1.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
2.
Amtrak
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Founded in 1971 to take over most of the remaining U. S. passenger rail services, it is partially government funded yet operated and managed as a for-profit corporation. Amtrak serves more than 500 destinations in 46 states and three Canadian provinces, operating more than 300 trains each day over 21,300 miles of track, some track sections allow trains to run as fast as 150 mph. In fiscal year 2015, Amtrak served 30.8 million passengers and had $2.185 billion in revenue, nearly two-thirds of passengers come from the 10 largest metropolitan areas, 83% of passengers travel on routes shorter than 400 miles. Its headquarters is at Union Station in Washington, D. C, the name Amtrak is a portmanteau of the words America and trak, the latter itself a sensational spelling of track. From the mid-19th century until about 1920, nearly all intercity travelers in the United States moved by rail, historically, U. S. passenger trains were owned and operated by the same privately owned companies that operated freight trains. About 65,000 railroad passenger cars operated in 1929, from 1920 into the later 20th century, passenger rails popularity diminished and there was a series of pullbacks and tentative recoveries. Rail passenger revenues declined dramatically between 1920 and 1934 because of the rise of the automobile, in the same period, many travelers were lost to interstate bus companies such as Greyhound Lines. However, in the mid-1930s, railroads reignited popular imagination with service improvements and new, diesel-powered streamliners, such as the gleaming silver Pioneer Zephyr and Flying Yankee. Even with the improvements, on a basis, traffic continued to decline. World War II broke the malaise, passenger traffic soared sixfold thanks to troop movements, in 1946, there remained 45 percent fewer passenger trains than in 1929, and the decline quickened despite railroad optimism. Passengers disappeared and so did trains, few trains generated profits, most produced losses. Broad-based passenger rail deficits appeared as early as 1948, and by the mid-1950s, by 1965, only 10,000 rail passenger cars were in operation,85 percent fewer than in 1929. Passenger service was provided on only 75,000 miles of track, the 1960s also saw the end of railway post office revenues, which had helped some of the remaining trains break even. The causes of the decline of rail in the United States were complex. Until 1920, rail was the practical form of intercity transport. By 1930, the companies had constructed, with private funding. In 1916, the amount of track in the United States peaked at 254,251 miles, some rail routes had been built primarily to facilitate the sale of stock in the railroad companies, they were redundant from the beginning. These were the first to be abandoned as the financial positions deteriorated
3.
Quincy station (CTA)
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Quincy is a rapid transit station on the Chicago Transit Authoritys L system. It is located between the Washington/Wells and LaSalle/Van Buren stations in the Loop, the station is located above the intersection of Quincy Street and Wells Street in Downtown Chicago, Illinois. Having opened in 1897, it is one of the oldest surviving stations on the L system, the station is located in the South Loop Financial District and is the closest CTA rail station to the Willis Tower, approximately one block west. It is also close to Union Station, the terminal for several Metra and Amtrak routes, Quincy is an elevated station, located above Quincy Street between Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard. It features two platforms and station houses, one on the west to serve the Outer Loop track. Turnstiles for fare payment are located in the houses on the platform level. The station once had a bridge, but this was removed in the 1980s. This means it is not possible to change from one platform to the other without paying another fare or asking for employee assistance, there are auxiliary exits to both Adams and Jackson on the Inner Loop platform, while the Outer Loop only has an auxiliary exit to Adams. Both platforms are designed to handle eight-car trains, the longest the CTA L system can run, prior to September 1953, the station also featured a walkway to the Wells Street Terminal for convenient transfers to interurban trains of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad. From 1985 to 1988, Quincy was restored to a much as it would have looked when it opened. Some materials, such as signage, were changed several of the stations features are original to its 1897 opening. Project Began on march 16,2017, a renovation project will begin at the station in 2016 and will continue through the end of 2017. The renovation will add two new elevators to the station to make it accessible for people with disabilities, and other improvements include new stairs, the station will remain open during the project. In normal operation, the station is serviced by the Brown, Orange, during weekday rush hours, the Purple Line also stops here. Brown Line trains stop at the Outer Loop platform, while all other lines stop at the Inner Loop platform, iL-1-A, Union Elevated Railroad, Quincy Street Station Quincy/Wells Station Page at Chicago-L
4.
Pace (transit)
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Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to the CTA, Metra, in 2013, Pace had 39.925 million riders. Paces headquarters are in Arlington Heights, Illinois, the six counties that Pace serves are Cook, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry, and DuPage. Some of Paces bus routes go to Chicago and Indiana. In some areas, notably Evanston, River Forest, Oak Park, many of Paces route terminals are located at CTA rail stations and bus terminals and Metra stations. The CTA and Pace have shared a payment system since 2014 called Ventra, Ventra accounts are required to obtain transfers. Metra fares are completely separated, but a phone app is being developed that may allow Metra payment with Ventra, Pace buses generally have longer routes than CTA buses. Due to its service area, service is provided by nine operating divisions, as well as under agreements with several municipalities. All Pace buses are accessible and have racks accommodating two bicycles, available during all hours of operation. Pace is responsible for ADA paratransit service in its service area, Pace also coordinates various Dial-a-Ride projects, usually sponsored by various municipalities and townships. One of the largest is Ride DuPage, sponsored by Du Page County Human Services, Pace states that it is the nations largest paratransit service provider, providing approximately 17,000 daily trips on paratransit, dial-a-ride and ADvAntage vanpools. Pace operates a Vanpool Incentive Program, where groups save by commuting together in a van owned and maintained by Pace, there is also a Municipal Vanpool Program, under which Pace provides a van to a municipality, for any public transportation purpose. Pace is not an acronym, but a marketing name, in late 2011, Pace received its first Diesel-Electric Hybrid buses from Orion Bus Industries. These Orion VII 3G buses are the first buses in the Pace fleet to not be powered directly by diesel, during weekday rush hours, Pace buses are authorized to use the Stevenson Expressway. The majority of Pace bus routes run daily, morning through early to late evening, other routes run Monday through Saturday, weekdays only, or weekday rush hours only. The Brookfield Zoo Express bus route runs on weekends during the summer, one route,352 Halsted, runs 24 hours a day/7 days a week, four routes 390,392,395, and 890 run only for weekday UPS shifts. No buses with fleet numbers ending in 13, buses delivered in 2005 or later feature the new Pace logo. Starting in 2014, buses delivered in 2003, began receiving the current logo, some routes operated with paratransit or community vehicles
5.
Megabus (North America)
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On April 10,2006, Stagecoach introduced a no-frills service through its Coach USA subsidiary, using the Megabus brand that it had established in the United Kingdom. Louis, Ann Arbor, Columbus, Louisville, Toledo, Detroit, Kansas City, Minneapolis, on August 8,2007, Megabus introduced service to the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tempe, Arizona, using Coach America as a contractor. In its first foray into California, ridership was sluggish and Megabus started to discontinue services from the Los Angeles hub in early 2008, Service to the Phoenix area was discontinued in January 2008, followed by services in San Diego and San Ysidro in March 2008. In May 2008, Megabus made the decision to shut down its Los Angeles hub and discontinue all related services, stating that n this case, the final day for services from Los Angeles was June 22,2008. Megabus re-entered the market in 2012 after reacquiring some of the assets of Coach America, further expansions included service to Syracuse, Rochester, Hartford, and Niagara Falls, Ontario. Later in 2009, the Megabus concept was expanded to Toronto and Montreal, Megabus expanded deeper into Pennsylvania and the Southeast in 2009 and 2010. Megabus returned to the West Coast on December 12,2012 initially serving San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Reno, Riverside, on its west coast routes, Megabus operates almost exclusively from either commuter rail stations or transfer stations for local transit buses. A fraction of tickets are priced at 1.00 USD or CAD, Megabus follows the yield management model, typically used by airlines, where the lowest fares are offered to those who book early, so the less popular schedules tend to be less expensive. In order to keep costs down, Megabus has no waiting rooms and no bus terminals and picks up at curbside on public streets, stops may be outside railroad stations or transportation centers in major cities, or on college campuses or at shopping centers in other cities. Tickets must be purchased in advance via the website or by telephone, upon purchase, passengers are given a reservation number which they show the bus operator when they board. In the United States, tickets are not available from the bus operator, in Canada, owing to franchise regulations, tickets are sold at stops at a fixed price. The Megabus fleet can be identified by the megabus. com name on the front and sides in yellow against a base. The DATTCO fleet used for Megabus service is also decaled with Megabus logos, buses on the M25 Megabus route operate with regular Academy Bus livery. In 2007, Coach USA updated its Chicago-based Megabus fleet with new MCI J4500 single-deck and this expansion came as Megabus exited from the West Coast market. The fleet transferred to Eastern Shuttle was eventually returned to mainline Coach USA duty following divestiture a few months later, all Megabus coaches branded as such in the United States are equipped with Wi-Fi and electrical outlets. In accordance with ADA regulations, wheelchair-accessible service is available on all lines and this can now be done online or by phone. The Canadian Megabus fleet consists of 152009 TD925 buses and are operated by Trentway-Wagar, all of the Canada fleet is equipped with electrical outlets and Wi-Fi. The Canadian buses are pooled with the US fleet for NYC-Toronto or Philadelphia-Toronto runs, note that on these runs the buses will typically only have WiFi service available in the home country for the bus being used, i. e
6.
Metra
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Metra is a commuter railroad in the Chicago metropolitan area. The railroad operates 241 stations on 11 different rail lines and it is the fourth busiest commuter rail system in the United States by ridership and the largest and busiest commuter rail system outside the New York City metropolitan area. There were 83.4 million passenger rides in 2014, up 1. 3% from the previous year, the estimated busiest day for Metra ridership occurred on Nov.4, 2016—the day of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series victory rally. Using Chicagos rail infrastructure, much of which was created in the 19th century, the Illinois General Assembly established the RTA, Metras creation was a result of the anticipated failure of commuter service operated and owned by various private railroad companies in the 1970s. Freight rail companies still operate some routes, however, these operations are guided by contracted service agreements, Metra owns all rolling stock and is responsible for all stations along with the respective municipalities. Since its inception, Metra has directed more than $5 billion into the rail system of the Chicago metropolitan area. Since its founding in the 19th century, Chicago has been a major Midwestern hub in the North American rail network and it has more trackage radiating in more directions than any other city in North America. Railroads set up their headquarters in the city and Chicago became a center for building cars, passenger cars. By the 1930s Chicago had the worlds largest public transportation system, by the mid-1970s, the commuter lines faced an uncertain future. The Burlington Northern, Milwaukee Road, Chicago and North Western, to provide stability to the commuter rail system, the Illinois General Assembly formed the Regional Transportation Authority in 1974. Its purpose was to fund and plan the Chicago regions public transportation, in the beginning the Regional Transportation Authority commuter train fleet consisted of second-hand equipment, until 1976 when the first order of new EMD F40PH locomotives arrived. That F40PH fleet is still in service today, less than a decade later the Regional Transportation Authority was already suffering from ongoing financial problems. In 1983 the Illinois Legislature reorganized the agency and that reorganization left the Regional Transportation Authority in charge of day-to-day operations of all bus, heavy rail and commuter rail services throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. It was also responsible for directing fare and service levels, setting up budgets, finding sources for capital investment, due to the broad range of responsibilities entrusted with the Regional Transportation Authority, the Commuter Rail Service Board was created in 1984. It was renamed Metra in July 1985, the newly reorganized Metra service helped to bring a single identity to the many infrastructure components serviced by the Regional Transportation Authoritys commuter rail system. Metras operating arm, the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, was created as a separate subsidiary which operates seven Metra owned routes. Contracts were set up with the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads to operate four other Metra routes, while Metra owns all rolling stock and is responsible for most stations on those routes, the freight carriers use their own employees and control the right-of-way for those routes. In keeping with Metras purpose to provide an identity for commuter rail in the region
7.
Pere Marquette (Amtrak train)
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The Pere Marquette is a passenger train operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services on the 176-mile route between Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois. It is funded in part by the Michigan Department of Transportation and is train 370 eastbound, the train is named for a named train of the defunct Pere Marquette Railway, and in turn for Pere Marquette, Michigan, an early name for Ludington. The town was named for Father Jacques Marquette, a French explorer of the Great Lakes region, the Pere Marquette was a named train of the Pere Marquette Railway, which ran between Detroit and Grand Rapids six times a day. When the Pere Marquette Railway was absorbed into the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1947, Amtrak revived the name for its Grand Rapids–Chicago service on August 5,1984, with financial support from the state of Michigan. Initially it served Chicago, Hammond–Whiting, New Buffalo, St. Joseph, Bangor, service at Hammond–Whiting ended April 29,2001. Service at New Buffalo ended October 26,2009, when a new station opened on a different alignment, on November 30,2007, the southbound Pere Marquette collided with a Norfolk Southern freight train in Chicago, injuring 30 people. The NTSB released its findings on the crash on March 31,2009. 7% from 2010, ticket revenue in 2011 was $3.2 million, an increase of 9. 8% from 2010s $2.9 million. During 2008, the performance of train 370 was 33. 6%. By September 2010, these figures had changed to 63. 3% and 13. 3% respectively, Amtrak owns 10 miles of this line, freight railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern the remainder. Track and signal delays and freight train interference make up the majority of delays, in October 26,2009, the New Buffalo Amtrak station was relocated from the CSX trackage to the Amtrak-owned alignment closer to the shore of Lake Michigan. This new station is ADA-accessible and has a more extensive shelter, as a result, the Pere Marquette no longer stops in New Buffalo, which is served by Wolverine and Blue Water trains
8.
St. Joseph station
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St. Joseph, also known as St. Joseph-Benton Harbor, is an Amtrak train station in St. Joseph, Michigan, United States, served by Amtraks Pere Marquette line. It is located at 410½ Vine Street in St. Joseph, there is limited parking on a first-come, first-served basis. The station has a waiting room with a self-service kiosk to purchase tickets. Baggage can not be checked at this location, however passengers are allowed to have two carry-on items, twin Cities Area Transportation Authority Red Route travels within short walking distance of the station, running through St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. The bus will stop directly at the station on request, Silver Beach County Park Silver Beach Carousel Whirlpool Compass Fountain Amtrak – Stations – St Joseph, MI St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Amtrak Station St. Joseph, MI Benton Harbor, Once a Rail Center
9.
Vernon J. Ehlers Station
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The Vernon J. Ehlers Station is a train station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States served by Amtrak, the U. S. national railroad passenger system. The station is the terminus of the Pere Marquette line that connects Chicagos Union Station to Grand Rapids and it opened at its new location on Century Avenue under the Wealthy Street/US-131 overpass, immediately south of The Rapids Central Station. The new central location allows easy connections to twenty local Rapid buses as well as Greyhound, no plans have been announced yet to move Megabus services from their location opposite the old Amtrak station at Wealthy/Market to complete the multimodal transit hub. The previous Amtrak station opened in 1984 at the corner of Wealthy Street and Market Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids, in October 2011, groundbreaking occurred on the new station. It is named in honor of former Michigan Congressman Vern Ehlers, the new station enables fully intermodal transit while allowing for more efficient train turnarounds. It was funded by a US$3.8 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration, due to delays in construction from CSX and the City of Grand Rapids, the station construction started in the summer of 2013. The new station opened on October 27,2014, Central Station lies a short distance north of the new Amtrak station. Amtrak – Stations – Grand Rapids, MI Grand Rapids Station Grand Rapids Amtrak Station Grand Rapids, MI
10.
Blue Water (train)
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The Blue Water is a higher-speed passenger train service operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services. The 319-mile line connects Port Huron, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois, via East Lansing, the Lansing area, home of the Michigan state capitol and Michigan State University, was left out of Amtraks original system. New stations were built in Port Huron and East Lansing, service began September 15,1974, between Chicago and Port Huron, with the intention of eventually restoring the Port Huron–Toronto leg. Amtrak renamed the train the Blue Water Limited on October 26,1975, the new Turboliners were capable of, but never reached,125 mph and ran with fixed five-car consists with an overall capacity of 292 passengers. The Turboliners were withdrawn on October 25,1981, replaced by conventional locomotives pulling Amfleet coaches, the long-discussed extension to Toronto finally occurred on October 31,1982. The extended service received the name International Limited, the name of an old Canadian National/Grand Trunk Chicago–Detroit–Montreal train, Amtrak and Via Rail, the independent Canadian Crown corporation rail company, jointly operated the International Limited until April 25,2004, when cross-border service was discontinued. Massive border delays post-September 11 led to falling ridership, Amtrak and Michigan agreed to truncate service at Port Huron, on the Canadian side service ends at Sarnia as part of the VIA Rails Corridor route. With a more favorable intrastate schedule and fewer delays, the Blue Waters ridership showed immediate improvements, carrying 94,378 passengers in fiscal year 2004. Blue Water ridership in FY2011 totaled 187,065, an increase of 18.0 percent from FY 2010s total of 157,709, and the highest total ever recorded by the train. During FY2011, the train had a revenue of $5.8 million. A 97-mile stretch along the route of Blue Water from Porter, Indiana to Kalamazoo, Amtrak began speed increases along this stretch in January 2002. Ultimately, speed increased to 110 mph, the Blue Water Line was featured in a song by that name written by Dora Graf and Martin Seligson and popularized by The Brothers Four
11.
New Buffalo station
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New Buffalo is a train station in New Buffalo, Michigan, served by Amtrak, the United States passenger railroad system. The Blue Water stops once daily, and Wolverine stops three times daily in each direction, between August 5,1984, and October 26,2009, Amtraks Pere Marquette stopped in New Buffalo at a station along the old C&O alignment. This station was located seven blocks south of the current station. When the current station opened the Pere Marquette stopped serving New Buffalo, media related to New Buffalo at Wikimedia Commons Amtrak – Stations – New Buffalo, MI New Buffalo Amtrak Station New Buffalo Railroad Museum New Buffalo, MI
12.
Port Huron station
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Port Huron is an Amtrak station in Port Huron, Michigan, and the eastern terminus of the Blue Water. The current station opened in 1979 and it sits six blocks west of the St. Clair Tunnel, but the passenger tracks now terminate here and only freight tracks bypass the station and continue to Canada. The station was served by the International Limited, which was operated jointly by Via Rail. The service, which had started in 1982, was discontinued in 2004, the Port Huron station had contained United States Immigration Office while it served the International Limited. Media related to Port Huron at Wikimedia Commons Amtrak – Stations – Port Huron, MI Port Huron Amtrak Station Port Huron, MI History of railroads in Michigan
13.
