amtrak on May 1, 1971. During the pre-Amtrak era, a variety of name trains served this station, including the Alton Limited, the Abraham Lincoln, and the Midnight Special.
Springfield is applying for federal grant money to construct a new transportation hub building that could bring together Amtrak and local bus service. Estimates of the cost of this project, published in February 2007, ranged from $13 to $18 million,[2] but this was a decrease from an earlier estimate of $50.0 million.[3] One reason for the discrepancies is uncertainty over whether to try to accomplish a major relocation of railroad tracks that pass through downtown Springfield; the tracks have served the downtown area since the time of Abraham Lincoln.
In a 2010-2011 project, authorities supervised the railroad station's comprehensive refurbishment. Overhauled elements included the GM&O mural, trackside landscaping, passenger seating, handicapped accessibility, parking lot repaving and a new station roof.[4][5][6]