Uptown Station

Uptown Station is an intermodal transportation center[2] in Normal, Illinois, United States. It is served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system, and is the major intercity rail station in north-central Illinois. It appears on Amtrak timetables as Bloomington–Normal.

"Bloomington station" redirects here. For other uses, see Bloomington station (disambiguation).
"Normal station" redirects here. For the Mexico City Metro station, see Normal metro station. For the neighborhood in East Memphis, Tennessee, see Normal Station, Memphis.
Uptown Station
Bloomington–Normal, IL
General information
Location11 Uptown Circle
Normal, Illinois
United States
Coordinates40°30′31″N 88°59′03″W
Owned byTown of Normal
Line(s)UP Joliet Subdivision
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Parking380 spaces
AccessibleYes
ArchitectRatio Architects
Architectural styleFour-story red brick structure with limestone lintels and doorways
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: BNL
History
Opened1990
Rebuilt2012
Passengers
FY 2022178,018[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Lincoln
toward St. Louis
 Lincoln Service Pontiac
toward Chicago
Lincoln
toward Los Angeles or San Antonio
 Texas Eagle
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Lincoln
toward Laredo or Houston
 Inter-American Pontiac
toward Chicago
Lincoln
toward Springfield
 Loop
Preceding station Alton Railroad Following station
Bloomington
toward St. Louis
 Main Line Towanda
toward Chicago
Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station
Panola
toward Freeport
 Freeport – Centralia Colonial
toward Centralia
Location
Uptown StationBloomington–Normal, IL is located in Illinois
Uptown StationBloomington–Normal, IL
Uptown Station
Bloomington–Normal, IL
Location within Illinois

Amtrak runs two routes through the station–the Lincoln Service and the Texas Eagle. This was also a stop for the Ann Rutledge until April 2007. Amtrak Thruway motorcoach routes serve the station via Davenport, Galesburg, Peoria, Champaign-Urbana, and Indianapolis.

In 2021, 91,842 train passengers boarded or alighted from Amtrak trains at Uptown Station, making it the third busiest Amtrak station in Illinois behind Chicago and Champaign-Urbana.[3] This is primarily due to the large number of passengers traveling to and from Chicago and St. Louis.

Former facilities

Union Depot

The original station serving Bloomington-Normal was Bloomington Union Depot.[4] This station was located on Bloomington's west side, just south of West Washington Street and on the west side of the Chicago & Alton Railroad tracks.[4][5] It had been constructed in the mid-1880s, and survived well into the Amtrak era because Bloomington-Normal is located along the most direct route from Chicago to St. Louis.[4] The station was closed on June 10, 1990 to be replaced by a much smaller facility in Normal.[4][5] Seven years later, on October 31, 1997, a then-partially demolished Union Station was destroyed by fire.[4][5]

1990 Amtrak facility

The original Normal station was built to the specifications of the Amtrak Standard Stations Program.[4][6] Located near the campus of Illinois State University, this station lasted until the new facility opened in 2012.[4]

New facility
Amtrak Bloomington–Normal station platform

On August 7, 2010, construction began on a new intermodal facility, located across the tracks from the 1990 facility. The new facility includes administrative offices and council chambers for the town in addition to serving Amtrak, city and long-distance buses.[2][4] The facility opened on June 14, 2012.[7] Construction, which cost between $43 and $47 million, was funded by a combination of federal, state and local grants.[8][9]

The new 68,000-square-foot (6,300 m2) transportation center was designed by Ratio Architects of Champaign; it is composed primarily of red brick with limestone trim.[10] The building's prominent corner clock tower has become a landmark for the neighborhood. Numerous environmentally sustainable features are also included, such as a green roof partially planted in vegetation that will absorb rainwater and cool the building; the rest of the roof is covered in reflective materials to deflect sunlight.[10]

Connections

Bus transportation providers are: [11]

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Illinois" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. "Uptown Station". Town of Normal. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Uptown Station serves as host to numerous transportation providers in addition to housing the Town of Normal municipal offices and Town Council chambers
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2021 State of Illinois" (PDF). amtrak.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-10.
  4. Kemp, Bill (4 October 2015). "Union Depot, grand gateway to wider world". The Pantagraph. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  5. Kemp, Bill (3 February 2016). "'Union' Depot, December 1979 Bloomington's West Side". McLean County Museum of History. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  6. Charlie, Monte Verde (2 December 2015). "Farewell to an American Classic". Cult of Americana. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  7. "Bloomington-Normal, IL (BNL)". Great American Stations.
  8. Ford, Mary Ann (August 7, 2010). "Officials: Transportation Hub Will Help Economy". The Pantagraph. Bloomington. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  9. "Aug 13, 2010: Hotline #667". NARP. August 13, 2010. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  10. Great American Stations. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  11. "Transportation Providers". Town of Normal. Archived from the original on 2016-01-19.
  12. "Burlington Illinois Locations". Burlington Trailways. Bloomington/Normal, 11 Uptown Circle, Normal, IL
  13. "Peoria Charter". peoriacharter.com.

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