Macomb station

Macomb, IL
Macomb station in May 2017.
General information
Location120 East Calhoun Street
Macomb, Illinois
Coordinates40°27′40″N 90°40′21″W / 40.4611°N 90.6724°W / 40.4611; -90.6724
Line(s)BNSF Brookfield Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsBus transport Go West Transit: 5, 6, 10, 15, 16, 18, 19
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: MAC
History
OpenedNovember 1855[1]
RebuiltJune 1879[2]
1913
Key dates
May 26, 18791866 station depot burned[3]
Passengers
FY 202337,199[4] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Quincy
Terminus
Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg Galesburg
toward Chicago
Former services
Preceding station Burlington Route Following station
Colchester Kansas City – Galesburg Bardolph
toward Galesburg
Location
Map

Macomb station (officially the Thomas C. Carper Amtrak Station)[5] is an Amtrak intercity train station in Macomb, Illinois, United States. There is one daily morning train to Chicago. In the evening, the return train continues on to Quincy, Illinois. The station is a brick structure constructed around 1913 by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad as designed by the railroad's architect Walter Theodore Krausch.[6] The city of Macomb leases the station from BNSF Railway to prevent demolition and has done so since 1971.[7]

In 2017, Amtrak and the city of Macomb agreed to be the first member of a pilot project in which the station platform would be upgraded. Amtrak visited the station in 2016 and railroad engineers drew up plans for a new platform. By doing so, it would also get the station interior a full remodel, making sure the doors and restrooms are all accessible with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. They speculated cost for the new project would be $100,000–$200,000.[8] Amtrak rebuilt the platform at Macomb station in 2022, making it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act at the cost of $2.7 million. The new platform, 300 feet (91 m) long, contained a new brick pattern surface with concrete, new hand and guard rails, and a snowmelt system built into the platform to make it easier for cleaning in the winter. The railroad and city officials unveiled the new platform to the public on August 24, 2022.[9]

Amtrak and the city of Macomb dedicated the station on May 16, 2024 in honor of Tom Carper, Mayor of Macomb from 1991–2013 and Amtrak Board member from 2008–2024.[5][10]

  1. ^ "Northern Cross Railroad". The Ottawa Free Trader. Ottawa, Illinois. November 17, 1855. p. 2. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ "City and County". The Macomb Journal. June 19, 1879. p. 3. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "The C.B. & Q Passenger Depot..." The Monmouth Atlas. Monmouth, Illinois. May 30, 1872. p. 2. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Illinois" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Smith, Dylan (May 16, 2024). "Macomb Train Station Dedicated to Former Mayor, Amtrak Board Member Tom Carper". WGEM-TV. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  6. ^ Granacki, Victoria, and Lara Ramsey (November 21, 2012). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, "Macomb Courthouse Square Historic District"" (PDF). Illinois.gov. Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved August 14, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Egger, Rich (May 16, 2024). "Macomb Names Amtrak Station in Honor of Tom Carper". WIUM. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  8. ^ Anderson, Taylor (February 1, 2017). "Macomb Train Depot Takes on Amtrak's Pilot Program". KHQA-TV. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  9. ^ Smith, Dylan (August 24, 2022). "$2.7 Million Macomb Amtrak Upgrades Unveiled". WGEM-TV. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  10. ^ "Tom Carper, 2012". goleathernecks.com. Western Illinois University. 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2024.