Amtrak said Monday it has restored all services at its Homewood station, including on-site ticketing and the resumption of two daily round-trip trains on the Illini and Saluki line.
In January, Amtrak suspended one of the two daily trips on the line between Chicago and Carbondale, which also includes stops in Champaign and Mattoon. The suspension was due to staffing pressures, according to Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesman.
One daily train on that line and Amtrak’s City of New Orleans continued to stop at the Homewood station, 18015 Park Ave., he said.
The return of the second Illini and Saluki train comes as Amtrak has completed a $15 million renovation of the station, including making it complaint with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Last month, Amtrak completed remodeling of the ticketing area inside the station, which is now staffed daily.
College faculty and students at institutions such as the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, near Mattoon, and Southern Illinois University in Carbondale are a big part of the ridership, Magliari said.
The one daily round-trip had to be suspended as Amtrak lost employees due to attrition during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Amtrak is trying to fill jobs across its system as it sees ridership rebounding from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and said last month that it expects ridership and revenue to be above 90% of pre-COVID levels by the end of fiscal year 2023 next September.
Built in 1923 as part of the Illinois Central Railroad system, the station is on the state’s Register of Historic Places, and efforts were made during the renovation to preserve many of the building’s architectural elements.
The mission revival architectural style of the station was meant to complement the clubhouse at Ravisloe Country Club just to the southwest, according to Amtrak.
The station had been closed during much of the project, which got underway in August 2020, with passengers who would board the Illini and Saluki trains being shuttled to Amtrak’s Kankakee station.
Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld welcomed the resumption of full train service and the staffing of the ticket counter.
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“It’s very nice we have a full-service Amtrak station,” he said.
The renovation of the Homewood station dovetails with plans by Metra to renovate its adjacent commuter station on its Electric District line.
Hofeld said that separate $14 million project is scheduled to get underway in the spring.
Work will include replacing the existing station structure at Harwood Avenue and Ridge Road as well as renovating the existing tunnel, built in 1911.
The tunnel, which has water leaks, will be waterproofed and upgraded with improved lighting and ventilation systems as well as graffiti-resistant finishes.
In conjunction with Amtrak’s project, the tunnel will make both stations handicap accessible from either Park or Harwood avenues.
mnolan@tribpub.com
