Carl Sandburg (Amtrak)
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The Carl Sandburg is a 258-mile (415 km) passenger train operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago and Quincy, Illinois. This train began on October 30, 2006 and is an addition to the existing Illinois Service rail network created in 1971 and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. This train service uses the same triple track (old CB&Q) as three other Amtrak routes, the California Zephyr. the Southwest Chief and the Illinois Zephyr, between Chicago and Galesburg. The Galesburg to Quincy route (old CB&Q Quincy/Hannibal main line via Macomb) is served by the Carl Sandburg and the Illinois Zephyr.
The Carl Sandburg is an outgrowth of the Illinois Zephyr, which, along with the rest of the Illinois Service trains, posted record ridership levels in the 2005-2006 fiscal year. Combined with strong support from the communities through which the Illinois Zephyr runs, this made the addition of a second train an obvious decision.
The Carl Sandburg can trace its heritage to the Kansas City Zephyr and American Royal Zephyr passenger train routes operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until 1968 and 1971, respectfully between Kansas City and Chicago (via Quincy and Macomb) along this same western and northern Illinois route. The Chicago to Quincy route is part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, which calls for an upgrade of service from the current 1 daily round trip to 4 or more daily round trips. The addition of the Carl Sandburg on October 30, 2006 is the first step in this Midwest Regional Rail Initiative service upgrade. With its addition, the train service schedule from western Illinois to Chicago has now been restored to 1968 levels (pre-Amtrak - CB&Q Zephyr operations).
The train's name honors Carl Sandburg, whose birthplace in Galesburg, Illinois, is along this train's route. The average travel time from Chicago to Quincy via the Carl Sandburg is 4 hours, 30 minutes.
[edit] Station stops
The Carl Sandburg trains 381 westbound and 382 eastbound, make the following station stops:
- Chicago Union Station
- La Grange Road station
- Naperville station
- Plano station
- Mendota station
- Princeton station
- Kewanee station
- Galesburg station
- Macomb station
- Quincy station
| Amtrak routes |
|---|
| Midwest
Ann Rutledge - Blue Water - California Zephyr - Capitol Limited - Cardinal - Carl Sandburg - City of New Orleans - Empire Builder - Hiawatha - Hoosier State - Illini - Illinois Zephyr - Lake Shore Limited - Lincoln Service - Mules - Pere Marquette - Saluki - Southwest Chief - Texas Eagle - Wolverine |
[edit] See also
- Carl Sandburg wikipedia article
