Illini and Saluki
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.
Overview
Active
- December 19, 1973 (Illini)
- October 30, 2006 (Saluki)
9
310 miles (500 km)
5 hours, 30 minutes[2]
2 daily round trips
390–393
Coach Class
Business Class
Train lower level, most stations
Overhead racks
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
56 mph (90 km/h) (avg.)
79 mph (127 km/h) (top)
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]
In 2021 a typical Illini or Saluki consists of:[22]