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The Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak on a 258-mile (415 km) route between Chicago and Quincy, Illinois. As Illinois Service trains, they are partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Between Chicago and Galesburg, Illinois, the trains share their route with Amtrak's California Zephyr and Southwest Chief; the remainder of the route (Galesburg–Quincy) is served exclusively by the Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg.

Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg

The eastbound Illinois Zephyr arriving at Princeton in 2017
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	Illinois
Predecessor	American Royal Zephyr Kansas City Zephyr
First service	November 14, 1971 (1971-11-14) (Illinois Zephyr) October 30, 2006 (2006-10-30) (Carl Sandburg)
Current operator(s)	Amtrak
Annual ridership	78,179 (FY21) −59.4%[1][lower-alpha 1]
Route
Termini	Chicago, Illinois Quincy, Illinois
Stops	8
Distance travelled	258 miles (415 km)
Average journey time	4 hours, 21 minutes[2]
Service frequency	Twice daily
Train number(s)	380-383
On-board services
Class(es)	Reserved Coach and Business Class
Seating arrangements	Airline-style coach seating
Catering facilities	On-board café
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)	BNSF Railway
Route map Legend 0 mi Chicago 14 mi 23 km La Grange 28 mi 45 km Naperville DuPage River 38 mi 61 km Aurora Bypassed 1983 Fox River 52 mi 84 km Plano 83 mi 134 km Mendota 104 mi 167 km Princeton Hennepin Canal 131 mi 211 km Kewanee 162 mi 261 km Galesburg California Zephyr to Emeryville Southwest Chief to Los Angeles 202 mi 325 km Macomb 258 mi 415 km Quincy Illinois Missouri Mississippi River West Quincy Closed 1994 This diagram: view talk edit

The Illinois Zephyr is the longest continuously operated state-sponsored train, having started in November 1971.[3]^: 241 The Carl Sandburg was added as the route's second daily round trip in 2006.

During fiscal year 2021, the Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg carried a combined 78,200 passengers, a 22% decrease over fiscal year 2020.[4] The two trains had a total revenue of $10.5 million in fiscal year 2021, a 9.5% decrease over fiscal year 2014.[4]

History

The initial train route between Quincy and Chicago first opened as a part of three independent railroads in 1855. The portion of track between Quincy and Galesburg was owned by the Northern Cross Railroad, led by Nehemiah Bushnell, and was completed in 1854. This connected with the Central Military Tract Road between Galesburg and Mendota, Illinois. At Mendota, it connected with the Chicago and Aurora Railroad to complete the route to Chicago.[5] These three railroads eventually merged into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.

The Illinois Zephyr is a descendant of the Kansas City Zephyr and American Royal Zephyr passenger train routes operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad from 1953 until 1968 and 1971, respectively. The state of Illinois intervened in 1971 at the request of Quincy College (now Quincy University), Western Illinois University, and residents of western Illinois. This became part of the "Illinois Service" initiative in 1971 and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation.[3]^: 242 Service on the Illinois Zephyr began on November 14, 1971, between Chicago and West Quincy, Missouri. 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.[6]

Service to Plano began on April 30, 1972. Service to Quincy proper began on April 24, 1983 in response to the West Quincy station being frequently cut off by flooding. The suburban stop at Aurora, was discontinued on April 28, 1985, in favor of Naperville.[3]^{: 251–252} Passenger service was cut back to Quincy on May 1, 1994, after a major flood in 1993 destroyed the original station at West Quincy. The Illinois Zephyr and the Carl Sandburg trainsets continue to cross the Mississippi River to layover at the BNSF West Quincy railyard for servicing between runs.

On October 30, 2006, a second round trip, the Carl Sandburg was added as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative. The train's name honors the famed and Pulitzer-winning writer Carl Sandburg, whose birthplace in Galesburg, Illinois lies just a few hundred feet from this train's route. The morning westbound/evening eastbound schedule complements the opposite morning eastbound/evening westbound schedule of the Illinois Zephyr.

During 2010, Amtrak contacted officials from communities in northeastern Missouri and western Illinois regarding the feasibility of extending the routes from Quincy to the Missouri cities of Hannibal and St. Louis. Without any funding, though, no formal planning or studies were done for the extension.[7]

Plans for a Hannibal extension were revived in late 2021, when a coalition of political, business, and transportation leaders was formed. A committee will investigate potential station locations in downtown Hannibal (including the Y Men’s Pavilion), discuss surrounding mobility issues (including parking, walkability, and flooding), and work to find funding for planning and studies. The committee, which will be soliciting input from the public, held its first meeting January 2022.[8]

Stops

State	Town/City	Station	Connections
Illinois	Chicago	Chicago Union Station	Amtrak (long-distance): California Zephyr, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Empire Builder, Lake Shore Limited, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle Amtrak (intercity): Blue Water, Hiawatha, Illini and Saluki, Lincoln Service, Pere Marquette, Wolverine Metra: ■ BNSF, ■ Milwaukee District North, ■ Milwaukee District West, ■ North Central Service, ■ Heritage Corridor, ■ SouthWest Service Chicago "L": Blue (at Clinton) Brown Orange Pink Purple (at Quincy) Local buses: CTA, Pace Intercity buses: Amtrak Thruway, Greyhound, Megabus
	La Grange	La Grange	Metra: ■ BNSF Pace
	Naperville	Naperville	Amtrak: California Zephyr, Southwest Chief Metra: ■ BNSF Pace
	Plano	Plano
	Mendota	Mendota	Amtrak: Southwest Chief
	Princeton	Princeton	Amtrak: California Zephyr, Southwest Chief
	Kewanee	Kewanee
	Galesburg	Galesburg	Amtrak: California Zephyr, Southwest Chief Galesburg Transit
	Macomb	Macomb	Go West Transit
	Quincy	Quincy	Quincy Transit Lines

Ridership

Rolling stock

A normal Amtrak Illinois Zephyr or Carl Sandburg consists of:[10][11]

• One Siemens SC-44 Charger locomotive
• Two to five Amfleet I or Horizon Fleet coaches
• One Amfleet I or Horizon fleet Cafe/Business class car
• Sometimes one non-powered cab car, otherwise known as an NPCU, rebuilt from an EMD F40PH

References

Notes

External links

Media related to Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg at Wikimedia Commons

• Illinois Services – Amtrak

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