Illini and Saluki

Illini and Saluki

Illini crosses the Kankakee River, 2011
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Active
Locale	Illinois
First service	December 19, 1973 (1973-12-19) (Illini) October 30, 2006 (2006-10-30) (Saluki)
Current operator(s)	Amtrak
Annual ridership	270,017 (FY23) 20.4%[a][1]
Route
Termini	Chicago Carbondale
Stops	9
Distance travelled	310 miles (500 km)
Average journey time	5 hours, 30 minutes[2]
Service frequency	2 daily round trips
Train number(s)	390–393
On-board services
Class(es)	Coach Class Business Class
Disabled access	Train lower level, most stations
Catering facilities	Café
Observation facilities	Sightseer lounge car
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks
Technical
Rolling stock	Superliner
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed	56 mph (90 km/h) (avg.) 79 mph (127 km/h) (top)
Track owner(s)	CN
Route map Show interactive map Legend Amtrak Empire Builder & Hiawatha 0 mi 0 km Chicago St. Charles Air Line Central Station ( 1971– 1972 ) other Amtrak services 25 mi 40 km Homewood 57 mi 92 km Kankakee 82 mi 132 km Gilman 115 mi 185 km Rantoul 129 mi 208 km Champaign–Urbana 176 mi 283 km Decatur ( 1981– 1983 ) 174 mi 280 km Mattoon 201 mi 323 km Effingham 254 mi 409 km Centralia 289 mi 465 km Du Quoin 310 mi 499 km Carbondale City of New Orleans This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

The Illini and Saluki are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak along a 310-mile (500 km) route between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. They are part of Amtrak's Illinois Service and are primarily funded by the state of Illinois. The service provides two daily roundtrips; Saluki being the morning trains and Illini the afternoon trains. The route is coextensive with the far northern leg of 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 Saluki debuted in 2006. In fiscal year 2023, the Illini and Saluki carried a combined 270,017 passengers, a 20.4% increase from FY2022.^[3]

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