Illinois city celebrates station upgrades NEWSWIRE

MATTOON, Ill. – A four-year, $3 million project to stabilize and then improve the three-story former railroad office building and passenger station in Mattoon was celebrated last week by Amtrak and Illinois DOT. Six daily Amtrak trains use the station, which is sited about 130 miles northeast of St. Louis.

The Coles County Historical Society raised $400,000 locally, received $70,000 from the City of Mattoon, and used $130,000 in grants from Illinois DOT and other state agencies to match $2.6 million in federal transportation funds. Among other improvements, the project replaced the clay-tile roof, installed a new passenger elevator, made lavatories accessible for the disabled, and preserved the historic nature of the building opened by Illinois Central in 1918.

The station, which also serves nearby Charleston and Eastern Illinois University, has seen significant ridership growth since an additional state-supported round-trip train was added in 2006. The city is served by the Illini and the Saluki Amtrak trains, with two daily round-trips between Chicago and Carbondale, Ill., and the City of New Orleans, operating daily between Chicago and New Orleans via Memphis.

MATTOON, Ill. – A four-year, $3 million project to stabilize and then improve the three-story former railroad office building and passenger station in Mattoon was celebrated last week by Amtrak and Illinois DOT. Six daily Amtrak trains use the station, which is sited about 130 miles northeast of St. Louis.

The Coles County Historical Society raised $400,000 locally, received $70,000 from the City of Mattoon, and used $130,000 in grants from Illinois DOT and other state agencies to match $2.6 million in federal transportation funds. Among other improvements, the project replaced the clay-tile roof, installed a new passenger elevator, made lavatories accessible for the disabled, and preserved the historic nature of the building opened by Illinois Central in 1918.

The station, which also serves nearby Charleston and Eastern Illinois University, has seen significant ridership growth since an additional state-supported round-trip train was added in 2006. The city is served by the Illini and the Saluki Amtrak trains, with two daily round-trips between Chicago and Carbondale, Ill., and the City of New Orleans, operating daily between Chicago and New Orleans via Memphis.