Mattoon (Amtrak Station)
History
The Mattoon station is housed in the former Illinois Central Railroad Depot. The depot was completed in 1918 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. At its height, the building housed a power plant, mail room, luggage room, and restaurant, in addition to the main hall where passengers waited to board trains. As many as ten trains a day departed the depot in the 1950s.
During 2010, a $3 million restoration project, paid for from a mix of private, state, and federal funding, was undertaken, replacing paint, flooring, and other interior fixtures.
The depot today
There are no Amtrak employees at the station; the doors unlock and lock automatically before and after the arrival and departure of trains. The station currently serves as a stop for the Illini, Saluki, and City of New Orleans passenger trains The tracks themselves, formerly part of the Illinois Central Railroad, are now owned by the Canadian National Railway (CN). Freight trains run by CN pass through frequently.
Transit service to the depot from Mattoon and Charleston is provided by Dial-A-Ride Rural Public Transportation, which provides deviated fixed-route and demand-response service.
References
- ^ Sanders, Craig (December 28, 1977). "Closing of Ticket Office Will End Era". The Journal Gazette. Mattoon, Illinois. p. 3. Retrieved November 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Work Begun on Mattoon Station". The Effingham Republican. March 8, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved June 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New Depot Opened". The Windsor Gazette. Windsor, Shelby County, Illinois. January 24, 1918. p. 1. Retrieved June 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Illinois" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ National Register of Historic Places listings for Coles County, Illinois. www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com
- ^ Project Depot: History. www.projectdepot.org Archived 2005-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Renovations complete on eastern Ill. train depot". Chicago Tribune. 17 October 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ^ Great American Stations. Accessed March 27, 2013.
- ^ Great American Stations. Accessed March 27, 2013.
External links
Media related to Mattoon station at Wikimedia Commons
- Mattoon, IL – Amtrak
- Mattoon, IL – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
- Pictures of the Mattoon station from projectdepot.org.
- Mattoon Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
- National Register nomination