Wolverine (train)
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The Wolverine is a higher-speed passenger train service operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services. The 304-mile line provides three daily round-trips along the Pontiac–Detroit–Chicago route and it carries a heritage train name descended from the New York Central. During fiscal year 2015, the Wolverine carried 465,627 passengers, the service had a total ticket revenue of US$18.96 million in FY2015, an 0. 3% increase from FY 2014s $18.90 million total revenue. Before Amtraks takeover of most private-sector passenger service in 1971 the Wolverine was one of three trains operated over the Michigan Central route between Chicago and Detroit. Under Penn Central operation it continued through South-Western Ontario to Buffalo, Amtrak retained two trains and truncated the operation to Detroit but otherwise changed little. In April 1975, Amtrak introduced French-built Turboliner equipment to the Michigan route, a pool of three Turboliner trainsets served the route, and the three round-trip pairs were numbered 350—355, train numbers which are still in use today. Amtrak dropped the train names and rebranded all three Turboliner, in common with similar services to St. Louis, Missouri and Milwaukee. The new equipment led to gains in ridership, topping 340,000 in 1975 and 370,000 in 1976. The Turboliners became a victim of their own success, although fast, they were unable to reach their design speed of 125 miles per hour because of the poor quality of the Penn Central track in Michigan. The five-car fixed consists had a capacity of 292 passengers. Starting in March 1976 Amtrak began replacing some of the Turboliners with conventional equipment, individual names returned to the corridor, with the heretofore unnamed third train becoming the Twilight Limited. The last Turboliners left the corridor in 1981, Amtrak extended the Wolverine and Twilight Limited to Pontiac on May 5,1994. With this change service began at a new station in Detroits New Center, although the Michigan Central Station in Corktown, Detroit had closed on January 6,1988, trains continued to stop at a temporary platform just east of the old station. Besides Pontiac, new stations were opened at Royal Oak and Troy, the Lake Cities also began serving Pontiac after the end of Toledo service in 1995. Amtrak dropped individual names again in 2004 and named all three trains Wolverine, due to the increased ridership on these trains, Amtrak tested an additional Chicago-Kalamazoo Wolverine frequency September 2 to September 7,2010. This was done to all that would be involved in operations should Amtrak decide to initiate such service in the future. The federal government considers high-speed rail service to be rail service which at any time reaches the speed of 110 miles per hour or higher, in 2016, work to allow Higher-speed operation on 41 miles of track between Battle Creek and Jackson, including. Amtrak owns the 97-mile stretch of the Wolverines route from Porter, Indiana to Kalamazoo, Michigan, starting in January 2002 Amtrak began track improvements to increase the allowed speed along this section of track
14.
Hammond/Whiting station
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Hammond–Whiting is a train station in Hammond, Indiana served by Amtrak, the U. S. national railroad passenger system. The Wolverine is the only Amtrak service that stops at this station, the station also served as the split with the Three Rivers until March 7,2005 when the Three Rivers was terminated. The station was serviced but is now bypassed by the Capitol Limited, the station is along the former Pennsylvania Railroad Fort Wayne Line, now owned by Norfolk Southern Railway. North of the lies the old Baltimore and Ohio and Elgin, Joliet. The station building and parking lot lies where the New York Central Railroad used to be, Hammond–Whiting opened on September 11,1982. Hammond station Media related to Hammond–Whiting at Wikimedia Commons Amtrak – Stations – Hammond, IN Hammond–Whiting Amtrak Station Hammond-Whiting --Great American Stations
15.
Pontiac Transportation Center
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The Pontiac Transportation Center is an intermodal terminal station located in Pontiac, Michigan that is served by Amtraks Michigan Services Wolverine. The transportation center is served by Greyhound Lines intercity bus service. The current transportation center is located on the edge of downtown at 51000 Woodward Avenue. It is about 1,400 square feet and includes a waiting room, restrooms, a payphone. However, it not have any ticketing services or baggage assistance. There are 22 long term parking spaces available and the hours are from 5,15 am to 6,15 am. In addition to the three daily departures, there are between two and eight daily Greyhound departures and local bus service SMART. The station is owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation, of the 22 Michigan stations served by Amtrak, Pontiac was the 16th-busiest in fiscal year 2015, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 43 passengers daily. Since August 1931 the Grand Trunk Western Railroad provided commuter service from Pontiac to Detroit. By 1968 the railroad operated six daily trains between the two cities, with daily ridership averaging 2,812. When Amtrak took over passenger service in 1971, the GTWR service was not initially affected since the takeover did not include commuter rail. However, by time the GTWR began posting losses on the service. On January 2,1974 the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority took over the GTWR trains, the aging depot turned over by the GTWR was located about 2,500 feet to the northwest of the current Pontiac Transportation Center. The GTWR depot was situated east of the tracks on the northwest corner of West Huron Street, the address provided by Amtrak for the facility was 1600 Wide Track Circle. The facility was a building, with the first story constructed of scored concrete. Original plans called for a restaurant to be built on the second floor, a small glass-covered pavilion was also built into the structure. Upon completion, the facility was served by SEMTAs Silver Streak. Within six months of completion, however, the SEMTA commuter rail service was canceled, in addition, by 1985 structural deficiencies were already apparent, with interior surfaces showing water damage
16.
Lake Shore Limited
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The Lake Shore Limited is an overnight Amtrak passenger train service between Chicago and the Northeastern United States. The train uses the main line of the New York Central Railroad. In Albany, New York it divides, with separate sections serving New York City, Amtrak began service in 1975, its Lake Shore had operated over the same route in 1971–72. The train is named for the New York Centrals Lake Shore Limited, the Lake Shore Limited is named after one of its illustrious predecessors that ran on the famed Water Level Route of the New York Central. Like the present day Lake Shore Limited, the New York Central edition offered service between New York and Boston and Chicago, although the New York Central used LaSalle Street Station, the New York Central annulled the Lake Shore Limited in 1956, as part of a system-wide reorganization. Service over the Water Level Route continued until the formation of Amtrak, between May 1971 – January 1972 Amtrak operated the Lake Shore over the route with support from the state of Ohio. The modern Lake Shore Limited began running October 31,1975 with both New York and Boston sections, the Lake Shore Limited was the last train to use the decaying Buffalo Central Terminal, departing on October 28,1979. Since then it has used Buffalo–Depew, in all, fourteen cars derailed, with some sliding down an embankment, and 118 passengers and crew members were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the cause were the wheels coming off a section of flattened rail. Amtrak published its Performance Improvement Plan for the Lake Shore Limited in September 2011, Amtrak outlined two initiatives for improving the performance of the train, Operations, Amtrak proposed moving the Lake Shore Limited to an earlier eastbound departure time from Chicago. It currently departs at 9,30 PM, to facilitate connections from oft-late West Coast trains, the improved departure time would add $2 million in yearly revenue. Club-Diner, The dining car on the Lake Shore Limited would be converted to a so-called Club-Diner and it would stay open during the entire journey, instead of just during set meal times, and would cease accepting cash. The existing lounge/cafe car would upgrade its offerings to include salads, Amtraks desired goal was to bridge a perceived intermediate gap between the existing cafe offerings and the higher-priced fare in the diner. Amtrak considered more radical changes to the operations of the Lake Shore Limited, including a re-route over the Chicago–Detroit Line, a typical Lake Shore Limited features both Boston and New York sections, which run combined between Chicago and Albany. The New York section includes a car, Heritage Fleet dining car/dinette. The Boston section has its own car, one Viewliner sleeping car. During the 2000s and 2010s the Lake Shore Limited carried either a Horizon Fleet or Amfleet lounge car, at Albany, the train splits into its Boston and New York sections. Low demand and cost-cutting led Amtrak to drop service to Boston between 2003 and 2008, passengers made a cross-platform transfer to a shuttle train
17.
South Bend station
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South Bend is a train station in South Bend, Indiana. It is served by Amtraks Lake Shore Limited between Chicago, Boston and New York City, and Capitol Limited between Chicago and Washington D. C. The station was built by the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad in 1970, until 1970 South Shore Line interurbans served downtown South Bend at LaSalle and Michigan. The city had long wanted to eliminate street running, while the South Shore was looking to reduce costs as passenger traffic declined, the South Shore embarked on a program to consolidate its operations in South Bend. This included constructing the current station building at Meade and Washington and selling the old downtown station, when Amtrak began serving South Bend in 1971 it used this station instead of the larger Union Station. The South Shore Line moved its terminus to a new terminal at the South Bend Regional Airport in November 1992, TRANSPO Route 2 Ogorek, Cynthia L. Along the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Rail Line, media related to South Bend at Wikimedia Commons Amtrak – Stations – South Bend, IN South Bend Amtrak Station South Bend --Great American Stations
18.
South Station
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It is used by thousands of commuter rail and intercity rail passengers daily. Connections to the rapid transit Red Line and Silver Line are made through the adjacent subway station, the station was renamed for former Massachusetts governor Michael S. Dukakis in November 2014, though maps and station signs continue to use the shorter South Station. When the railroads serving Boston were first laid out and built, the Old Colony Railroad had a long passenger terminal on the east side of South Street, stretching from Kneeland Street south to Harvard Street. This site is now part of the South Bay Interchange, near the South Station bus terminal, the Boston and Albany Railroads passenger terminal was in the block bounded by Kneeland Street, Beach Street, Albany Street and Lincoln Street. The Boston Terminal Company, established in 1897, was charged with the task of combining the four terminals into one consolidated terminal, South Station combined the four terminals in one spot. South Station opened as South Central Station on January 1,1899 at a cost of $3.6 million, the architects were Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge of Boston, with the actual construction undertaken by the engineering firm of Westinghouse, Church, Kerr & Co. It became the busiest station in the world by 1913, a stop on the Atlantic Avenue Elevated served South Station from 1901 to 1938, what is now the Red Line subway was extended from Park Street to South Station in 1913. The train shed, originally one of the largest in the world, was eliminated in a 1930 renovation due to corrosion caused by the nearby oceans salt air. In the original configuration, two came off each approach to join into a four-track line and then run under the main platforms in a two-track loop. These tracks were never put into service, and later became a parking lot, while the station handled 125,000 passengers each day during World War II, post-war passenger rail traffic declined in the US. In 1959, the Old Colony Railroad, which had served the South Shore and Cape Cod, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad went bankrupt in 1961. South Station was sold to the Boston Redevelopment Authority in 1965, portions of the station were demolished and the land was used to build the Boston South Postal Annex and the Stone and Webster building. The plan was never realized, and South Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, in 1978, the BRA sold what was left of the station to the MBTA, though the BRA retained air rights over the station. Funding was obtained for a renovation of the station that was completed in 1989. A total of 13 tracks became available, all high level platforms. Piers were installed for the construction of an office building. This renovation also added access to the Red Line subway station from inside the surface station lobby, previously. The new bus terminal has direct connections to I-93 and the Massachusetts Turnpike
19.
