Pontiac station (Illinois)

Pontiac station is an Amtrak train station in Pontiac, Livingston County, Illinois, United States. Pontiac station is served by the Illinois-focused Lincoln Service between Chicago Union Station and the Gateway Transportation Center in St. Louis, Missouri and the long-distance Texas Eagle between Chicago and Los Angeles Union Station. Until April 2007, Pontiac was also served by the Ann Rutledge, a train from Chicago to Kansas City Union Station. Pontiac station boasts a single, low-level side platform for trains, along with a station depot for passengers. The station also has a wheelchair lift and handicap-accessibility per the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Pontiac, IL
The new Pontiac station in June 2017
General information
Location711 West Water Street
Pontiac, Illinois
United States
Coordinates40°52′43″N 88°38′13″W / 40.87861°N 88.63694°W / 40.87861; -88.63694
Owned byIDOT and Amtrak
Line(s)Union Pacific Railroad
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsBus transport SHOW Bus
Construction
Parking29 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: PON
History
Rebuilt1901[1]
–June 5, 2017[2]
Key dates
June 1974Station agent eliminated[3]
Passengers
FY 202210,627[4] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Normal
toward St. Louis
Lincoln Service Dwight
toward Chicago
Normal Texas Eagle Joliet
toward Chicago
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Bloomington
toward Laredo or Houston
Inter-American Joliet
toward Chicago
Location
Pontiac, IL is located in Illinois
Pontiac, IL
Pontiac, IL
Location within Illinois

Pontiac originated as a stop on the Chicago and Alton Railroad. A station depot, built in 1901, formerly served as the Amtrak station until a new one was constructed to the south. A new station opened on June 5, 2017, at a cost of $2.65 million.[5]

An older depot, located one block north of the new station, is now a pizza restaurant.

References edit

  1. ^ Chicago and Alton Railway (September 1901). Annual Report of the Chicago & Alton Railway Company. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago and Alton Railway Company. p. 25. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  2. ^ Barlow, Kevin (June 6, 2017). "Pontiac Station Newest Addition to Rail Project". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved January 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Pontiac I-C Station is Closed". The Streator Times-Press. June 20, 1974. p. 8. Retrieved January 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Illinois" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Shelley, Tim (June 5, 2017). "New Pontiac train station opens". WEEK-TV. Archived from the original on 2017-08-05. Retrieved July 24, 2018.

External links edit

  Media related to Pontiac, Illinois (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons