Wikipedia

Quincy station (Amtrak)

Quincy station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Quincy, Illinois, United States. It is served by the two daily round trips of the Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg.

Quincy, IL
Quincy station in February 2016
General information
LocationNorth 30th Street and Wisman Lane
Quincy, Illinois
Coordinates39°57′25″N 91°22′07″W / 39.9570°N 91.3685°W / 39.9570; -91.3685
Owned byCity of Quincy
LineBNSF Brookfield Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport Quincy Transit Lines
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: QCY
History
Opened1985
Passengers
FY 202529,252[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg Macomb
toward Chicago
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
West Quincy
Closed 1993
Terminus
 Illinois Zephyr Macomb
toward Chicago
Preceding station Burlington Route Following station
West Quincy
toward Kansas City
 Kansas City – Galesburg Ewbanks
toward Galesburg
Location
Map

History

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Postcard of the 1899-built station

The Quincy and Chicago Railroad opened a line from Quincy to Galesburg, Illinois, on January 31, 1856. It was soon operated as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), forming a line between Quincy and Chicago, and was consolidated with the CB&Q in 1865.[2]: 6–7 [3]: 292  The CB&Q, the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, and the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railroad opened a bridge across the Mississippi River between Quincy and West Quincy, Missouri, on November 9, 1868.[2]: 9  In 1897–1898, the CB&Q reconstructed the Mississippi River bridge. A second "lower" bridge, south of the main bridge, was added over Quincy Bay on the east side of the river; this formed a loop which allowed through passenger trains to serve Quincy without reversing direction.[4][5][3]: 506  The next year, the CB&Q opened a new station at Second Street and Oak Street.[6]

In September 1945, the CB&Q proposed to close Quincy station; a new "station" with no rails would be built in downtown Quincy, with a bus connection to a waiting room and platform in West Quincy.[7][8] The move was expected to reduce running times – as well as to reduce the company's taxes by being outside Quincy city limits.[9] Objections from city officials initially led the CB&Q to drop the plan, but it was brought back in early 1946.[10]

In November 1952, the CB&Q announced plans to eliminate the time-consuming detour through downtown Quincy, as had been proposed in 1945. Passenger trains would use the main bridge rather than the "lower" bridge; a new station at West Quincy would replace the existing Quincy station. [11][12] The change was expected to save 20–30 minutes over the old Quincy routing. On February 1, 1953, West Quincy station replaced Quincy as the city's train station.[13] The former station was demolished in 1962. CB&Q service to West Quincy lasted until May 1971; Amtrak service began that November with the Illinois Zephyr.[6]

The 1983-opened station in 1984

On April 24, 1983, Amtrak opened a station at 24th Street in Quincy because the low-lying West Quincy location was prone to flooding from the Mississippi River.[6][14]: 252 [15]: 138  [16] The station was later relocated to 30th Street; a permanent station building opened there on December 12, 1985.[14]: 252  It was modeled after early-20th-century streetcar stations.[6] West Quincy station closed on July 10, 1993, during the Great Flood of 1993; it was heavily damaged by the floods and never reopened.[17][18]

The city received $6 million in 2010 to build a new intermodal terminal closer to downtown. In addition to serving as an Amtrak station, it would become the city's Burlington Trailways station and a transfer hub for Quincy Transit Lines.[19] Initial plans favored a site near 2nd Street and Oak Street – the site of the city's 1899–1953 train station.[20]

References

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  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal year 2025: State of Illinois" (PDF). Amtrak. January 2026. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Overton, R.C. (1940). The First Ninety Years: An Historical Sketch of the Burlington Railroad 1850–1940 (PDF). Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.
  3. 1 2 Interstate Commerce Commission (October 1927). "Valuation Docket No. 715: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Et Al". Interstate Commerce Commission Reports. 134.
  4. ↑ "Railway Doings at Quincy". Henderson County Graphic-Reporter. November 25, 1897. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Lane, Beth (December 25, 2016). "Train met tragedy on Mississippi River railroad bridge". Historical Society of Quincy & Adams County.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Quincy, IL (QCY)". Great American Stations. Amtrak.
  7. ↑ "Depot at West Quincy". The Memphis Democrat. September 27, 1945. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "C. B. & Q. Plans Changes At Quincy". The Palmyra Spectator. September 19, 1945. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Now "Quincy West"". The Edina Sentinel and Knox County Democrat. July 10, 1947. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Approves West Quincy Station". The Palmyra Spectator. March 27, 1946. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Burlington Station Planned at West Quincy". The Palmyra Spectator. November 5, 1952. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "C. B. & Q. Station To Be Built In West Quincy". Hannibal Courier-Post. November 1, 1952. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Quincy Depot Abandoned For West Quincy Site". The Palmyra Spectator. February 4, 1953. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. 1 2 Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
  15. ↑ Warner, David C.; Goldberg, Bruce (2021). Fifty Years of Amtrak Trains: A Comprehensive Survey of Amtrak Routes: 1971–2021. Bucklin, Missouri: White River Productions. ISBN 978-1-932804-70-6.
  16. ↑ National Train Timetables. Amtrak. April 24, 1983. p. 54 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  17. ↑ "Amtrak halts service to Iowa". The Register-Mail. AP. July 10, 1993. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Husar, Edward (March 20, 1994). "Amtrak's Illinois Zephyr provides key line". The Quincy Whig-Herald. p. 19F.
  19. ↑ Quincy to get $6 million in state money to build transit/Amtrak intermodal terminal By MATT HOPF Archived July 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ↑ Shriver, Melissa (October 27, 2010). "Quincy talks Intermodal hub". ConnectTristates.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
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