Capitol Limited (Amtrak train)
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The Capitol Limited is one of two Amtrak trains connecting Washington, D. C. to Chicago, running 764 miles via Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Service began in 1981 and was named after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroads Capitol Limited which ended in 1971 upon the formation of Amtrak and it carries the Amtrak train numbers 29 and 30, which were previously assigned to the discontinued National Limited. During fiscal year 2011, the Capitol Limited carried over 225,000 passengers, the train had a total revenue of $20,312,544 in FY2011, a 9. 3% increase from FY2010. On October 1,1981, Amtrak inaugurated its Capitol Limited upon the discontinuance of the Shenendoah and its numbers,440 and 441, were derived from the Broadway Limiteds 40 and 41 and the new train also used Heritage Fleet equipment. The new train replaced the Broadway Limiteds former Washington section which had diverged at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in late 1984, the Capitol Limited re-equipped with new Amfleet II coaches but also lost its full diner east of Pittsburgh. Beginning with the October 26,1986, timetable, Amtrak split up the Capitol Limited, the former received new numbers,29 and 30, and a later schedule. The Capitol Limited continued to operate over the same route, with the change the Capitol Limited regained a full diner east of Pittsburgh, which it had lost in 1984. The Broadway Limited and its successor, the Three Rivers, were re-routed over the B&Os Chicago-Pittsburgh route, in October 1994, Amtrak, with great fanfare, relaunched the Capitol Limited with a new bilevel Superliner II consist. Eleven people died aboard the MARC train in the accident, Three died of injuries suffered in the impact, the rest were killed by smoke and flames. The MARC engineer and two conductors were among the dead, between 1984 and 1986 and again from 1991 to 1993, the Capitol Limited exchanged a Chicago-Miami coach with the New York-Miami Silver Star at Washington, D. C. During 1997 and part of 1998, Amtrak operated the Capitol Limited in conjunction with the Southwest Chief, the two trains used the same Superliner equipment sets, and passengers traveling on both trains could remain aboard during the layover in Chicago. Originally announced in 1996, Amtrak planned to call this through service the National Chief with its own numbers, although the name, Amtrak dropped the practice with the May 1998 timetable. Trains magazine picked up on this in their January 2011 issue, also cited was the consist switch that would take place, an eight-hour layover on Sundays due to the Pennsylvanians 1, 20p departure, and the lack of Viewliner sleepers to accommodate the service. The Capitol Limiteds original routing west of Pittsburgh included stops in Canton, Ohio, Crestline, Ohio, Lima, Ohio, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Valparaiso, Indiana, Amtrak dropped Gary as a station stop on April 28,1985. On April 27,1986, Amtrak added Warsaw, Indiana, all these cities lost service when Amtrak re-routed the Capitol Limited north through Toledo on November 11,1990. For a year, a bus connection was offered between Fort Wayne and Waterloo, Indiana. Between March 2,1982, and April 7,1991, at the time the Port Authority of Allegheny County operated the PATrain commuter rail between McKeesport and downtown Pittsburgh. The Port Authority ended the service in 1989, citing low ridership, Amtrak followed suit a year later, noting that on average one passenger boarded at McKeesport per trip during the trains final months of service at that station
20.
Washington Union Station
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Washington Union Station is a major train station, transportation hub, and leisure destination in Washington, D. C. Opened in 1907, it is Amtraks headquarters and the railroads second-busiest station with annual ridership of just under 5 million, the station also serves MARC and VRE commuter rail services, the Washington Metro, and buses. At the height of its traffic, during World War II, in 1988, a headhouse wing was added and the original station renovated for use as a shopping mall. Today, Union Station is one of the busiest rail facilities and shopping destinations in the country, when the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad announced in 1901 that they had agreed to build a new union station together, the city had two reasons to celebrate. The decision meant that railroads would soon remove their trackwork and terminals from the National Mall. Though changes there appeared only gradually, the consolidation of the depots allowed the creation of the Mall as it appears today, the Act authorized the Washington Terminal Company to construct a station “monumental in character” that would cost at least $4 million. This cost was financed by $12 million in first mortgage bonds as well as advances by the owners which were repaid by stock, each carrier also received $1.5 million in government funding to compensate them for the costs of eliminating grade crossings in the city. The only railroad station in the nation specifically authorized by Congress, the building was primarily designed by William Pierce Anderson of the Chicago architectural firm of D. H. Burnham & Company. The first B&O train to arrive with passengers was the Pittsburgh Express which did so at 6,50 a. m. on October 27,1907 while the first PRR train arrived three weeks later on November 17, the main building itself was completed in 1908. Of its 32 station tracks,20 enter from the northeast, the suite was converted in December 1941 to a U. S. O. Canteen, which went on to serve 6.5 million service members during World War II, although closed on May 31,1946, it was reopened in 1951 as a U. S. O. Lounge and dedicated by President Harry Truman as a permanent home away from home for traveling U. S. armed service members, on the morning of January 15,1953, the Pennsylvania Railroads Federal, the overnight train from Boston, crashed into the station. When the engineer tried to apply the trainline brakes two miles out of the platforms, he discovered that he only had engine brakes. A switchman on the approach to the station noticed the train and telephoned a warning to the station. Just then, the floor of the terminal, having never designed to carry the weight of a locomotive, gave way. The 447, 000-pound electric locomotive fell into about the center of what is now the food court, remarkably, no one was killed, and passengers in the rear cars thought that they had only had a rough stop. An investigation revealed that an anglecock on the brakeline had been closed, the accident inspired the finale of the 1976 film Silver Streak. The durable design of the GG1 made its damage repairable, and it was back in service after being hauled away in pieces to the PRRs main shops in Altoona
21.
Cardinal (train)
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Charlottesville, Charleston, Huntington, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis. Trains depart New York on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and depart Chicago on Tuesdays, Thursdays, the 1, 146-mile trip between the termini of the route takes 26 1⁄2 hours. The Hoosier State provides service on the 196-mile segment of the Cardinal route between Indianapolis and Chicago on the four days of the week when it is not otherwise provided by the Cardinal. During fiscal year 2013, the Cardinal carried 113,103 passengers, the 2012 ridership was a 4. 9% increase over 2011, when the line carried 110,923 passengers, which was up 3. 6% from 107,842 riders in 2010. The Cardinal had a revenue of $7,733,458 in fiscal year 2013, up 2. 6% from a total of $7,536,903 in fiscal year 2012. The 2011 figure was an 11. 3% increase from 2010, the Cardinal is the successor of several previous trains, primarily the New York Central James Whitcomb Riley and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway George Washington. Up until the late 1950s, the Riley would carry the Washingtons sleeper cars between Cincinnati and Chicago, both routes survived until the formation of Amtrak in 1971. Amtrak kept service mostly identical at first, through Washington–Chicago and Newport News–Chicago coaches began operating July 12, and a through sleeping car began September 8. Throughout the 1970s Amtrak would drop the George Washington name and re-route the train off the rapidly deteriorating Penn Central track in Indiana, the Newport News section ended in 1976, replaced by the New York–Newport News Colonial. The James Whitcomb Riley was renamed the Cardinal on October 30,1977, as the Cardinal was the state bird of all six states through which it ran. The Cardinal was eventually extended from Washington, D. C. to New York City in an effort to improve the Cardinals cost recovery ratio, but the entire train was discontinued on September 30,1981. A congressional mandate initiated by Senator Robert C. Byrd resurrected the train on January 8,1982, and followed another new route, via Richmond, Indiana and this arrangement lasted until April 27,1986, when the train was finally moved to its current route via Indianapolis. With the Indianapolis routing, the Cardinal began operating jointly with the Chicago–Indianapolis Hoosier State, the Hoosier State operated to Indianapolis on the days the Cardinal does not. This pattern ceased on October 25,1987, then resumed again on July 19,1998, on December 17,1999, Amtrak extended the Hoosier State to Jeffersonville, Indiana, and renamed the train the Kentucky Cardinal. This new train was a service, on days when the Cardinal operated. Amtrak ultimately discontinued the Kentucky Cardinal on July 4,2003, in the July 2010 issue of Trains magazine, the Cardinal was noted as being one of five routes under consideration for performance improvement. In addition, the routing into Chicago Union Station would be changed, however, obstacles to a daily Cardinal persist. Track capacity is limited on the Buckingham Branch Railroad in Virginia where the Cardinal operates and this problem applies also to the planned but failed Greenbrier Presidential Express train, which would also have traversed the Buckingham Branch on a weekly basis
22.
Dyer station
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Dyer is an Amtrak station in Dyer, Indiana, served by the Cardinal and Hoosier State, and is the penultimate westbound station for both trains. It is located near a crossing of two railroad lines, CSX and the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern. The original depot stood at the junction itself. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District has proposed a line to Lowell, Indiana, however, the station is intended to be south of both the existing station and the CSX/EJ&E crossing at U. S.30. On August 2,2010, Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority revamped the Hammond Transit System into EasyGo Lake Transit, the newly introduced Red Route terminated approximately a mile northeast of the station, at Main/Calumet intersection. Riders could take the Red Route to Munster, Hammond and Chicagos East Side neighborhood and they could also transfer to other EasyGo routes and connect to other towns and cities throughout Lake Country. Hammond Transit and EasyGo Lake Transit discontinued all service on June 30,2012, longest, David E. Railroad Depots of Northern Indiana. Amtrak – Stations – Dyer, IN Dyer Amtrak Station Dyer --Great American Stations
23.
