Springfield station (Illinois)

Springfield station is a brick railroad depot in 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 daily round trips each way: the daily Texas Eagle, and four daily Lincoln Service frequencies. It will be replaced by the Springfield-Sangamon Transportation Center, which is currently under construction, and expected to open in 2025.

Springfield, IL
A Lincoln Service train at Springfield in 2019
General information
Location100 North Third Street
Springfield, Illinois
United States
Coordinates39.8023°N 89.6515°W / 39.8023; -89.6515
Owned bySPCSL Corporation (subsidiary of Union Pacific)
Line(s)UP Springfield Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsBus transport SMTD: 4, 7, 12, 903
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: SPI
History
Opened1895
Passengers
FY 2022118,743[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Carlinville
toward St. Louis
 Lincoln Service Lincoln
toward Chicago
Carlinville
toward Los Angeles or San Antonio
 Texas Eagle
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Carlinville
toward Laredo or Houston
 Inter-American Lincoln
toward Chicago
Terminus Loop
Preceding station Alton Railroad Following station
Chatham
toward St. Louis
 Main Line Sherman
toward Chicago

History
The station building in 2005

The station was originally constructed by the Chicago and Alton Railroad in 1895 and is one of three historic railroad stations still existing in the city, along with the Lincoln Depot built by the Great Western Railroad in 1852 and Springfield Union Station built by the Illinois Central Railroad in 1898. Prior to the start up of Amtrak on May 1, 1971 it was operated by a successor company, the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad, and was served by a variety of named trains, including the Alton Limited, the Abraham Lincoln, and the Midnight Special.

Springfield was intended to be the southwestern terminus of the State House, predecessor of today's Lincoln Service. However, Amtrak extended this train to St. Louis at its own expense because the Chicago and Alton/GM&O station was not designed to turn trainsets around.

Louis Grell mural in railroad station.

The passenger station is decorated with a small mural. Painted on the wall atop the ticket office, the mural features a route map of the post-1947 Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad and the state seals of Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.[2] The mural is the work of Louis Grell of Chicago.[3]

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] The $714,500 project was financed by the city and Amtrak. Springfield used $571,500 obtained through the Central Area Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district that covers much of the downtown. Other stakeholders involved in the renovation included Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the track and platform, and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which reviewed project plans to ensure that the station's historic elements were preserved.[7]

Replacement station
Main article: Springfield-Sangamon Transportation Center

In October 2021, ground was broken on the Springfield-Sangamon Transportation Center, a transit hub that will consolidate Amtrak service and Sangamon Mass Transit District buses.[8] It is expected to open in 2025, replacing the current Amtrak station.[9]

See also

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Illinois" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. "Renovation begins at Springfield Amtrak station". The State Journal-Register. April 7, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  3. "Chicago Theatre Mural Painter". WTTW. January 27, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  4. "Upgrade of Illinois passenger station to begin this summer". Trains Magazine. May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  5. "Renovation begins at Springfield Amtrak station". The State Journal-Register. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  6. Landis, Tim (September 17, 2011). "Third Street Station: Dressed up depot". State Journal-Register. p. 1.
  7. Great American Stations. Accessed March 28, 2013.
  8. "Groundbreaking on hub transportation center in Springfield". newschannel20.com. WICS/WRSP. October 13, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  9. Crawford, Sean (October 12, 2021). "Groundbreaking held for new Springfield Transportation Hub". NPR Illinois. Retrieved December 29, 2021.

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