Springfield station is a brick railroad depot in Springfield, Illinois, the state capital. It is at mile 185 on Amtrak's Illinois and Missouri Route. As of 2007, it is served by five daily round trips each way: the daily Texas Eagle, and four daily Lincoln Service frequencies.
History
The station was originally constructed by the Chicago and Alton Railroad in 1895 and is one of three historic railroad stations still existing in the city, along with the Lincoln Depot built by the Great Western Railroad in 1852 and Springfield Union Station built by the Illinois Central Railroad in 1898. Prior to the start up of Amtrak on May 1, 1971 it was operated by a successor company, the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad, and was served by a variety of named trains, including the Alton Limited, the Abraham Lincoln, and the Midnight Special. Springfield was intended to be the southwestern terminus of the State House, predecessor of today's Lincoln Service. However, Amtrak extended this train to St. Louis at its own expense because the Chicago and Alton/GM&O station was not designed to turn trainsets around. mural in railroad station. The passenger station is decorated with a small mural. Painted on the wall atop the ticket office, the mural features a route map of the post-1947 Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad and the state seals of Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. The mural is the work of Louis Grell of Chicago. Springfield is applying for federal grant money to construct a new transportation hub building that could bring together Amtrak and local bus service. Estimates of the cost of this project, published in February 2007, ranged from $13 to $18 million, but this was a decrease from an earlier estimate of $50.0 million. One reason for the discrepancies is uncertainty over whether to try to accomplish a major relocation of railroad tracks that pass through downtown Springfield; the tracks have served the downtown area since the time of Abraham Lincoln. In a 2010-2011 project, authorities supervised the railroad station's comprehensive refurbishment. Overhauled elements included the GM&O mural, trackside landscaping, passenger seating, handicapped accessibility, parking lot repaving and a new station roof. The $714,500 project was financed by the city and Amtrak. Springfield used $571,500 obtained through the Central AreaTax Increment Financing district that covers much of the downtown. Other stakeholders involved in the renovation included Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the track and platform, and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which reviewed project plans to ensure that the station's historic elements were preserved.