Hoosier State (train)
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The Hoosier State is an Amtrak passenger train that provides service on a 196-mile route between Chicago and Indianapolis. With the creation of Amtrak, riders were served by the South Wind, the National Limiteds discontinuance in 1979 severed Indianapolis from the national rail network, and isolated Amtraks Beech Grove Shops in the Indianapolis suburb of Beech Grove. The passenger carrier had been using the National Limited to ferry railroad cars to and from its shops, the Hoosier State entered service on October 1,1980. On April 27,1986, the Cardinal was rerouted to use the tracks as the Hoosier State between Chicago and Indianapolis, and began running on days the Cardinal did not operate. The Hoosier State was restored to operation on a separate schedule from the Cardinal on October 25,1987. But funding cuts led to its discontinuance on September 8,1995 while the Cardinal continued tri-weekly operation between Chicago, Indianapolis and the East Coast, Amtrak restored the Hoosier State on July 19,1998, as a tri-, later quad-weekly train. From December 17,1999, to July 4,2003, the Hoosier State was extended south from Indianapolis to Louisville, Kentucky, after the discontinuance of the Kentucky Cardinal, the Hoosier State returned to operating four days a week in tandem with the Cardinal. At a length of 196 mi, the Hoosier State was affected by this provision of PRIIA, operating costs above ticket revenue continue to be covered by the Indiana Department of Transportation and communities along the route. Planning was underway for the company to take over the service as early as October 1,2014, however, Corridor Capitol did not meet that deadline and Indiana Department of Transportation discontinued negotiations with the company in November 2014. Amtrak continued to operate the service under short-term contract extensions while the state considers alternative vendors. On March 6,2015, INDOT announced that the Hoosier State would discontinue service on April 1,2015. After Indiana appealed to the FRA, the operation was extended to April 30. The contract had four option years. 8% in July 2016 over the previous July, NS Chicago Line, CP518 to 21st Street. The standard Hoosier State consist is two coaches and a Horizon or Amfleet cafe car, in addition to standard food service, the cafe car allows for Business Class seating and complimentary WiFi. Motive power is commonly a General Electric Genesis P42DC locomotive, after Amtrak resumed operations in March 2017, the Great Dome car Ocean View was added. Hoosier State reflects a new approach, official site Hoosier State on Amtrak. com
24.
Indianapolis Union Station
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A much larger Richardsonian Romanesque station was designed by Pittsburgh architect Thomas Rodd and constructed at the same location beginning in November 1886 and opening in September 1888. The head house and clock tower of this station still stand today. Amtrak, the rail passenger carrier, continues to serve Union Station from a waiting area beneath the train shed. It is served by the Cardinal and is the terminus of the Hoosier State. Thomas Rodds design clearly shows the influence of noted architect Henry Hobson Richardson, historian James R. Hetheringon has concluded that Pittsburgher Rodd would have studied the nearly completed Allegheny County Courthouse designed by Richardson prior to his death in 1886. Considered by Richardson to be his best work, the Courthouse was highly influential, the three-story Union Station is built of granite and brick, with a battered water table and massive brick arches characteristic of the Romanesque. It features a rose window, slate roof, bartizans at section corners. The 1888 station included a large street-level iron train shed, the first railroad to reach Indianapolis was the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, which began service there in 1847. Competing railroads began connecting Indianapolis to other locations, but each had its own station in various parts of the city, creating problems for passengers. This problem was common to many U. S. cities, but Indianapolis was the first to solve it with a union station, in August 1849, the Union Railway Company was formed, and it began to lay tracks to connect the various railroads. Then in 1853, it built a large train shed at the point where all the lines met. As Indianapolis and its railroad traffic grew, the limitations of the structure became increasingly obvious. In 1886, Thomas Rodd was hired, at the time, Rodd was employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad, but did independent civil engineering and architectural projects on the side. The new station was completed in 1888, and during 1889320,996 passenger train cars and 861,991 freight cars passed through the station, in 1893 approximately 25,000 passengers rode an average of 120 passenger trains daily. By 1900 over 200 trains a day were serviced, forcing the station to build an expansive elevated platform so as not to interfere with regular street traffic. It was once only to Chicagos Union Station as a Midwest railroad hub. After World War II, intercity rail travel in the United States began to decline. Indianapolis Union Station almost suffered that fate, by the late 1970s, vagrants and vandals had taken over much of the facility and there were numerous police and fire runs made to the cavernous building
25.
Homewood station
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Homewood is an Amtrak intercity and Metra commuter train station in Homewood, Illinois, United States. It is also the location of the Homewood Railroad Park Museum, Homewood is 23.51 miles from Millennium Station, the northern terminus of the Metra Electric Line. In Metras zone-based fare system, Homewood is located in zone E and it is also 25 miles from Union Station, the northern terminus of the three Amtrak services which stop here. The Illinois Central Railroad built Homewood in 1923 to serve the City of New Orleans, three years later, commuter services began. In 1960 the station also served such IC trains as the Panama Limited, Creole, in 1971, Amtrak assumed control of the Illinois Centrals passenger operations and continued to stop at Homewood. Metra purchased the services in 1987. In 2003 the Homewood Rail Heritage Committee approved the installation of a train watching platform for railfans similar to that of the Rochelle Railroad Park in Rochelle, as with many suburban Metra stations, bus connections are provided by Pace Transit Systems
26.
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
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New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal is an intermodal facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, US. Located at 1001 Loyola Avenue, it is served by Amtrak, Greyhound Lines, Megabus, the station is the major southern terminus hub for Amtrak, serving three trains. Amtrak also operates a coach and engine yard near the terminal and it is the second-busiest Amtrak station in the Southeast United States after the Sanford, Florida, station. The New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal was built just west of the older New Orleans Union Station to consolidate passenger rail operations from the railroad stations. Parts of the property also are over what once was the turning basin for the New Basin Canal. The main lead track to the terminal follows the path of the old canal, NOUPT was designed in 1949 by the New Orleans architectural firms of Wogan and Bernard, Jules K. de la Vergne, and August Perez and Associates. When it opened in 1954, it was considered an ultramodern facility, the stub-end terminal consists of covered platforms and a modern waiting hall. A 120-foot long mural of Louisiana and New Orleans history, painted by Conrad A. Albrizio with the assistance of James Fisher, was restored after 2005s Hurricane Katrina, the freight and express houses are now the domain of the New Orleans Arena and Main Post Office. In the 1970s, parts of two platforms were shortened to allow for Greyhound Lines to build an intercity bus terminal, sharing the terminal with Amtrak, following Hurricane Katrina, Amtrak provided the first commercial transportation out of New Orleans. During the recovery efforts, NOUPT was briefly used as a jail, Megabus started operations at the Union Passenger Terminal in 2015
27.
City of New Orleans (train)
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The City of New Orleans is an Amtrak passenger train which operates on an overnight schedule between Chicago, Illinois, and New Orleans, Louisiana. The train is a successor to the Illinois Central Railroads Panama Limited, the present name was revived in 1981. When the first City of New Orleans was begun by the Illinois Central Railroad in 1947, it was the longest daylight run in the United States and it was sung about in the bittersweet 1971 song. Additional corridor service is provided between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois, by the Illini and Saluki, the Illinois Central Railroad introduced the original City of New Orleans on April 27,1947 as a daytime companion to the overnight Panama Limited. EMD E7 diesel locomotives pulled new lightweight Pullman Company coaches, the 921-mile route, which the City of New Orleans covered in 15 hours 55 minutes, was the longest daytime schedule in the United States. The City of New Orleans exchanged St. Louis—New Orleans through cars at Carbondale, Illinois and Louisville—New Orleans cars at Fulton, Kentucky. The average speed of the new train was nearly 60 mph, by October 25,1959, the timetable had lengthened to 16 hours 30 minutes. The train remained popular throughout the 1960s and gained ex-Missouri Pacific Railroad dome coaches in 1967, inauspiciously, the City of New Orleans was involved in Amtraks first fatal derailment on June 10, near Salem, Illinois. Because this train made no connections with trains at either New Orleans or Chicago, Amtrak moved the train to an overnight schedule on November 14,1971. A Kansas City section began operation on April 29,1984, known as the River Cities, it separated at Centralia, Illinois. This section ended on November 4,1994, the northbound City of New Orleans began stopping at Gilman, Illinois, on October 26,1986. Gilman had last seen service in 1971, the Illini stopped there as well, service to Cairo, Illinois, south of Carbondale, ended on October 25,1987. Amtrak operated the City of New Orleans reliably through the 1980s and into the 1990s, in 1992, nevertheless, on-board service had declined, Trains magazine editor J. David Ingles called the train Amtraks least-glamorous long-distance train. On March 3,1994, new Superliner cars replaced the single-level cars, real dining service returned, by the early 1990s an Amfleet dinette had doubled with the lounge car. On September 10,1995, the train was rerouted between Memphis and Jackson due to the Illinois Central Railroads desire to abandon the route in favor of the newer and flatter Yazoo District. Service ended at Batesville, Mississippi, Grenada, Mississippi, Winona, Mississippi, Durant, Mississippi and Canton, on March 15,1999, the City of New Orleans collided with a flatbed semi-trailer near Bourbonnais. Of the 217 people aboard the train, eleven people were killed in the Bourbonnais train accident, the fourth car, where the fatalities occurred, was engulfed in flames following the collision at the crossing. Because of damage to the states of Mississippi and Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina, Amtrak was forced in late August 2005 to cancel service south of Memphis, Tennessee
28.
Carbondale station
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Carbondale is an Amtrak intercity train station in Carbondale, Illinois, United States, and is the southern terminus of Amtraks Illini and Saluki routes. Carbondale is the southernmost Amtrak station in Illinois, the station was built near an old Illinois Central Railroad station, which itself was built in 1903 and restored in 1996. In addition to service, Amtrak offers Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach service between Carbondale and St. Louis, Missouri, connecting with the City of New Orleans. Media related to Carbondale station at Wikimedia Commons Amtrak – Stations – Carbondale, IL Carbondale Amtrak Station Carbondale Station Great American Stations
29.
Illini and Saluki
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The Illini and Saluki are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. They are part of Amtraks Illinois Service and are funded by the state of Illinois. Additional service over the route is provided by the long-distance City of New Orleans, the Illini has operated since 1973, a previous version operated in 1971–1972 between Chicago and Champaign. The Illinois Central Railroads main line between Chicago and New Orleans ran through Champaign-Urbana and Carbondale, along the east side of Illinois, Amtrak retained two trains on this route, the City of New Orleans and the Shawnee. Amtrak brought back the Illini name on November 14,1971, as a Chicago-Champaign train, Amtrak discontinued the Campus and Illini on March 5,1972. Both trains used Central Station, which Amtrak was abandoning, Amtrak judged that the additional 35–40 minutes necessary to serve Union Station made the schedule impractical, the 1972 Illini made its last trip on March 3. Amtrak revived the Illini on December 19,1973, again as a Chicago-Champaign service, the restoration was part of $1.5 million expansion program which included the Black Hawk, the State House, and supplemental funding for the Rock Islands two remaining Rockets. The state desired to extend the Illini to Decatur, but doing so involved a switch from the Illinois Central to the Norfolk & Western at Tolono, the connection between the lines was in poor condition, and no one would take responsibility for repairing it. Amtrak finally extended the Illini to Decatur on July 2,1981, Decatur had last seen service in 1971 from the Norfolk & Westerns City of Decatur and the Wabashs Wabash Cannon Ball. Neither train had been retained by Amtrak, the new Amtrak service used the old Wabash station, which as of 2010 still stands and has become an antique store. Poor ridership prompted Illinois to withdraw its support for the Decatur stop, on January 12,1986, Amtrak extended the Illini to Carbondale to replace the Shawnee, which had been canceled because of budget cuts. Service began at Gilman on October 26,1986 and Du Quoin on August 25,1989, the Illini service was nearly canceled in 1996, but local communities along the route pledged funds to keep it running. A second train, the Saluki, was added on October 30,2006, in response to ridership on the Illini. University students make up a significant portion of the Illinis passengers, the Champaign station may be a source of the trains name, UIUCs sports teams are called the Fighting Illini. The Saluki is named for the Saluki dog breed, which is the mascot of Southern Illinois University in the southern terminus of Carbondale. The Illini and Saluki operates over the Canadian National Railway, successor to the Illinois Central, the route is 309 miles long. In 2010 a typical Illini or Saluki consists of,1 GE Genesis P40DC or P42DC locomotives 1 Cafe/Business Class car 4 Coach cars Sanders, Craig
30.
San Antonio station (Texas)
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San Antonio is an Amtrak railroad station located on the eastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, in San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio Station serves two Amtrak lines, the Sunset Limited and the Texas Eagle, San Antonio Station provides an Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach route serving Harlingen, Brownsville, and McAllen, Texas. Amtrak previously utilized the historic Southern Pacific Railroad Station, that was known as the Sunset Station. It was designed by SPs architect Daniel J. Patterson in the Spanish Mission Revival style, the train station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Amtrak moved operations in 1998 to a depot that was built adjacent to the older Sunset Station. Under its owner, VIA Metropolitan Transit, the historic Sunset Station underwent an extensive restoration, the station also neighbors the Alamodome. Another Mikado, donated simultaneously to the City of Austin, is operated on excursion trains for live steam enthusiasts by the Austin Steam Train Association
31.
Union Station (Los Angeles)
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Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California, and the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States. It opened in May 1939 as the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, replacing La Grande Station, approved in a controversial ballot measure in 1926 and built in the 1930s, it served to consolidate rail services from a number of railroads into one terminal station. Conceived on a scale, Union Station became known as the Last of the Great Railway Stations built in the United States. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, today, the station is a major transportation hub for Southern California, serving almost 110,000 passengers a day. Three of Amtraks long distance trains originate and terminate here, the Coast Starlight to Seattle, the Southwest Chief and Texas Eagle to Chicago, the state-supported Amtrak California Pacific Surfliner regional trains run frequently to San Diego and also to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. The station is the hub of the Metrolink commuter trains, and several Metro Rail subway and light rail lines serve it as well, the Patsaouras Transit Plaza, on the east side of the station, serves dozens of bus lines operated by Metro and several other municipal carriers. The election would take on racial connotations and become a defining moment in the development of Los Angeles. The proposed Union Station was located in the heart of what was Los Angeles original Chinatown. ”The Times also attacked the elevateds for blocking out the California sun, two questions were put to vote in 1926. First, the voters approved Union Station instead of elevated railways by 61.3 to 38.7 percent margin. Second, the electorate voted in favor of the Los Angeles Plaza as the site of the new station but by a much smaller 51.1 to 48.9 percent margin. The glamorous new station took over from La Grande Station which had suffered damage in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake and Central Station. Passenger service was provided by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, Southern Pacific Railroad, the famed Super Chief luxury train carried Hollywood stars and others to Chicago and thence the East Coast. Union Station saw heavy use during World War II, but later saw declining patronage due to the popularity of air travel. No one was killed or injured, but the engineer lost his job, the station was designated as a Los Angeles Historic–Cultural Monument No.101 on August 2,1972 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The first commuter service to Union Station was the short-lived CalTrain that began operating on October 18,1982 between Los Angeles and Oxnard. The service faced economic and political problems from the start and was suspended in March 1983, the next attempt at commuter rail came in 1990 with the launch of the Amtrak-operated Orange County Commuter. The once-daily round-trip served stations between Los Angeles and San Juan Capistrano, Metrolink commuter rail service began on October 26,1992, with Union Station as the terminus for the San Bernardino Line, the Santa Clarita Line and the Ventura County Line. In January 1993, Metros Red Line subway began service to the station, the Orange County Commuter train was discontinued on March 28,1994 and replaced by Metrolinks Orange County Line
32.
Texas Eagle
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The Texas Eagle is a 1, 306-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the central and western United States. Trains run daily between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, and continue to Los Angeles, California,2,728 miles total, prior to 1988, the train was known as the Eagle. During fiscal year 2011, the Texas Eagle carried nearly 300,000 passengers, the train had a total revenue of $24,475,309 during FY2011, an increase of 7. 7% from FY2010. Amtraks Texas Eagle is the successor of the Missouri Pacific Railroad and Texas and Pacific Railway train of the same name. The route of Amtraks Texas Eagle is longer, but much of route is historically a part of the original Texas Eagle route. St. Louis to Texarkana and Taylor, Texas, to San Antonio is over former Missouri Pacific Railroad trackage, while the Texarkana to Fort Worth segment traverses the former Texas, the new Eagle dropped the Houston section and cut back from Laredo to San Antonio. The new train carried Superliner equipment, replacing the Amfleet coaches on the Inter-American, in addition, the new train ran on a thrice-weekly schedule with a through car on the Sunset Limited to Los Angeles, although the latter was not announced until the April 1982 timetable. On November 15,1988, Amtrak revived a Houston section and it was the first time passenger traffic had served that route since 1958. Amtrak had intended to operate the Lone Star over this route back in the 1970s, with the change, Amtrak revived the name Texas Eagle for the thrice-weekly Chicago-San Antonio/Houston train, while the off-day Chicago-St. On April 4,2013 Amtrak opened a new station in Hope, Arkansas, arcadia Valley was added on November 17,2016 serving Iron County, Missouri. The move would restore a connection to the Coast Starlight in both directions, and move boarding in Maricopa and Tucson, Arizona, to civilized times and we are putting a stake in the ground, Triweekly needs to disappear, Rosenwald said. Such service would originate from Los Angeles and split at San Antonio, Louis Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center, scheduled for 7,21 pm. After St. Louis, the train skirts the Ozark Mountains, stopping in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, before crossing the state line into Arkansas. In Arkansas, the stops in Walnut Ridge, the state capital of Little Rock, and the stations at Malvern, Arkadelphia, Hope. The northbound Texas Eagle, leaving San Antonio, departs at 7 am, because of this, the Texas Eagle has been detoured over the Union Pacifics Villa Grove and Pana Subdivisions. The normally assigned consist on the Texas Eagle includes,1 P421 dorm-sleeper 1 sleeping car 1 diner 1 sightseer lounge 1 coach-baggage 2 coaches 1 coach added at St. Goen, la Mirada, California, Four Ways West Publications. Route of the Eagles, Missouri Pacific in the Streamlined Era, allies of the Earth, Railroads and the Soul of Preservation. Kirksville, Missouri, Truman State University Press
33.
Summit station (Illinois)
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Summit is an Amtrak and Metra train station in Summit, Illinois, United States. It is served by Amtrak Illinois Lincoln Service, which operates daily, and Metras Heritage Corridor commuter line and it is 11.9 miles away from Union Station, the northern terminus of the line. Summit is also the closest Metra station to Midway Airport, Summit is peculiar for a Metra station in that it is served by more Amtrak trains than by Metra trains. This was also a stop for the Ann Rutledge until April 2007
34.
Gateway Transportation Center
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The Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center, also known as Gateway Station, is a rail and bus terminal station in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. Opened in 2008 and operating 24 hours a day, it serves Amtrak trains and Greyhound, missouris largest rail transportation station, it is located one block east of St. Louis Union Station. Gateway Station cost $31.4 million to build, and after more than a year of delays, it fully opened November 19,2008. Gateway Station serves as a hub for, Of the 12 Missouri stations served by Amtrak, St. Louis was the busiest in FY2015. The station is served by Amtraks Missouri River Runner, Lincoln Service, Gateway Station is next to the 1993-built Civic Center station, which serves the Red Line and Blue Line. It takes about 30 minutes to travel to Lambert-St, Louis International Airports Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 via the Metro Red Line. The Transportation Center would also be the hub for the two proposed St. Louis Commuter Rail lines, intercity bus services are provided by Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach, Greyhound Lines, Burlington Trailways and Megabus. Created in 1971, Amtrak operated from St. Louis Union Station until the structure closed in November 1978. Amtrak then moved to a modular structure two blocks east, at 550 S. 16th St, the new station was approved on a site west of Union Station in 1976. Intended for temporary use, this station — soon dubbed Amshack — remained in service for 26 years, even after Union Station reopened. On December 20,2004, Amtrak moved across the street to 551 South 16th Street, the building now houses Amtrak operating and mechanical crews. Amtraks St. Louis station page Status of Amtraks Texas Eagle trains through St. Louis St. Louis, MO Former St. Louis Amtrak Stations
35.
Lincoln Service
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The Lincoln Service is a 284-mile higher-speed rail service operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. The train is a part of the Illinois Service and is funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The train uses the tracks as Amtraks Texas Eagle. The Lincoln Service is a re-branding of the former State House route, the train route was originally run by the Alton Railroad, which merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad in 1947. By the time the GM&O merged with the Illinois Central Railroad in 1972, during fiscal year 2013, the Lincoln Service trains carried nearly 655,465 passengers, an increase of 9. 7% from FY2012. The service had a revenue of $16,382,439. From April 2007 the Ann Rutledge operated only between Kansas City and St. Louis where it connected to the Lincoln Service trains, Amtrak discontinued the name altogether in 2009. In July 2010, the state of Illinois and the Union Pacific Railroad reached an agreement under which track speeds between Dwight and Alton, Illinois were to be raised to as high as 110 miles per hour. This speed will cut the time between Chicago and St. Louis by 90 minutes, bringing the trip to under four hours. The first track upgrade construction was planned to be between Alton and Lincoln, Illinois and was projected to cost $98 million, the construction on this stretch began on 17 September 2010 in Alton and was completed in 2011. Most of the came from $1.1 billion in stimulus money for Illinois high-speed rail from the American Recovery. The remainder of this grant, as well as $400 million in funding from the state of Illinois, was used to complete a rail corridor for the remaining portions of the St. Louis–Chicago track. Senator Dick Durbin suggested the Dwight–Alton upgrades would create some 900 jobs, on 22 March 2011, an announcement was made in Chicago that an additional $685 million would be used to upgrade trackage and grade crossings between Dwight and Lincoln. Construction on the improvement project began on 5 April 2011, the entire section between Alton and Joliet is expected to have 110-mile-per-hour operation by 2017. The slowest portion of the corridor is the segment between Chicago and Joliet, but improving this would require an additional $1.5 billion investment
36.
Naperville station
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Naperville is a train station in Naperville, Illinois, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. Amtrak trains stopping at the Naperville station include the California Zephyr, Illinois Zephyr, Carl Sandburg and it is also one of two stations in Naperville that serves Metras BNSF Railway commuter line, and an abundance of Pace bus routes. Naperville Station was originally built in 1910 by the Chicago, Burlington, on April 26,1946, the station was the site of a collision between the CB&Qs Exposition Flyer and Advance Flyer. About 4,100 people board Metra trains at the Naperville station daily, the station serves roughly 53,000 Amtrak passengers annually
37.
Southwest Chief
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The Southwest Chief is a higher speed passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 2265-mile route through the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. It runs between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California, passing through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, during fiscal year 2015, the Southwest Chief carried 367,267 passengers, up 4.3 percent from FY2014. The route grossed $44,904,314 in revenue during FY2015, the Southwest Chief is the successor to the Super Chief, which, along with the Chief and El Capitan, were notable Chicago-Los Angeles trains operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The Super Chief name was retained after Amtrak took over passenger service in 1971. Then in March 1974, the Santa Fe forced Amtrak to drop the name because of a decline in quality after the Amtrak takeover. The train was renamed the Southwest Limited, after subsequent improvements, the Santa Fe allowed Amtrak to change its name to the Southwest Chief on October 28,1984. Amtrak operated the Southwest Chief in conjunction with the Capitol Limited, the two trains used the same Superliner equipment sets, and passengers traveling on both trains could remain aboard during the layover in Chicago. Originally announced in 1996, Amtrak planned to call this through service the National Chief with its own numbers, although the name, Amtrak dropped the practice with the May 1998 timetable. On October 2,1979, the Southwest Limited derailed at Lawrence, of the 30 crew and 147 passengers on board, two people were killed and 69 were injured. The cause was excessive speed on a curve, underlying causes were that the engineer was unfamiliar with the route, and that signage indicating the speed restriction had been removed during track repairs. While the lead locomotive stayed on the track, the three trailing locomotives, nine cars, and seven baggage and mail cars derailed. Of the 325 passengers and crew aboard,154 people were injured, on October 16,1999, the westbound Southwest Chief suffered a minor derailment near Ludlow, California, following the Hector Mine earthquake. All the cars stayed upright, and four passengers were injured, on March 14,2016, the Southwest Chief derailed 3 miles from Cimarron, Kansas. Of 14 crew and 128 passengers, twenty were injured, investigators determined the train derailed after the tracks were knocked out of alignment by a runaway truck from a nearby farm operation. The vehicle had rolled down a hill and struck the tracks after the owners had failed to secure the parking brake, a fourth Superliner coach may be added during peak travel periods. Given Amtraks projected 41-hour travel time, the speed is in excess of 55 mph. Starting in May 2013, Volunteer Rangers with Trails & Rails will also be providing a narrative between Chicago and La Plata, Missouri. From June through August, the Southwest Chief is used by Boy Scouts traveling to, during those months, Raton station is staffed by Amtrak employees and handles checked baggage
38.
Emeryville station
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Emeryville is an Amtrak station in Emeryville, California that replaced the older Amtrak 16th Street Station in Oakland. The original Beaux-Arts Oakland 16th Street Station was declared due to unreinforced masonry after sustaining damage in the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. Emeryville opened on August 13,1993, although service continued at Oakland for another year, the station is served by Amtrak Californias Capitol Corridor and San Joaquins and Amtraks Coast Starlight. Of the 74 California stations served by Amtrak, Emeryville was the fourth busiest in FY2012 and this Station is located in Alameda County. Extensive Amtrak Thruway bus connections are available in Emeryville, Route 99 connects all arriving and departing trains with San Francisco. Additional connections are provided by Route 17 to Santa Barbara and Route 34 to Stockton, several public transit bus lines serve the station vicinity, The free Emery Go-Round Hollis and Hollis South routes stop on Horton Street, across the street from the station. Golden Gate Transit Route 580 stops on Hollis Street, a short walk east of the station, AC Transit Route 26 stops on Shellmound Street, across the pedestrian bridge located at the station. Media related to Emeryville station at Wikimedia Commons Amtrak – Stations – Emeryville, CA Emeryville Amtrak Station Emeryville --Great American Stations
39.
California Zephyr
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The California Zephyr is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, and Emeryville, California, via Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. At 2,438 miles it is Amtraks longest route after the Texas Eagle, Amtrak claims the route as one of its most scenic, with views of the upper Colorado River valley in the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada. It was scheduled to pass through the most spectacular scenery on its route in the daylight. Since 1983 the California Zephyr name has applied to the Amtrak service, which operates daily and is a hybrid of the route of the original Zephyr and its former rival. During fiscal year 2012, the California Zephyr carried more than 376,000 passengers, the train had a total revenue of $47,605,728 in 2012, a 6. 4% increase on 2011. Cars owned by different railroads ran together, cars cycled in and out for service, repairs, and varying passenger loads with the seasons. The first train was named in San Francisco by Eleanor Parker while California Lieutenant Governor Goodwin Knight, mayor of San Francisco Elmer Robinson, for the inaugural run in 1949, every woman on the train was given silver and orange orchids flown from Hilo, Hawaii. The car hostesses were known as Zephyrettes, in summer 1954 the schedule for 2,532 miles Chicago to San Francisco was 50hr 50min. An eastbound California Zephyr through Ruby Canyon saw the trains first birth on March 1,1955, the California Zephyr was not immune to falling passenger travel in the 1960s, moreover, it began to lose money even when sold out. The Western Pacific applied to discontinue its portion in 1966 but the Interstate Commerce Commission refused after public outcry. The D&RGW made the same request in 1969 and in 1970 the ICC permitted Western Pacific to end its portion, provided the D&RGW, the last westbound California Zephyr to the west coast left Chicago on March 22,1970 and arrived in Oakland two days later. The California Zephyr had operated for 21 years and 2 days, east of Salt Lake City the train was reduced to a tri-weekly schedule, operating as California Service on the Burlington and as the Rio Grande Zephyr on the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande portion of the train was extended beyond Salt Lake to Ogden, Utah, allowing Nevada and this continued until the creation of Amtrak on May 1,1971. After debuting on the Denver Zephyr in 1936, they served on the California Zephyr from 1949 until it was discontinued in 1970, at any one time, there were 10 or 11 Zephyrettes who were actively employed. When Amtrak revived the California Zephyr in 1983 it invited a former Zephyrette, Beulah Bauman, a pair of the Western Pacifics Budd Rail Diesel Cars, replacements for the Royal Gorge, also picked up the name Zephyrette. At the last minute, the Rio Grande refused to join Amtrak and this forced Amtrak on to the Union Pacifics Overland Route through southern Wyoming instead of Colorado. The Rio Grande continued to operate the Rio Grande Zephyr between Denver and Ogden, in 1983 the D&RGW elected to join Amtrak, citing increasing losses in passenger operations. Amtrak re-routed the San Francisco Zephyr over the D&RGWs Moffat Subdivision between Denver and Salt Lake City, its preference from 1971
40.
Illinois Zephyr
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The Illinois Zephyr, running since 1971, is a 258-mile passenger train operated by Amtrak, that runs between Chicago and Quincy, Illinois. The train is a part of the Illinois Service rail network and is funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Between Chicago and Galesburg, Illinois, this train uses the same double track as three other Amtrak routes, the California Zephyr, the Southwest Chief, and the Carl Sandburg. The Galesburg to Quincy route is served by the Illinois Zephyr. The Illinois Zephyr is the longest continuously operated state-sponsored train, during fiscal year 2015, both the Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg carried a combined 208,961 passengers, a 2. 8% decrease over fiscal year 2014. The two trains had a revenue of $5,287,029 in fiscal year 2015. Service began on November 14,1971, between Chicago and West Quincy, Missouri, passenger service was cut back to Quincy, Illinois on May 1,1994, after a major flood in 1993. The Illinois Zephyr and the Carl Sandburg trainsets continue to cross the Mississippi River to layover between runs, the state of Illinois intervened in 1971 at the request of Quincy College, Western Illinois University, and residents of western Illinois. This became part of the Illinois Service initiative in 1971 and is funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The Illinois Zephyr was never extended to either St. Louis or Kansas City from Quincy, Louis with continuing services to Chicago via Springfield. The name Zephyr is preserved in the current name of the line, today the Illinois Zephyr enjoys strong support from the communities it passes through, and is one of the most successful Amtrak routes. The communities promote the line as the fastest means of getting to downtown Chicago. As such, the route is part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, the addition of the Carl Sandburg train on October 30,2006, was the first step in this Midwest Regional Rail Initiative service upgrade. The scheduled travel time from Chicago to Quincy, via the Illinois Zephyr, has been 4 hours,15 minutes, while a study for the expansion was not conducted, the project could be funded with a mix of federal and state money. The Illinois Zephyr, formerly, ran as trains 347 and 348 until October 30,2006, on that date, the train numbers were changed, partially in anticipation of other expanded services, train 347 became train 383, and train 348 became train 380. Additionally, the Carl Sandburg service was added, running two new trains on the route, train 381, a morning westbound, and train 382. Amtraks original Illinois Zephyr included a stop in Aurora, which would be discontinued on April 28,1985, Service to Plano began on April 30,1972. Service to Quincy proper began on April 24,1983
41.
Glenview station
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Glenview is an Metra commuter rail and Amtrak intercity rail station in Glenview, Illinois, United States, north of Chicago. The facility opened in March 1995 as a replacement for a since-demolished 1950s era station, on Metra, the station is located on the Milwaukee District North Line that runs between Chicago Union Station and Fox Lake, Illinois. It also served the short-lived Lake Country Limited which ran between Chicago and Janesville, Wisconsin between April 15,2000, and September 23,2001. Frequent, daily service is provided on both the Milwaukee District North Line and the Hiawatha, while the Empire Builder provides once-a-day service and it is proposed that the Amtrak service would shift one stop north to North Glenview. This move would eliminate stops which block traffic on Glenview Road. This move would involve reconstruction of the North Glenview station to handle the traffic, and depends on commitments from Glenview
42.
King Street Station
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King Street Station is a train station in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located between South King and South Jackson streets and Second and Fourth Avenues South in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle, the station is just south of downtown. Built between 1904 and 1906, it served the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway from its opening on May 10,1906, until the creation. King Street Station was Seattles primary train terminal until the construction of the adjacent Oregon & Washington Depot, later named Union Station, King Street Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington Heritage Register in 1973. King Street Station was purchased by the City of Seattle in 2008 for $10 and, with enough funds finally in place, the station is served by Amtrak Cascades, Empire Builder, and Coast Starlight trains, and by Sound Transits Sounder commuter trains. King St. Station is also the Seattle terminus for the Rocky Mountaineers luxury excursion train, for the first nine months of 2006, Sounder service boarded almost 1.2 million passengers at King Street Station. In 2016, Seattle was the 15th busiest station in the national Amtrak System, built between 1904 and 1906 by the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway, the station replaced an antiquated station on Railroad Avenue, todays Alaskan Way. Designed by the firm of Reed and Stem of St, the depots 242-foot tower was modeled after Campanile di San Marco in Venice, Italy, making it the tallest building in Seattle at the time of its construction. This tower contained four huge mechanical clock faces built by E. Howard & Co. of Boston, Massachusetts, at the time of installation it was said to be the second largest timepiece on the Pacific Coast, second only to the Ferry Building in San Francisco, California. Over the years, remodeling concealed the stations original ornate interior, after the remodel, the only original remaining features left visible in the main waiting area were the terrazzo tile floor and the clock on the west wall above the restrooms. From a practical standpoint, the station is close to downtown, however, unlike cities such as Boston, it is not near the intercity bus terminal, although the station is less than a block from the International District of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. For many years, the upper entrance off of Jackson Street was not used. Instead, the entrance was located on the first floor off of a small parking lot. Plans to restore the building to its former prominence, including cosmetic renovations to both the station interior and exterior, began in 2003. As part of renovations the Compass Room and restrooms were refurbished. New mahogany entry doors and wood framed windows were installed in the waiting room, new brass door hardware and reproduction period light fixtures and plaster decorative work were included to reproduce the former character of the stations interior. In November,2006, the Office of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announced an agreement between the City of Seattle and BNSF Railway to purchase the station for $1. The Seattle City Council formalized the agreement by passing legislation in December,2006, the deal, revised to $10, was signed March 5,2008
43.
Portland Union Station
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Portland Union Station is an Amtrak train station near the west shore of the Willamette River in the Old Town Chinatown section of Portland, Oregon, United States. The station building contains offices on the upper floors, as well as Wilfs Restaurant. It also has Amtraks first Metropolitan Lounge on the West Coast, southeast of the station, the tracks make a sharp turn and cross the river on the historic Steel Bridge. To the northwest, they follow the river, passing through rail yards before crossing the river again on the Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 5.1, the Portland Development Commission earns $200,000 a year from nearly 30 tenants. Amtrak, the tenant, has a lease through 2010 with a renewal option through 2015. Union Station serves as a hub for Portland. Portlands Greyhound bus station is the building to the south. Located at the end of TriMets transit mall, Union Station is also only a short walk to both lines of the Portland Streetcar, in the Pearl District. The initial design for the station was created in 1882 by McKim, Mead, had the original plan been built, the station would have been the largest train station in the world. A smaller plan was introduced by architects Van Brunt & Howe, construction of the station began in 1890. It was built by Northern Pacific Terminal Company at a cost of $300,000, the signature piece of the structure is the 150 ft. tall Romanesque Revival clock tower. The neon signs were added to it in 1948, the signs read Go by Train on the northeast and southwest sides and Union Station on the northwest and southeast sides. The station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, for that reason, the stations then-owner, the Portland Terminal Railroad, decided to discontinue operation of the signs. New neon tubes, in place of the old, were installed in July, and the signs were switched back on and returned to regular use in September 1985. The Union Station signs remain illuminated continuously, while the Go by Train signs flash on and off, in a sequence of Go, then Go by, shortly afterwards, Union Station underwent a renovation. In 2004, the roadway in front of the station was reconfigured, providing a new connection to the northwest, in addition, the area is being redeveloped, including new housing where railroad tracks once were
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Empire Builder
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The Empire Builder is a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest. The route has two segments west of Spokane that serve two termini, Seattle and Portland, the end-to-end travel time of the route is 45–46 hours for an average speed of about 50 mph, though the train travels as fast as 79 mph over the majority of the route. It is Amtraks busiest long-distance route, on June 11,1929, the Great Northern Railway inaugurated the Empire Builder in honor of the companys founder, James J. Hill. Known as The Empire Builder, Hill had reorganized several failing railroads into a railroad that reached the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th century. Following World War II, Great Northern placed new streamlined and diesel-powered trains in service that cut the scheduled 2,211 miles between Chicago and Seattle from 58.5 hours to 45 hours. The schedule allowed riders views of the Cascade Mountains and Glacier National Park, re-equipped with domes in 1955, the Empire Builder offered passengers sweeping views of the route through three dome coaches and one full-length Great Dome car for first class passengers. In 1970, the Great Northern merged with other railroads to form the Burlington Northern Railroad, one year later, Amtrak assumed operation of the train and shifted the Chicago to St. Paul leg to the Milwaukee Road route through Milwaukee along the route to St Paul. The route between Chicago and Spokane has remained consistent, but the split into Seattle and Portland sections disappeared between 1971 and 1981, when there was no Portland section. The Spokane-Portland section of the train was operated by the Spokane, Portland, before 1971, the Chicago to St. Paul leg was operated via the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroads mainline along the Mississippi River through Wisconsin. The service also used to operate west from the Twin Cities before turning north in Willmar, Minnesota, in 2005, Amtrak upgraded service to include a wine and cheese tasting in the dining car for sleeping-car passengers and free newspapers in the morning. Amtraks inspector general eliminated some of services in 2013 as part of a cost-saving measure. During summer months, on portions of the route, Trails and Rails volunteers in the lounge car comment on points of visual, the Empire Builder is the most popular long-distance train in the Amtrak system. About 65% of the cost of operating the train is covered by fare revenue, the train passes through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. It makes service stops in Spokane, Washington, Havre, Montana, Minot, North Dakota and its other major stops include Vancouver, Washington, Whitefish, Montana, Fargo, North Dakota, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It uses BNSF Railways northern route from Seattle to Minneapolis, Minnesota Commercial from Minneapolis to St. Paul, Canadian Pacific from St. Paul to Glenview, the eastbound cars merge into one train at Spokane. The train continues into the mountains in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, Amtrak organizes the schedule so the train will pass through the Rocky Mountains during daylight, but this is more likely on the eastbound train during summer. Passengers can see sweeping views as the train skirts the edge of the park. The land changes from prairie to forest as it travels through Minnesota and it winds through rural southern Wisconsin, turns south at Milwaukee, and ends at Chicago Union Station
4.34% (Amtrak)
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